The Leftist Movement and the Catholic Community in Sri Lanka

New LSSP branch in 'Little Rome':

W.T.A. Leslie Fernando

At the State Council General Election held in February - March 1936, LSSP contested 4 seats - Phillip, Avissawella, N.M., Ruwanwella, Leslie Gunawardena, Panadura and Dr. S.A. Wickramasinghe, Morawaka. Phillip Gunawardena won Avissawella by a comfortable majority and N.M. won Ruwanwella. The other two lost.

N.M. confessed that if not for Phillip he would not have contested Ruwanwella and further if not for the help he got from Phillip and Robert he might not have even won it. Out of all the 50 members in the State Council, Phillip and N.M. soon became a force to reckon with. At this time N.M. took the lead from Phillip whom he admired to the point of hero worship.

Phillip and N.M. vociferously championed the cause of the underprivileged in the State Council. They became a household name among the commoners who became interested in the proceedings of the State Council. The role of Phillip and N.M. in the State Council had an invigorating effect among the workers and peasants all over the country. As a result LSSP became very popular among the masses.

LSSP was branded as a Marxist anti-religious movement and many Catholics hesitated to join the party.

At about time Warnakulasuriya Santiago Fernando was a teacher at St. Anthony's Boy's Roman Catholic School, Dalupotha in Negombo. He was born on January 19, 1904 in abject poverty in a cadjan hut at Kudapaduwa - a fishing hamlet in Negombo. His father Warnakulasuriya Nicholas Fernando was a minor employee, fixing nails at a fibre mill to clean the coir. His mother walked the highways and byways of the city of Negombo as a fishmonger carrying a basket on her head to supplement the meagre income of her husband to sustain the family.

Whatever the financial constraints the family had to face, they sent their brilliant son to St. Anthony's in the adjacent village, Dalupotha. At that time, there were two outstanding students at St. Anthony's, Dalupotha.

One was Thomas Benjamin Cooray, who later entered the seminary, ordained a priest, obtained his PhD, became the Archbishop of Colombo and ended up as a Cardinal in Sri Lanka.

Limited avenues

The other was Santiago Fernando who entered Maggona Catholic Training School and became a trained teacher. There was no free education at that time and the highest avenue open to a poor layman of his class was to become a Sinhala teacher.

It did not take long for Santiago, by his own experiences to realise that all the poor people in Sri Lanka were undergoing suffering and degradation. He was drawn by the class feelings and fraternal sentiments to champion the cause of the underprivileged. The people of Dalupotha were not slow to realise his talents and elected Santiago Fernando to represent Dalupotha ward in the Othara Village Council.

Around the same time, another person who was to champion the cause of the suffering emerged in Negombo. He was none other than Dr. Hector Fernando (1903 - 1976) who contested Negombo seat in 1956 as the candidate of the LSSP, won it and later stormed and conquered `Little Rome' as a Marxist.

Unlike Santiago who was from the down-trodden, Hector Heronimus Fernando was born with a silver spoon in his mouth to a well to do family. He hailed from Katana, an area well-known in the island for its riches. He was educated at St. Joseph's College, Colombo and went to U.K. for higher studies. He returned to Sri Lanka in 1931 as a qualified physician with a degree in medicine from the University of Edinburgh.

He opened up a private dispensary in Negombo which in due course blossomed into the first nursing home and maternity clinic in the area. He was soon drawn towards the unfortunate and the underprivileged. He became concerned about the exploited fisherfolk in Negombo and often clashed with the fish magnates in the area. Dr. Hector Fernando was moved by the plight of the poverty stricken fisherfolk who put out their boats into mid-sea at night leaving their wives and children at home under care and protection of Lord Almighty.

The fishermen who risked their lives braving the sea had to sell their catch to fish magnates for a song at a place called `Lellama'. They had to give a tithe to the church for fish so sold. They were squeezed from all sides so much so, they had no money to educate their children and build decent habitable houses. Dr. Hector Fernando began to organise poverty stricken fishermen to get their legitimate dues.

Class

In 1936 the Education Department organised a science class for Sinhala teachers at Nalanda College, Colombo. They were conducted by S. Jinendradasa, the Principal of Nalanda College. Although the authorities refused permission, Santiago Fernando defied them and attended the class on his own. He had to wait for about one and half hours to take the train back to Negombo.

While he was waiting at the Railway Station, Maradana, one fine day he bought the `Samasamajaya' journal from a paper vendor at the station. That was the second issue of `Samasamajaya'. Santiago Fernando was so impressed by its contents, he wanted to buy the first issue as well. He walked all the way to the LSSP party head office in front of Tower Hall, to buy a copy.

At the LSSP party headquarters, Santiago Fernando could see the two State Councillors, Phillip and N.M. listening patiently to grievances of people and promising to take steps to get relief for them. From then on, he made it a habit to spend the time at the LSSP head office until it is time board the train to Negombo.

Santiago Fernando attended the 1936 May Day rally of the LSSP, and was taken up by the speeches made there. He was specially mesmerized by the firebrand speech of Phillip Gunawardene. Having decided to join the LSSP on a subsequent date Santiago Fernando went to the party head office and handed in an application form to join the LSSP.

Roy de Mel, a co-secretary of the LSSP who accepted the application after a short discussion, introduced him to Phillip, N.M., Colvin and B.J. Fernando who were present at the party headquarters, as the first Catholic seeking to join the LSSP. Santiago Fernando was enrolled as a member of the LSSP without any further question asked.

Dissatisfaction

Santiago Fernando soon became active member of the LSSP and began to distribute and sell the `Samasamajaya' in Negombo. At about this time a patient was assaulted in the Negombo Hospital and there was dissatisfaction among people as no action was taken over the incident. Santiago Fernando got the details of this incident and handed over `his findings' to Dr. N.M. Perera.

On the intervention of Dr. N.M. Perera there was an inquiry and disciplinary action taken against the culprits. As a result many in Negombo became interested in the LSSP.

In the meantime a Catholic priest in his sermon during the Sunday Mass warned the Catholics not to read `Samasamajaya' journal. And as a result people became more curious and the demand for the journal jumped up in Negombo.

Nevertheless the LSSP was branded as a Marxist anti-religious movement and many Catholics hesitated to join the party.

It was not an easy task for Santiago Fernando to propagate the LSSP in Catholic Negombo amidst all the threats and obstacles of the Catholic Church. However Santiago Fernando faced the challenge with indomitable courage and was able to convince some in Negombo including the Catholics to join the LSSP.

The LSSP in Negombo who now wanted to form a branch of the party were looking for a man of standing to be their leader. They approached Dr. Hector Fernando who by this time had earned a reputation as a champion of the exploited fishermen.

He agreed to join them. Leslie Gunawardena came twice to make inquiries and recommended an LSSP party branch in Negombo.

In 1937 a branch of the LSSP was formed in Negombo with Dr. Hector Fernando as the President, J.B. Payoe, a lawyer as Vice-President, Santiago Fernando as the Secretary, D.B. Waidyasekera, an Ayrvedic physician as Assistant Secretary and Mihindukulasuriya John Fernando, a reputed tailor as the Treasurer.

Since then for many decades politics in Negombo was a struggle between the Catholic Church, landowners, businessmen, bus magnates and fish magnates on one side and the LSSP on the other.