18th death anniversary of the 7th post-Independence IGP

Stanley Senanayake - Patriot and reformer

By Edward Gunawardena

I consider it singularly fortunate to have known Stanley Senanayake. He was arguably one of the most humane and understanding gentlemen to have donned the uniform of the Inspector General of Police since Independence.

His period of stewardship marks a significant watershed in the contemporary history of the Sri Lanka Police. It marks the end of the era that slavishly followed the norms set by the colonial police administrators and the beginning of a new cultural reformation consequent to the sweeping socio-political changes of 1956. As the Inspector General of Police he had to countenance the radical changes of the time, the impact of which necessarily had implications of varying ramifications in the Police. It is remarkable indeed, that he as the custodian of the Police was able to face these challenges with equanimity and ensure that even the lowliest constable was able to perform his duty fearlessly with a sense of dignity and pride.

Having come to know him in 1958 the year I joined the Police, when he was the Director of Training and having been closely associated with him particularly at Police headquarters when he was the Inspector General, I believe I have a fairly intimate knowledge of the man, his life and work to attempt on assessment of his contribution to the Sri Lanka Police and the country in the backdrop of the momentous changes that took place during the first three decades since gaining independence. This was a period in which Senanayake held several important positions culminating in his appointment as the head of the police in 1970.

Although he had joined the Police in the mid-forties as an Assistant Superintendent straight from the University of Ceylon, and held several postings of responsibility, it was in 1962 that he came into public notice in the country. This was when he held the coveted post of Superintendent of Police, Colombo, nearly a decade before he became the Inspector General. It was in Colombo that the attempted Coup d'etat was planned and mapped out by a group of senior officers of the armed services and the police - a few "somebodies and nobodies" as described by E.F.C. Ludowyk. The master strategist was Douglas Liyanage a member of the Ceylon Civil Service. Hence, the case in which the plotters were tried and convicted, though subsequently quashed by the Privy Council, has come to be known as Liyanage vs the Queen.

What motivated Liyanage and other to overthrow the government of the day was the overriding feeling of loss of power and status that they had enjoyed in full measure as the upper crust of the ruling class. They were unable to, or refused to comprehend that the pendulum of power had swung to the ordinary folks with the Bandaranaike Reforms of the late fifties. The command levels of the armed services were predominantly Sandhurst, Dartmouth and Cranwell trained men from the traditional public schools. To this class the startling shift of power was shocking and unbearable.

I am a living witness to the happenings of the time; and I was also a prosecution witness at the Trial-at-Bar. With my Peradeniya background particularly as a student leader and the Editor of the Students' Council, whilst conforming, I was able to dispassionately observe the spasms of discord that the Police were going through. The colonial traditions were still strong and vibrant. Even sergeants and constables felt slighted when their authority began to be questioned by trade unionists or pavement hawkers. Stanley Senanayake had been initiated to the Ceylon Police when it was a strong bastion of the colonial ethos, with its administration, drills and commands and more importantly the social behavioral patterns no different from those of the British constabulary. H. L. Dowbiggin th tyrannical IGP of the twenties was the role model of a gazetted officer. The Police band had only western marches, in its repertoire a 'Roast Beef of Old England' was the officer's dinner call!

Senanayake's superiors as well as his equals in rank were all officers who had risen in this mould. Burghers and Christians were dominant. These officers comprised a closely knit brotherhood and were virtually entangled in a web of loyalty to one another. Senanayake though a Buddhist belonged to this brotherhood under compelling circumstances. He was also the head of the Colombo Police; and the key police figure in the conspiracy was his own immediate superior C. C. Dissanayake. He was immensely trusted and his loyalty to his superiors was never in doubt. Naturally he was to be privy to the plan to overthrow the State, at the final stage. But most significantly it was his decision to tip off the government that stalled the impending calamity!

He was roundly condemned by his colleagues and friends and for years he was a virtual recluse whiling away his time in the Dept. of Immigration & Emigration. What made Senanayake let his friends down? The answer in short is 'Not that he loved the Police and his friends less, but that he loved his country more'. He was an exceptionally handsome and dashing young officer passionately fond of tennis, swimming and equestrian sports. At that massive extravaganza 'The Pageant of Lanka' which culminated the Independence celebrations of 1948, he had been specially selected to play the role of Dutugemunu. But behind this facade was a man with a burning sense of patriotism.

With his village birth, schooling at St. John's, Panadura which was well known for its liberal education and discipline and marriage to the daughter of P. de S. Kularatne a doyen of the nationalist revival it is unimaginable that his conscience would have rejected the loyalt to his country in preference to the police and his friends. He believed that education, training and exemplary leadership were paramount for discipline and efficiency and not punishment and coercion. He realized that it was only by upgrading the status of the Inspectorate and compassionately viewing the problems of the lower ranks that the status and standing of the upper echelons of the service could be enhanced.

Senanayake's desire to give a hearing to the rank and file of the police in all matters of administration that affected them resulted in the Central Welfare Council and the Inspector's Association becoming meaningful advisory bodies. He regularly called for the minutes of the meeting of the CWC and met the committee often. It is apt to mention that at this time the CWC had an energetic, dedicated and outspoken secretary the late Inspector V. Kandiah who was better known as 'Honest Kandiah'.

The Inspectors' Association should be eternally grateful to Senanayake for the courageous stand he took when the Association complained to him that junior officers of the armed services refused to admit them to their messes that were set up during the 1971 JVP uprising. The police had no such facilities. The OICC of police stations had to bear the brunt of the initial onslaught of the insurgents and armed units of the services acted only as support services to the police. I am personally aware of how Stanley Senanayake met Gen. Attygalle and the Cabinet Secretary G. V. P. Samarasinghe and convinced them that the Inspectorate was in no way inferior to the command ranks of the armed services. It was as a direct result that he decided to rename the Inspectors' Mess as the Officers Mess. Taking a step further he re-named the Sergeants and PC's Mess as the Junior Officers' Mess.