Leftists in Negombo after their shattering defeat at 1952 elections

by W.T.A. Leslie FERNANDO

M. Saheed Marikkar	Tudor Gunasekera	K.A. Lankachandra

Dr. Hector Fernando losing the Negombo seat at the 1952 general election with an overwhelming majority was a challenge to the LSSPers in the area. At the 1947 elections the LSSP candidate for Negombo was Santiago Fernando. Dr. Hector Fernando unlike Santiago Fernando was a rich and powerful personality. His election campaign was far more well organised.

In Dr. Fernando's election platform, prominent and leading figures in the area like Senaka Ranasinghe of Katana, Tudor Gunasekera of Kadirana and Niminius Fernando of Dalupotha were seen. Although at the 1947 election BLPI cadres worked against Santiago Fernando on the sly, the VLSSP youths in Negombo under Edwin Fernando supported Dr. Hector Fernando with dedication. Yet in 1947 when Santiago Fernando lost Negombo by only 956 votes, Dr. Hector Fernando losing the seat in 1952 by over 13,000 votes was a setback to the LSSP.

D.A. Seneviratne	Dr. Hector Fernando
T. Wijayapala Mendis	Santiago Fernando

One of the main reasons for the devastating defeat of Dr. Hector Fernando was the hostility of the Catholic Church. In 1952, the Catholic priests in Negombo openly supported the UNP candidate. Dr. Hector Fernando and the LSSP cadres realised that Catholic fisherfolk should be organised to meet the challenge of the Church. Accordingly the LSSPers in Negombo began to set up fishermen's organisations in Sea Street, Grand Street, Kudapaduwa and Pitipana Peruwa. They also formed organisations in the surrounding plantations and strengthened the LSSP youth leagues.

On the other hand CP-VLSSP United Front began to clash with the Catholic Church. Peter Fernando organised a Communist youth league in Palangature a village with 100 per cent Catholic population. All the combined efforts of the parish priest and UNP big wigs could not prevent youths joining the Communist Party. In this endeavour Peter Fernando got the full backing of Santiago Fernando, the leader of the VLSSP in Negombo.

For many years Thomas Edwin Fernando of the VLSSP and another had been erecting a pandal for the feast of Our Lady of Snows at Periyamulla. They set up the pandal with the assistance of the VLSSP youths. At the church feast in 1952, they placed a placard at the pandal indicating that it was erected by the VLSSP Youth League with a sheaf of paddy in the background. Over this the parish priest quite correctly insisted that the placard should be removed if the church procession were to go through the pandal. Edwin Fernando, and the crowd refused. Ultimately the Church procession with the statue of Our Lady of Snows went through a private land avoiding the pandal.

Since then much water has flowed under the bridges in Sri Lanka. Recently it was reported that at a May Day Mass organised by the Christian Workers Fellowship some priests had partaken in the procession wearing stoles with the hammer and sickle symbol on them!

On the Hartal Day on August 12, 1953, there was stoppage of work in most of the government offices in Negombo and most of the shops too were closed. By noon all the shops were found closed. Though a few buses were plying in the morning, soon they too were not seen. Hartal was somewhat a success in Negombo too. In Wennappuwa another Catholic area close to Negombo, the Hartal was led by some Catholic teachers who were Leftists and it had some support.

Although there was no incidents of violence or riots in Negombo, some Leftists were victimised after the Hartal. D.J. Witharana a leading Leftists and Leslie Senasinghe, a law student were taken into custody. The Leftist leader in Negombo, Dr. Hector Fernando, Santiago Fernando and Cecil de Silva had to go underground for some days. The Police raided the Toddy Tappers' Union office at Periyamulla and assaulted the inmates causing them to cry in pain.

The split in the LSSP in October 1953 had its repercussions in Negombo as well. Dr. Hector Fernando who was a former member of the BLPI remained in the LSSP. But all except one who worked under him joined the breakaway group, Majority of the LSSP activists in Negombo like D.B. Waidyasekera, D.M. Rodrigo and K.C. Dharmawardena joined the VLSSP. Tudor Gunasekera became a sympathiser of the VLSSP but later caused problems to the CP-VLSSP United Front.

At the elections for the Andiambalama VC held in 1954 like in 1951, the progressive camp was returned to power. However, this time with the support of the UNP, Tudor Gunasekera contested Cecil de Silva of the CP for the post of Chairman K.A. Lankachandra did not contest Davamottawa this time. Somehow or other Tudor Gunasekera was able to win over two members of the progressive camp to his side and became the Chairman of the VC.

As the electoral lists had to be revised eliminating the voters of the Indian origin, the elections for the Negombo municipality was held two years late in June 1954. The majority of the VLSSP supporters were found in Hunupitiya ward and this time the CP-VLSSP nominated Santiago Fernando for Hunupitiya. Although Dr. Hector Fernando lost Hunupitiya in 1949 by mere 82 votes, as the LSSP has formed a strong fishermens' organisation in Sea Street, Dr. Hector Fernando decided to contest the Sea Street ward. D.B. Waidyasekera contested the Kundanwila ward from the CP-VLSSP United Front.

The local government elections in 1954 were held close after the Hartal and the Leftists were returned to power in local institutions in many places like Kalutara, Panadura, Colombo and Dehiwala-Galkissa. In Negombo too Leftists were popular after the Hartal and they expected some gains but it was not to be.

In Hunupitiya ward Santiago Fernando lost to the sitting member D.W.W. Jayamanna after a close contest by 54 votes. Although at Sea Street Dr. Hector Fernando polled over 500 votes, he lost to the sitting member W.M. Boollonne, a fish magnate by 400 odd votes. At Kundanwila D.B. Waidyasekera who polled 248 votes lost to T. Wijayapala Mendis by a large majority.

M. Saheed Marikkar who contested Maha Hunupitiya with the leftist support lost by 52 votes. In Kudapaduwa Tudor Gunasekera contested Marku Sebastian Fernando, who got the UNP support as an anti-UNPer. In a keenly contested election where both the parties spent lavishly Tudor Gunasekera lost by 90 votes. D.A. Seneviratne who contested Bolawalana with SLFP support too lost.

Many expected that Santiago Fernando would easily win Hunupitiya ward. Nevertheless as he contested from the CP-VLSSP United Front, he lost many Catholic votes because the Catholic detested Communists. Besides Santiago Fernando was at a disadvantage as the toddy tappers being Indians were deprived of their vote. The Catholic Church and the Catholic organisations too went all out to defeat him and Santiago Fernando lost by a slender majority.

Although as a whole, in the 1954 Negombo Municipal Council elections,the Leftists fared better than in 1949, not a single Leftist or their sympathiser could win a ward.