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Don Stephen Senanayake | |
|---|---|
| දොන් ස්ටීවන් සේනානායක | |
.jpg) Senanayake in 1934 | |
| 1stPrime Minister of Ceylon | |
| In office 24 September 1947[1] – 22 March 1952[1] | |
| Monarchs | George VI Elizabeth II |
| Governors General | Henry Monck-Mason Moore Herwald Ramsbotham, 1st Viscount Soulbury |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Dudley Senanayake |
| Leader of the House | |
| In office 2 December 1942 – 4 July 1947 | |
| Preceded by | Don Baron Jayatilaka |
| Succeeded by | S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike |
| Minister of Agriculture and Lands | |
| In office 1931–1946 | |
| Preceded by | Post created |
| Succeeded by | Dudley Senanayake |
| Member of theCeylon Parliament forMirigama | |
| In office 14 October 1947 – 22 March 1952 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency Created |
| Succeeded by | John Amaratunga |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1884-10-20)20 October 1884 Botale,Mirigama,British Ceylon |
| Died | 22 March 1952(1952-03-22) (aged 67) |
| Nationality | Ceylonese |
| Political party | United National Party |
| Spouse | Molly Dunuwila[2] |
| Children | Dudley Senanayake Robert Senanayake |
| Parents |
|
| Residence | Woodlands |
| Education | S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia |
| Occupation |
|
Don Stephen SenanayakePC (Sinhala:දොන් ස්ටීවන් සේනානායක;Tamil:டி. எஸ். சேனநாயக்கா; 20 October 1884 – 22 March 1952) was aCeylonese statesman. He was the firstPrime Minister of Ceylon, having emerged as the leader of theSri Lankan independence movement that led to the establishment of self-rule in Ceylon. He is considered as the "Father of the Nation".[3]
Born to an entrepreneur from the village of Botale, Senanayake was educated atS. Thomas' College, Mutwal before briefly working as a clerk in theSurveyor General's Department. Joining the family business, he managed the family estates and theKahatagaha Graphite Mine. Along with his brothers, Senanayake became active in thetemperance movement which grew into theindependence movement following1915 Sinhalese-Muslim riots, in which the Senanayake brothers were imprisoned without charges for 46 days. He was elected unopposed in 1924 to theLegislative Council of Ceylon fromNegombo, becoming the Secretary of the unofficial members group of the Legislative Council. In 1931, he was elected to theState Council of Ceylon, where he served as Minister of Agriculture and Lands. He was elected to the firstParliament of Ceylon forming a government and serving as Ceylon's first Prime Minister from 1947 until his death in 1952.
He was born in the village of Botale in the Hapitigam Korale (currently known asMirigama) on 20 October 1884 toDon Spater Senanayake (1847–1907) and Dona Catherina Elizabeth Perera Gunasekera Senanayake (1852–1949).[4] Spater Senanayake had made his fortune ingraphitemining and at the time he was expanding into plantations and investments in thearrack renting franchise. Later he would be awarded the title ofMudaliyar for his philanthropy.[5] Stephen Senanayake had two elder brothers, Don Charles "D. C." Senanayake andFredrick Richard "F. R." Senanayake; and one sister, Maria Frances Senanayake who married F. H. Dias Bandaranaike.[3]
Brought up in a devoutBuddhist family, he entered the prestigiousAnglican schoolS. Thomas' College, Mutwal. Never a studious student, he excelled in sports playingcricket and played in theRoyal-Thomian. He later played cricket for theSinhalese Sports Club and Nondescripts Cricket Club. His contemporaries at S. Thomas's includesD. R. Wijewardena,Sir Paul Pieris,Sir Arthur Wijewardena andSir Francis Molamure.[6][7][8][9][10][11]
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After completing schooling, he worked as a clerk in theSurveyor General's Department but left after a period of apprenticing. He joined his brother D. C. Senanayake in running his father's extensive business holdings. He worked as aplanter, introducing the new commercial crop of rubber to the family plantations. He managed theKahatagaha Graphite Mine, which was owned by his brother F. R. Senanayake wife's family. F. R. Senanayake had married the youngest daughter of MudaliyarDon Charles Gemoris Attygalle. He was a member of the Low-Country Products Association and of theOrient Club. In 1914, he was appointed as a member of a government commission sent toMadagascar to study and report on their graphite mining industry.[12]
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The three Senanayake brothers were involved in thetemperance movement formed in 1912. WhenWorld War I broke out in 1914 they joined theColombo Town Guard. The brothers were arrested and imprisoned without charges during the1915 riots. They faced the prospect of execution, since the British GovernorSir Robert Chalmers considered the temperance movement asseditious. He was released on abail bound after 46 days at theWelikada Prison without charges. The heavy-handed suppression of the riots by theBritish colonial authorities initiated themodern independence movement led by the educated middle class.[13][14][15] Don Stephen and Don Charles were prominent members of the political partyLanka Mahajana Sabha. Fredrick Richard and Don Charles were committed supporters of theYoung Men's Buddhist Association. D. S. Senanayake played an active role in the independence movement, initially in support of his brother Fredrick Richard.[15]
In 1924, Senanayake was elected unopposed to theLegislative Council of Ceylon fromNegombo. He became the Secretary (similar to awhip) of theunofficial members group of the Legislative Council, activity engaged in proceedings with a particular interest in subjects related to agriculture, lands, and irrigation. He questioned in the Legislative Council the biased policies of the colonial administration in the plantain industry, the cost overruns of theBatticaloa line and theTrincomalee line, the delays in theNorton Bridge Dam, and advocated for the establishment of the first university in the island close toKandy. In 1927, he acted on behalf ofGerard Wijeyekoon in theExecutive Council.[16][17] When his brother F.R. died on a pilgrimage toBuddha Gaya in 1925, Don Stephen assumed his leadership of the independence movement.
In 1931 he was elected to the newly formedState Council of Ceylon representing theCeylon National Congress. At the first siting of the State Council, he was elected as Minister of Agriculture and Lands to chair the state council committee on Agriculture and Lands.[18]
As Minister of Agriculture and Lands, he initiated a policy that effectively combated Ceylon's agricultural problems, established theLand Development Ordinance, and introduced an agricultural policy to counter Ceylon's rice problems. This policy earned him respect of many, and he continued to be a minister for fifteen years, having been re-elected in 1936. He also enforced a productivity programme of "Agricultural Modernisation". He introduced theLand Bill, expanded theco-operative movement in Ceylon, and assisted in the founding of theBank of Ceylon. In 1938, he introduced theFlora and Fauna Protection Ordinance, establishing theYala National Park. In 1940, following a heated discussion with the Governor which resulted from theInspector General of Police refusing to follow a request by the Minister of Home Affairs, Senanayake gave his resignation, which was followed by the other Ministers. The resignations were withdrawn shortly following settlement with the Governor.
At the onset ofWorld War II in the far east, on 1 December 1941 a Civil Defence Department was formed withOliver Goonetilleke as Commissioner. D. S. Senanayake, as Minister of Agriculture and Lands and a member of theCeylon war council took an active role in food supply and control. He was tasked with many defence projects, including rapid construction of an airfield at theColombo Racecourse, which he achieved, making it available for the defence of Ceylon during theEaster Sunday Raid.
During this time a close relationship developed between Senanayake and the deputy commissioner of civil defence, Dr.Ivor Jennings, who was the principal of theCeylon University College. Dr. Jennings, an expert on constitutional law, subsequently became Senanayake's adviser on constitutional reforms aimed at gaining independence for the island.[19]
In December 1942, Senanayake became theLeader of the House and Vice Chairman of the Board of Ministers in the State Council, upon the retirement ofSir Baron Jayatilaka, Minister of Home Affairs.[20] On 26 May 1943, theBritish Government made the Whitehall Declaration of 1943 on Ceylon constitutional change, which enabled ministers to make submissions.[18] This bypassed the Governor, who called for a commission from the colonial office to halt the activities of the ministers. Senanayake resigned from the National Congress disagreeing with its resolution onindependence and instead approached the commission with his proposal ofdominion status and they accepted the ministers' submissions, publishing these in the Sessional Paper XIV of 1944.[18][21] In 1944, theSoulbury Commission was formed. In 1945, he proceeded toLondon to meet the Secretary of State for the Colonies,Oliver Stanley. On his arrival in London, he met instead the newly appointedGeorge Hall, who had succeeded Stanley following Labour's win in the 1945 general election. He resigned his ministry in 1946 to push for full independence. That year he formed theUnited National Party (UNP) by amalgamating three right-leaning pro-Dominion parties.[19]
The granting of independence toIndia in 1947 and the appointment ofArthur Creech Jones as Colonial Secretary gave a new window for Senanayake to push for his case, using the new constitution that was recommended by the Soulbury Commission. In the negotiations that followed, the British government accepted Senanayake's proposals for constitutional change and self-rule. Senanayake presented the Soulbury Constitution to the State Council which voted it in, with only three votes against it.
Parliamentary elections were held from 23 August – 20 September 1947. Senanayake was contested for the first time in theMirigama electorate, having been elected uncontested in all previous elections. He won the seat by a majority of over 16,000 votes againstEdmund Samarakkody of theBolshevik–Leninist Party of India, Ceylon and Burma. Senanayake's party, the UNP, fell short of a majority at the general election but was able to form a government in coalition with theAll Ceylon Tamil Congress.
On 24 September 1947 he was invited by theGovernor General of CeylonSir Henry Moore to form the island's first cabinet as its first Prime Minister. On 11 November 1947, Senanayake and Sir Henry signed agreements between Ceylon and Britain including a defence pact and public service agreements that paved the way for independence of Ceylon. The "Independence Bill of Ceylon" was passed in December 1947. On 4 February 1948, Ceylon marked its independence with a ceremonial opening of parliament.[19][22]
With his accession, Senanayake began the process of establishing institutions needed for an independent state. While most domestic institutions existed, Ceylon remained dependent on Britain for trade, defence and external affairs. He turned down aknighthood but maintained good relations with Britain and was the first Ceylonese to be appointed to thePrivy Council in 1950.[23][24]
He boldly made plans to spread out the population, and hisGal Oya scheme relocated over 250,000 people. He expanded the agrarian policies he had initiated during his tenure as Minister of Agriculture and Lands, a post now held by his son Dudley Senanayake. With a rapidly expanding population and food shortages faced during the war, Senanayake aimed to increase local food production to be self-sustainable. Renovation of sites of historic importance inAnuradhapura andPolonnaruwa took place at this time. Senanayake also proposed expansion of hydro-electric power in the island.[25]
Senanayake's government introduced theCeylon Citizenship Act which was passed by parliament on 20 August 1948 and became law on 15 November 1948. Only about 5,000 Indian Tamils qualified for citizenship. More than 700,000 people, about 11% of the population, were denied citizenship and madestateless. The bill had been opposed fiercely in Parliament by theCeylon Indian Congress, which represented the Indian Tamils, and the Sinhaleseleftist parties, as well as theAll Ceylon Tamil Congress, which represented theSri Lankan Tamils, including its leaderG.G. Ponnambalam.[26] This was followed by the Indian and Pakistani Residents (Citizenship) Act No.3 of 1949 and theCeylon (Parliamentary Elections) Amendment Act No.48 of 1949.[27]
Senanayake held the portfolio ofMinistry of External Affairs and Defence. He developed Ceylon's post-independence foreign policy, establishing formal relations with foreign nations. Initially gaining membership of theCommonwealth and establishing diplomatic ties other member countries, he established diplomatic relations with theUnited States andJapan. He established theCeylon Overseas Service to build a cadre of career diplomats. He hosted the Commonwealth Conference of Foreign Ministers, held in Colombo in January 1950. One of the significant outcomes of this conference was the establishment of theColombo Plan.
Although Ceylon had maintained asmall volunteer force for the defense of colony, Senanayake introduced the Army Act (1949), Navy Act (1950), and the Air Force Act (1951) establishing theArmed forces of Ceylon. Having engaged in Defence Agreement with Britain when gaining independence, Senanayake retained British bases in Ceylon and gained her assistance in training and arming its new military.
In the early years of Senanayake's premiership he faced opposition and a lot of criticism from many of theleftist parties. He soon had difficulties with one of the strongest members of his cabinet and leader of the largest factions of his party,S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike. Bandaranaike joined hisSinhala Maha Sabha in forming the UNP in 1947, having given the impression that Senanayake would soon retire and he would succeed him. With no signs of Senanayake retiring and conflicts with Senanayake on hardline nationalist policies he had, in 1951, Bandaranaike resigned from his posts, dissolved the Sinhala Maha Sabha, and established theSri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). Senanayake assumed the portfolio of Health and Local Government held by Bandaranaike and began countering his break in parliament for the next few months.[28]
On the morning of Friday, 21 March 1952, Don Stephen Senanayake took his usual pre-breakfast ride onGalle Face Green, a short distance from his official residenceTemple Trees. He was riding one of his favorite horses,Chitra, amare belonging to themounted police. Accompanying him on that day wasSir Richard Aluwihare, theIGP;G.G. Ponnambalam, a cabinet minister, andInspectorEddie Grey. The horse broke into a gallop from a canter and went on for a mile, when suddenly the Prime Minister fell off the saddle.
He was taken to a nursing home where he remained unconscious for the next thirty-two hours. It was believed that he had suffered astroke. He was treated by Dr. M. V. P. Pieris, Ceylon's seniormost surgeon, and a team of Professors from theUniversity of Manitoba who had been visiting Ceylon as part of aWHO medical mission. A radio message was sent forSir Hugh Cairns, who decided to fly out to Ceylon to attend the Prime Minister.Winston Churchill ordered anRAFHastings with a double crew to take Sir Hugh. However, the aircraft, with three more doctors and two nurses, was taxiing to take off when the message was received that it was too late, as the Prime Minister's situation was deteriorating. Two more neurosurgeons from India and Pakistan had reached Colombo too late to make a difference. Senanayake died at 3:30 pm on 22 March 1952.[29] His death also ocurred amidst the inaugural1952 Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament held in Ceylon, and the match between Burma and Ceylon in 22 March had to be cancelled.[30]
His remains were taken to Temple Trees, where they lay until the next morning, when they were moved to theHouse of Representatives tolay in state, with over half a million persons showing their respects. His state funeral followed with over 32,000 people taking part in the funeral procession and with the stage barring the coffin drawn by sailors of theRoyal Ceylon Navy. The procession ended atIndependence Square where the remains were cremated in accordance with Sinhalese Buddhist rites.
Senanayake cared for animals and owned a wide range of pets such aselephants,horses,pigs,cattle; many kept at his estate and at theBothale Walawwa. A keen horticulturist, he greworchids and would typically wear an orchid in the lapel of his suit. He suffered fromdiabetes most of his later life.
D. S. Senanayake marriedMolly Dunuwila in 1910. She was the daughter of R. R. Dunuwila, then secretary of theColombo Municipal Council and Grace Jayatilaka, daughter of Frederick Jayatilaka of theCeylon Civil Service and District Judge of Kalutara. They had two sons,Dudley Shelton Senanayake (19 June 1911 – 13 April 1973) and Robert Parakrama Senanayake (8 April 1913 – 26 April 1986).[8] His eldest son, Dudley Shelton Senanayake, succeeded him as Prime Minister in 1952, followed by his nephew, SirJohn Kotelawala (1897–1980) in 1953, but this nine-year family dynasty ended with thelandslide victory ofSolomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike in 1956, campaigning under the "Sinhala Only" slogan. Dudley Senanayake regained the premiership briefly in 1960, and served again from 1965 to 1970.Rukman Senanayake, one of his grandsons, served as a cabinet minister and member of parliament. Two of his great-grandsons,Vasantha Senanayake, andRuwan Wijewardene, served as state ministers and members of parliament.
D. S. Senanayake is respected bySinhalese and someMuslims. However,Tamils were not happy with his citizenship laws, which disenfranchised virtually allTamils of recent Indian origin living in the central highlands. His bold agricultural plans and pro-Western policies drew criticism for their modern and untraditional nature. Under his family's leadership, Sri Lanka's economy flourished, and he is still known as "The Father of Sri Lanka".
Statues of D. S. Senanayake have been erected in many parts of the island, including one at theIndependence Memorial Hall and at theOld Parliament Building, Colombo.[31] The lake created by the Gal Oya Dam has been named as theSenanayake Samudraya after him. Many schools, libraries and public buildings have been named in his honor and theRt Hon D S Senanayake Memorial Shield is awarded at theRoyal–Thomian in which he played for S. Thomas' in 1901 and 1902.
| Election | Constituency | Party | Votes | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1924 legislative council | Negombo | Independent | Uncontested | Elected | |
| 1931 state council | Negombo | Independent | Elected | ||
| 1936 state council | Negombo | Independent | Elected | ||
| 1947 parliamentary | Mirigama | United National Party | 26,762 | Elected | |
| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by – | Prime Minister of Ceylon 1947–1952 | Succeeded by |
 | ||
| |||||||||||
| Central Province (8) | |||||||||||
| Eastern Province (2) | |||||||||||
| Northern Province (5) | |||||||||||
| North Central Province (1) | |||||||||||
| North Western Province (5) | |||||||||||
| Sabaragamuwa Province (5) | |||||||||||
| Southern Province (7) | |||||||||||
| Uva Province (3) | |||||||||||
| Western Province (14) | |||||||||||
| Appointed (8) |
| ||||||||||
| Central Province (15) | |
|---|---|
| Eastern Province (7) | |
| Northern Province (9) | |
| North Central Province (5) | |
| North Western Province (10) | |
| Sabaragamuwa Province (10) | |
| Southern Province (12) | |
| Uva Province (7) | |
| Western Province (20) |
|
| Appointed (6) | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
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