Colebrooke–Cameron Commission

The Colebrooke–Cameron Commission was appointed in 1833 as a Royal Commission of Eastern Inquiry by the British Colonial Office. According to Sir Charles Jeffries' book, Ceylon - The Path to Independence, "by the time the Commission got round to Ceylon, in 1829, most of the members had fallen by the wayside, and only one, Major (afterwards Sir William) Colebrooke was left." to assess the administration of the island of Ceylon and to make recommendations for administrative, financial, economic, and judicial reform.

After the conquest of the Kandyan kingdom by the British in 1815, the entire country had become a colony of the British Empire. By year 1828, the government expenditure of this country had rapidly exceeded government revenue due to several reasons such as carrying out the administration of the country by dividing it into two parts, the upcountry and the low country, and having to incur a huge expenditure on paying salaries to government officers from Britain and also for providing the necessary facilities to them. The government of Britain had to cover up expenses itself. Therefore the Colonial Secretary appointed a special commission to come to Sri Lanka and examine the situation and to make necessary recommendations.

The commission comprised William MacBean George Colebrooke and Charles Hay Cameron. Cameron was in charge of investigating the judicial system. The legal and economic proposals made by the commission in 1833 were innovative and radical. Many of the proposals were adopted. They signified for Ceylon the first manifestation of constitutional government, the first steps toward modernising the traditional economic system, and the beginnings of a uniform system of justice, education, and civil administration.

Recommendations

• Establishment of an Executive Council and Legislative Council
• The amalgamation of the Kandyan and Maritime provinces and their administration as a single unit of government by the Governor in Council.
• The admission of Ceylonese into the Ceylon Civil Service.
• The abolition of 'Rājākariya' – compulsory personal service in the Kandyan provinces.
• A commission to manage education should be appointed
• A principal public school on the British model should be established for English education and teacher training.

Outcomes

• The Executive Council of Ceylon and the Legislative Council of Ceylon was established, later becoming the foundation of representative legislature in the country.
• Form of the modern central government was established for the first time in the island, followed by the gradual decline of local form of feudalism including 'rājākariya', which was abolished soon after.
• Modernising the economic system.
• Education was taken over by the government from the church.
• Establishment of the Colombo Academy as the principal public school in the island.

See also

• Executive Council of Ceylon
• Legislative Council of Ceylon
• Ceylon Civil Service
• Colombo Academy
• Charles Jeffries, Ceylon - The Path to Independence, Pall Mall Press, London, 1962, p. 24.