Ceylon Labour Party ලංකා කම්කරු පක්ෂය இலங்கை தொழிலாளர் கட்சி | |
|---|---|
| Founder | A. E. Gunasinha |
| Founded | 1928 |
TheCeylon Labour Party (CLP) was a political party inSri Lanka.
The Ceylon Labour Party was formed in October 1928, withA. E. Gunasinha as president and Proctor Marshall Perera as secretary. Its executive committee includedC. H. Z. Fernando,A. Mahadeva,C. W. W. Kannangara,Victor Corea,George E. de Silva and Satiyawageswera Iyer and women members were included for the first time in Ceylon.[1] Its foundation followed contact between Gunasinha and the BritishLabour Party; whenRamsay MacDonald, the British Labour Party leader and Prime Minister visited Ceylon in 1926, Gunasinha had received him on behalf of the Ceylonese labour movement. Having already set up the Ceylon Labour Union, Gunasinha modelled the new party on the British Labour Party after a visit to the UK in 1927 when he was encouraged to set up a new party by Labour Party members.[2] Gunasinha had also appeared on behalf of the labour movement at theDonoughmore Commission foruniversal suffrage and represented Ceylon at the British Empire Labour Conference held in London in 1928.[3]
In the1931 State Council elections Gunasinha was elected on the Labour Party ticket as Member forColombo Central. He was re-elected in the1936 elections. In 1940, he was elected toColombo Municipal Council and in 1943 became the first CeyloneseMayor of Colombo.[4]
In the1947 parliamentary elections, the CLP won a single seat, with Gunasinha elected as the first Member forColombo Central. He was subsequently appointed as Chief Government Whip in theUnited National Party coalition government, Minister without Portfolio and Minister of State of the First Parliament of Ceylon by Prime MinisterD. S. Senanayake.[5]
Gunasinha was re-elected in the1952 parliamentary elections as the party's sole MP. After failing to win any seats in the1956 elections, the party did not contest any further elections.[2]
