|
|
|
  |
| Sunday, 21 November 2004 |
 |
|
 |
Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
Memoirs of Sirima R.D.Bandaranaike : My entry into active politics After the sudden and tragic death of Mr. S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike the Prime Minister, the country and the SLFP were left in a state of confusion and helplessness.
The country was without a P.M. Within a few hours of his demise the Cabinet of Ministers met at the Governor-General Sir Oliver Goonetilleke's residence and decided to appoint W. Dahanayake as PM though he was not a member of the SLFP. His group known as the Bhasha Peramuna however was also a part of the MEP coalition. That Government did not last long, as some of the Ministers and the Prime Minister had started clashing on the issue of the inquiries into the circumstances of the assassination etc. A group of Ministers wanted no stone unturned to get to the bottom of the plot to kill the P.M. They were not satisfied with the way the inquiries were proceeding. It was suspected that there was an attempt to shield certain individuals who were suspected of being in the plot. One fine day at midnight Dahanayake the PM sacked some of the Ministers and brought in some others in their place. He could not carry on the Government for long so he dissolved Parliament within 3 months of his Premiership, and called for elections in March 60. I should mention how he offered to get the State to pay me compensation. Apparently certain countries had paid the widows of assassinated leaders, Burma was an example he quoted. I categorically refused to accept a cent as compensation for the blood of my late husband. March 1960 election The SLFP contested under the leadership of C. P. de Silva who was the Leader of the House during SWRD's government. He fell seriously ill and was rushed to London for medical treatment. Therefore he was not in Sri Lanka when my husband died. Had he been here he would have succeeded my husband as PM after his death. When March elections came the SLFP was thoroughly disorganised after the death of my husband in lieu of what Dahanayake did sacking Ministers etc. He formed his own party the Lanka Prajathanthrawadi Pakshaya (LPP) and some of the SLFP members contested from his party. Practically all the recognised political parties contested.
There were as many as four or five cornered contests in some constituencies. I gave whatever support I could without coming to the forefront but in the last two weeks of the campaign it became necessary for me to address meetings, because our opponents kept on accusing the SLFP of having plotted to kill their leader. They kept on saying that the SLFP hands are smeared with the blood of their leader. The MEP benefitted by this campaign. In order to counteract that accusation our party members pleaded with me to address some meetings for SLFP candidates. Much against my mother's wish I consented and went on addressing a number of meetings. C. P. de Silva who was leading the SLFP campaign pleaded with me to help him, although he stabbed me in the back later and brought down the downfall of the SLFP government in 1964 of which he was a Minister and Leader of the House. In March 1960 the SLFP got 46 seats and the UNP 50. The MEP won 10 seats. It was expected to come a close second to the UNP as it had the support of Sinhala Buddhist organisations and leaders like Meththananda, T. U. de Silva. The LPP lost badly. Even the leader Mr. Dahanayake, caretaker PM was defeated in his seat that he had held for years. The UNP formed the government as it was the largest majority party. It was not able to carry on for long. The government was defeated in the Throne Speech. Dudley Senanayake dissolved Parliament and went to the polls in July. It was at this stage that our party requested me to take on the leadership of the party. I had to consider my children. It tortured my mind. What if I also met with the same fate as my husband? That was the fear my mother and my family members had too. It was a very difficult and crucial decision for me to take. I had to care for 3 fatherless children. And my mother was against it. She naturally feared for my life. Those who planned to destroy the leader did so hoping to destroy the party too. Because they realised there won't be a leader strong and acceptable to the masses in the party, to assume leadership. They wouldn't have in their widest dreams expected me to assume that place as their leader and step in to fill the gap. It had never happened before in the political history of our country as a matter of fact in the world-a women leading a political party. If I did not accede to the request of our party probably the SLFP would have faded away in that very year of my husband's death. I had to consider the fact that this was a party to which my late husband had sacrificed his time, wealth and in the end his life. His policies were accepted by the people in '56, and they gave him a comfortable majority to implement them and a great majority of people benefitted from them. Those people would have been left stranded. I realised that it was my duty to do so. After much consideration I decided to take the plunge. I knew it was not an easy task. As we had to fight a party that would go to any length to defeat us. To be continued ... Reproduced with the kind permission of ANCL Editorial Consultant Malalgoda Bandutilleke custodian of the manuscript and pictures. |
|
| News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
| Produced by Lake House |
