60th anniversary of 1956 Revolution:

Milestone in nationhood

by Pramod de Silva

Contemporary politics in Sri Lanka is a heady mix of clashing policies and personalities, but the history of political parties here is even more fascinating. Rising from the fiery embers of the struggle for freedom from the British, local political parties had to transform their agendas to suit a post-independence Sri Lanka.

Pix: Transcurrents

The first political party in Sri Lanka (and now the oldest) is the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) which was established on December 18, 1935. Although its legendary founders including Dr. Colvin R. de Silva, Dr. N.M. Perera and Philip Gunawardena went on to become political colossuses later on, it was left for two other parties - the United National Party (UNP) and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) to emerge to guide Sri Lanka's post-independence destiny.

The United National Party was founded by D.S. Senanayake in September 1946, just two years before Sri Lanka gained Independence. He became independent Sri Lanka's (then known as Ceylon) first Prime Minister and ruled until his death in 1952. The ascension of his son Dudley Senanayake to the post of Premier and several other policies of the UNP went against populist sentiments at that time and many felt that there was a lacuna that could perhaps be exploited by another political force.

This was the seed that sprouted the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, the very name perhaps reflecting the fact that Sri Lankans were yet to gain freedom from the colonial mentality. The party was formally founded in September 1952, by Solomon West Ridgeway Dias (SWRD) Bandaranaike, a UNP stalwart (and Health and Local Government Minister in the UNP Government's Cabinet) who became increasingly disillusioned with the party's actions and course and crossed the floor of the House after forming the new party. Several other prominent politicians joined his party, including former Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne.

During the Buddha Jayanthi celebrations in 1956 Pix: Transcurrents

The UNP Government faced several challenges including the infamous hartal of 1953 which led to the resignation of Dudley Senanayake. This was the perfect backdrop for SWRD to marshal his forces against the incumbent UNP role. Having already won nine seats in 1952, when elections were declared for April 5-8, 1956, SWRD lost no time in forming a broad coalition of forces from the society known as Sangha (Maha Sangha/Priests/clergy), Guru (teachers), Govi (farmers), Weda (doctors/physicians) and Kamkaru (working class) with the aim of toppling the UNP administration headed by Sir John Kotelawela. SWRD and the other leaders tapped into the heartbeat of a large segment of the population who had been neglected up to that time.

Pancha Maha Balavegaya

Coincidentally, there was a Buddhist resurgence in view of the Buddha Jayanthi anniversary in the same year (1956) and there was a convergence of ideals and forces that focused on regaining the rights of Buddhists. This gave the Maha Sangha a greater voice in the above mentioned collective of forces and also led to a call to revive a culture-based on Buddhist values. The Maha Sangha too began to play a pro-active role in an advisory capacity, a tradition which continues now.

Known to this day as the Pancha Maha Balavegaya (Five Great Forces) and formally coming under the banner of Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (People's United Front), it was one of the most successful political movements Sri Lanka had ever witnessed. The mostly rural masses instantly identified with the core aims of the SLFP/MEP 21-point program to usher in a People's Revolution and give true meaning to the independence achieved in 1948. With the surge in popularity thus witnessed by the SLFP across all walks of life and from all corners of the country, a victory for the SLFP-led coalition was more or less assured despite the heavy campaigning of the UNP.

This week marks the 60th anniversary of the 1956 Revolution, that major turning point and paradigm shift in local political history. A lot of water has passed under the bridge since then, but one cannot underestimate the influence it had on the local political landscape and even on our way of life.

Clean break

T.B. Illangaratne	Badiuddeen Mohamed
Dr.G.P. Wickramarachchi	M.W.H.D. de Silva
T.B. Tennakoon

The '1956 Revolution' as it is now referred to by politicians and historians alike was based on a democratic, socialist and nationalist agenda that took the reactionary class head-on. Externally, Sri Lanka also took on a non-aligned stance, though the namesake - the Non Aligned Movement did not take shape until 1961. The 1956 Revolution was seen as the populace's answer to the Westernised elite class (called Brown Sahibs by SWRD) who earlier held the reins of power.

It emboldened the Five Great Forces who earlier had little or no say in the governance process and also led them to think in terms of socio-economic emancipation. The village was suddenly in the spotlight, almost the centre of power.

Expectations were high and the 1956 Government (formed on April 12, 1956) led by SWRD as Premier had a lot of work to do, to fulfil the multitude of promises. Significantly, the 14 ministers of the 1956 Cabinet took oaths in national attire, marking a clean break from the colonial past. SWRD was also keen to change the Constitution and get away completely from colonial ties, though this wish would not be granted until 1972.

The 1956 Government did deliver on many of its promises including reverting defence facilities in Katunayake and Trincomalee to local control (they were still held by the British as Ceylon was still a dominion), lowering the voting age to 18 and enacting the Paddy Lands Act to uplift local agriculture. The healthcare and education systems were also improved. Two traditional centres of higher learning - Vidyalankara and Vidyodaya - were elevated to the status of universities. Future Governments would improve on those steps.

The very popularity of the Government also meant that it could not escape the basest of instincts shown by some of the protagonists. One such decision would haunt Sri Lanka for decades hence, culminating in a 30-year conflict and thousands of deaths on both sides of the ethnic divide.

The Sinhala Only Act, which essentially declared Sinhala as the only official language of the country pleased the Sinhalese nationalists but alienated the Tamil (and Tamil-speaking Muslim) communities. In effect it drove a wedge between the two main communities.

SWRD was keen to make amends through the Bandaranaike-Chelvanayagam Pact which was signed to grant equal parity to the Tamil language. It was bitterly opposed by many sections in the Government and the Opposition, resulting in a watered-down Act that did little to appease the Tamil community.

This perhaps marked the beginning of Sri Lanka's slide towards ethnic strife. In fact, Sri Lanka witnessed communal riots in 1958.

Assassinated

Many were not pleased with SWRD for his stance on the ethnic issue and many other issues. He eventually had to pay with his life on September 26, 1959, just three years into his tenure. He was assassinated at his home by an extremist bhikkhu, plunging the country into disaster and gloom.

His wife, Sirimavo Bandaranaike was immediately thrust into the limelight. Although a political novice, she easily won the 1960 General Election (becoming the world's first woman Prime Minister in the process) and consolidated on the socialist foundation laid by the 1956 revolution in partnership with other parties such as the LSSP and the Communist Party of Sri Lanka.

Under her leadership, the SLFP-led Government of 1960-1964 nationalised key sectors of the economy such as banking and insurance, bus services and took over schools owned by the Catholic Church and private institutions. The nationalisation of many enterprises angered foreign powers. The setting up of the People's Bank to complement the Bank of Ceylon was another key initiative.

Her Government survived a coup attempt in 1962, whose perpetrators were caught and punished. This was in effect a counter-response to the socialist initiatives taken by the Sirimavo Bandaranaike Government. She would once again lead the country from 1970-1977, continuing much the same policies and achieving greater status in the International Community.

A little mentioned result of the 1956 Revolution, was the effect it had on the officialdom which consisted primarily of the English-educated class in 1956. As the rulers strove to build a bureaucracy that was more in tune with the aspirations of the people, the officials had to change their ways.

As the years went by, the Administrative Service saw a complete transformation, as more people educated in the vernacular languages at Government schools entered the service with a true understanding of what it is like to be from the ordinary class. The 1956 Revolution transformed not just the bureaucracy, but also education, health, transport and a multitude of other sectors. The 1956 Revolution, later described by veteran author Martin Wickramasinghe as the 'fall of the Brahmin regime' reverberates in Sri Lanka's socio-political milieu to this day. The era of the common man had well and truly arrived.

This essentially silent revolution had both positives and negatives, but it can be termed as one of the most significant events in post-independence history, becoming the essential bedrock on which almost all Governments have broadly based their policies in the years hence.