SWRD Bandaranaike

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SWRD Bandaranaike

Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike (born January 8, 1899 in Colombo ; † September 26, 1959 ibid ), commonly known as SWRD Bandaranaike , was Prime Minister of Ceylon, now Sri Lanka , from 1956 until his assassination in 1959 .

biography

He was born on January 8, 1899. His father Sir Don Solomon Dias Bandaranaike and his mother Lady Eslin Daisy Obeysekera came from Horagolla, in Attanagalle.

He graduated from Thurstan College in Colombo with honors and the third best Cambridge exam in the entire British Empire . In 1919 he went to England and trained as a lawyer at Oxford University .

After his return to Ceylon, he got into politics and became a member of the Progressive National Party. In 1927 he was elected to the Colombo City Council. In 1931 he was elected to the State Council. From 1936 to 1947 he held the ministerial office for local governments in the State Council. He then presided over Ceylon's local system of government. In 1937 he established the "Sinhala Maha Sabha", a council for the promotion of Sinhala culture.

In 1940 he married Sirimavo Ratwatte ; the daughter of a landowner. The marriage was arranged between the families ; he saw his wife for the first time the morning before the wedding.

In 1947 he was elected to the House of Representatives and appointed Minister of Health and Local Governments. In 1951 he resigned from his office, left the United National Party (UNP) and founded the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), with which he became opposition leader after the 1952 elections. The aim of his party was to turn away from the English-oriented UNP policy towards a Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism with a socialist character. In the elections of 1956, the SLFP joined forces with three other parties to form the “Mahajana Eksath Peramuna” (MEP, People's United Front) and won the majority. On April 12, 1956, SWRD Bandaranaike became Prime Minister. His voters were in particular the many Sinhalese in the rural areas and the Buddhist monks.

Bandaranaike replaced the official English language with Sinhala . With this so-called "Sinhala Only Law" he ignored the fact that Sinhala is not understood by most Tamils in the north and east of the country. Independence Day on February 4th has since been declared a National Day of Mourning by the Tamil Party "Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi" (ITAK). In protest against the "Sinhala Only Law", black flags are raised every year in the north and east of the country.

On the initiative of two ITAK MPs, Bandaranaike took action against the caste system with the “Prevention of Social Disabilities Act of 1957” . The Untouchables were given access to Hindu temples and professions that were previously denied to them.

In October and November 1957, at his urging, the British military bases were returned to Ceylon. The British left the country. As a result, thousands of Tamils ​​lost their jobs on the military bases.

Also in 1957 a commission was set up to make proposals on how Buddhism should develop its dominant role in the country.

When, at the end of 1957, the east of Ceylon was hit by a devastating flood catastrophe with many dead, he visited the areas and promised quick relief to the victims who had become homeless.

In foreign policy he pursued a neutral course with rapprochement with the non-aligned states . He established diplomatic relations with China and the Soviet Union while assuring that his policies were not directed against the West.

In 1958 all private bus companies and private life insurance companies were nationalized. In 1959 the port of Colombo followed. In 1958, a 10-year plan for the country's economic development was published. The industrial construction was given top priority.

In May 1958 the "Tamil Riot" occurred. Tamil homes and businesses were destroyed by Sinhala nationalists, and over 1,000 Tamils ​​were killed and more were displaced. At the beginning of the race riots, SWRD Bandaranaike underestimated its extent. It was only when the situation got completely out of control that a state of emergency was declared and the military was able to successfully assist the police forces. To date, the victims have not been compensated by the government. He set up military governments in the northern and eastern Tamil provinces and arrested ITAK parliamentarians. They were accused of plotting to overthrow the government and establish an independent Tamil state in the north and east of the island as a result of the unrest.

While the ITAK parliamentarians were still in custody, the "Tamil Language Special Provision Bill" was discussed in parliament and passed on August 14, 1958. SWRD Bandaranaike's offer to the ITAK parliamentarians to take part in the debate under police escort was rejected. They just wanted to attend the meeting as free citizens. The law allowed the prime minister to regulate the use of the Tamil language in the northern and eastern provinces and was a political gesture to reassure the Tamils. The arrested and arrested ITAK parliamentarians were released in October.

In 1958, with the Minister of Agriculture Philip Gunawardene, the “Paddy Lands Act” came into force. He gave the small land tenants more rights and security over the landowners.

In 1959 the right to vote was changed. The voting age has been reduced from 21 to 18 years.

The "Paddy Lands Act" created strong opposition within the government. On May 18, 1959 Gunawardene resigned and joined the opposition. The SLFP thus lost the majority in parliament. Bandaranaike formed a new coalition of parties and presented his second cabinet on June 9th.

On September 25, 1959, Bandaranaike was gunned down by a Buddhist monk named Talduwe Somarama Thero on the porch of his home in front of several people. With the last of his strength he was able to snatch the gun from the assassin to prevent him from killing his wife as well. He died the following day.

A month before the attack, cabinet chief CP Silva had been flown to London for medical treatment, seriously ill, after drinking a poisoned glass of milk, which was most likely intended for Bandaranaike. Some politicians, including members of the government, were suspected of planning the assassination attempt on SWRD Bandaranaike and instigating the attacker. Seven people later appeared in court, three of whom were found guilty by the jury.

V. Dahanayake became Prime Minister for a transitional period of six months . Because of a crisis in the governing coalition, a new election was scheduled; it took place on March 19, 1960.

After that election, Dudley Shelton Senanayake was elected Prime Minister. He failed to form a stable government. On June 21, 1960, Bandaranaike's widow was elected Prime Minister after this election; she held this office until March 25, 1965.

The couple had two daughters Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga (* 1945) and Sunetra Bandaranaike and a son Anura Bandaranaike (1949-2008).

Web links

• KT Rajasingham: SRI LANKA: THE UNTOLD STORY - Chapter 17: Assassination of Bandaranaike ( Asia Times Online )

See also

• Sri Lanka # colonial time
• Caste system in Sri Lanka

Footnotes