The Leftist Movement and the Catholic community in Sri Lanka:

LSSP gains ground in the country

W. T. A. Leslie Fernando

Although LSSP was initiated as a Marxist party according to its manifesto it was a broad-based, anti-imperialistic socialist movement with a patriotic outlook.

Dr.Hector Fernando	Santiago Fernando

Unlike a traditional Marxist party, it accommodated everyone who accepted its principles. At its initial stage non-Marxist like Ven. Balangoda Ananda Maithreeya Thera, Dr. E.W. Adikaram, Corbert Jayawardena and Wilmot Perera too were associated with it.

The dominating activities of the LSSP duo, Philip and N.M. in the State Council attracted islandwide attention. They were highly critical of the enactments presented by the colonial administration. They voiced the sentiments of the masses against the oppression of rulers, the drawbacks of the Ministers and injustices of various officials and unmasked them.

Commoners

In this endeavour they were ably backed by State Councillors like D.M. Rajapaksa, A. Ratnayake, Bernard Aluvihare, Siripala Samarakkody, Jayaweera Kuruppu and K. Natesa Aiyar, who took the side of the commoners against the colonial administration on various issues.

Limiting the working time to 8 hours a day, free mid-day meal to schoolchildren, abolition of water tax, introducing village headmen system instead of outdated Vidane Arachchis, conducting proceedings of the original Courts in national languages, recording complaints made to the police in national languages were some of the enactments beneficial to the masses adopted in the State Council on proposals made by the LSSP duo Philip and NM, besides the Bracegirdle episode which enhanced the popularity of the LSSP.

Although Mark Antony Bracegirdle was an Asst. Superintendent of an estate, he sympathised with estate workers and assisted the LSSP to get the legitimate dues of plantation workers.

The planters were offended by the activities of Bracegirdle and they managed to get an order from the Governor to deport him from the island. Bracegirdle defied the order of the Governor and the LSSP managed to keep him hiding for about two weeks.

In the meantime the LSSP had arranged with Bracegirdle to address a rally at Galle Face grounds and took him back without giving the slightest opportunity for the police to arrest him. It was Robert Gunawardena who was behind this act of bravado.

The LSSP challenged the deportation order of the Governor in Courts and the Supreme Court declared that the order of the Governor was Ultra Vires. The Bracegirdle Affair brought much glory to the LSSP.

On the other hand the LSSP was able to outrival A.E. Gunasinha, the trade union leader at the time and wrest control of the labour force from him. Accordingly the LSSP was able to form a network of trade unions in the harbour, transport sector, mines and plantation.

While in England, Philip Gunawardena was associated with the Communist Party and he got a lot of experience by moving with the harbour workers. He made use of this training to organise harbour workers in Sri Lanka as well. The harbour and dock workers became the strongest trade union bastion of Philip Gunawardena all throughout his life.

Group of thugs

The reactionary elements got alarmed when the LSSP rapidly gained ground in the country. They tried to suppress the LSSP and sent thugs to disrupt the LSSP. Even before the formation of the LSSP, Philip and Robert organised a group of thugs to meet the thuggery of A.E. Gunasinha. Now the harbour workers became an asset for them to meet the thuggery.

Philip and Robert used both their brains and brawn and with the assistance of harbour workers made those hirelings who came to disrupt the LSSP meetings, run for their lives. Strangely enough in many an instance Philip was taken to Courts by the Colonial Police as an accused. However, in all the cases he was honourably acquitted and discharged.

At this time in a statement published in the `Samasamajaya’ journal signed by Philip and NM the policy of the LSSP towards religion was disclosed. It stated that the LSSP was not against any religion.

Under a Samasamajist government everyone would be free to practise his religion. However, the Catholic church in Sri Lanka became uneasy when the LSSP became popular in the country.

The Catholic church too formulated the `Social Justice’ movement to bring about social reforms to set up a just and righteous society as its aims and objectives. The name of its Sinhala journal `Samajasamaya’ resembled the word `Samasamajaya.’

The popularity of the LSSP in the country helped the party to expand in Negombo and in the coastal belt north of it.

The party branch in Negombo was entrusted with the task of organising the LSSP in the coastal belt from Wattala to Puttalam. The LSSP leaders in Negombo, Dr. Hector Fernando and Santiago Fernando were popular in the area like Philip and NM in the country.

This was an advantage to the LSSP in Negombo. Dr. Hector Fernando had a pleasant personality that well suited a Western qualified physician.

He was very kind to the patients and once they entered his consultation room, most of them felt that they were relieved of their ailments. His charges were very reasonable and he treated the extreme poor without any charge.

Expert

Dr. Hector Fernando excelled in child delivery and it is said that he attended to emergency delivery cases of poor fisherfolk in their huts and on threadbare mats. He also organised a strong trade union base for the LSSP in coastal areas from Wattala to Puttalam and in the plantation sector in the surrounding districts.

Warnakulasuriya Santiago Fernando was a talented teacher devoted to his profession and was much loved by his pupils. He was an able speaker and prolific writer. Dr. Hector Fernando who had his sole education in English, at the beginning found it difficult to express himself in the native languages.

Santiago Fernando used both his eloquency and writing skills to meet the challenges posed by the Catholic church. The church treated Marxists as the arch enemy of the Church. It propounded the LSSP as a party that respected no religion, a blood thirsty organisation that would mercilessly kill the aged and sickly.

The Samasamajists were treated as agents of Satan. The Catholic priests in their sermons at Holy Mass enjoined Catholics not to sympathise with the LSSP in whatever manner.

Santiago Fernando quoted the saying of Christ from the Bible like `Come unto me, all those who labour and heavily laden’ and `it is easier for a camel to pass through an eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into heaven.’

He explained that the hammer and sickle of the LSSP banner symbolised the peasants and workers who labour and are heavily burdened.

The red colour of the LSSP denote the blood of the workers and peasants that transform into sweat. He illustrated how priests and the rich who exploited the poor opposed Christ at his time as well.

The exposition of Santiago Fernando helped the LSSP to expand not only in Negombo and its surrounding areas but also among Catholics in Moratuwa, Wadduwa, Beruwala and Maggona.

On the other hand, the rich and the Catholic church in Negombo got together against the LSSP, hatched various conspiracies, placed obstacles and used thuggery to suppress the movement.

In fact in 1938, when the LSSP leaders Philip, NM, Colvin and Leslie came to Negombo for the first anniversary of the LSSP branch in the morning session, they went to the island of Duwa to look into the problems of the fisherfolk. But they were stoned and chased away by the fishermen themselves.

Great victory

It was later revealed that the Catholic clergy in the area was behind this incident and had instigated the fisherfolk. Nevertheless that the unprecedented mammoth rally of the party held at the Negombo esplanade on the same evening was a great victory for the LSSP.

At the local government elections in 1938, the LSSP tested its strength in Negombo. Dr. Hector Fernando contested the Hunupitiya Ward and Santiago Fernando contested the Kudapaduwa Ward.

Although the LSSP was popular at the time in the Negombo electorate and in the Western coastal belt, there were over 90% Catholics in the city limits in Negombo.

As such it was not an easy task for the LSSP to face the challenge from the Catholic church. Not surprisingly, Dr. Hector Fernando lost the Hunupitiya Ward by over 200 votes and Santiago Fernando lost Kudapaduwa by just 6 votes.

In 1938 it was reported in the press that the seven Ministers in the State Council received seven bundles of grass by train as a Christmas gift from Negombo.

This became the subject matter for the cartoon for the front page of Samasamajaya. It was said that the LSSP branch in Negombo was behind this incident instigated by Santiago Fernando.