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| Tuesday, 21 December 2004 |
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R. G. Senanayake The people of Sri Lanka commemorate tomorrow (22.12.2004) the loss of one of the great sons of the nation R.G. Senanayake who was born with all the advantages of effluences and distinguished descent.
Born on November 04, 1911 had his primary education at Royal College and the higher education at Downing College of University of Cambridge, England. He obtained the degree of bachelor of arts and Barrister of Law degree from the Lincolns Inn and returned at the age of 25. He joined that illustrious gentry in Hulftsdorp and showed his prowess as an advocate in land matters. He abandoned his law career in the year 1943 when he was chosen to contest the Naranwala constituency in the State Council vacated by the sudden death of his brother-in-law Siripala Samarakkodi. It was a success and he turned to full time politics. In the following general election held in 1947, he successfully contested the Dambadeniya constituency and was appointed Parliamentary Secretary (now Deputy Minister) to the Ministry of Defence and External Affairs with D.S. Senanayake as the relevant Minister as well as the Prime Minister. When Dudley Senanayake took over the office of the Prime Minister in 1952 immediately after the demise of his father D.S. Senanayake, R.G. Senanayake was accorded the Ministry of Trade and Commerce. In this tenure he laid the foundation for Ceylonisation of the trade. He toiled hard to achieve that end. The China - Ceylon - rice - rubber pact and the tripatriate Trade agreement involving Sri Lanka, Egypt and Japan, both agreements being first of its kind were his two greatest achievements in his tenure as the Minister of Trade and Commerce. The Trade agreement signed in the year 1952 was for five years and renewable; there was however, an annual Trade Protocol specifying the quantities of commodities to be exchanged in the ensuing year, which had to be barter-exports and imports every year; only the outstanding balance at the end-of-the-year was to be settled in foreign exchange. R.G. Senanayake paid an important tribute to China after negotiating the Trade agreement when he concluded his Cabinet paper on the subject in the following words. "When noted on the Chinese side the absence of the spirit of bargaining and haggling on comparatively small points. On the other hand they gave us the impression of being large-minded and forthright in their dealings." All these led to pave the way to lay the foundation of friendship between Sri Lanka and China. When he was continuing the holding of the same ministry under the premiership of Sir John Kotelawela, since Dudley Senanayake giving up of the post, opposed the decision to join the American inspired South East Asia Treaty Organisation (SEATO), espoused the policy of non-aligned and forced Sir John Kotelawela to abandon the idea. Further opposed the granting of citizenship to foreigners. He suggested that it should be given only to those who get accustomed to the language and the social life of the area they lived. After all, he left the Kotelawela government as well as the United National Party on July 10, 1954 over differences of opinion on these issues. At the general election held in 1956, he contested successfully as an independent candidate for the two constituencies Kelaniya and Dambadeniya and joined the Bandaranaike Government as its Minister of Trade and Commerce. He is having the distinction of holding the record of representing simultaneously two constituencies in Parliament. However, the Attorney-General ruled that R. G. Senanayake was entitled to only one vote and one allowance. He contested successfully the Dambadeniya constituency in the two general elections held in 1960. He returned to Parliament at the general election held in 1965 as an independent candidate from Dambadeniya constituency. In good faith of safeguarding the rights of Sinhala people and their economic emancipation he formed his own political party 'The Sinhala Mahajana Pakshaya' in 1968. He was civil and polite to all his critics. He successfully contested both the constituencies Dambadeniya and Trincomalee at the general election held in 1970. He breathed his last on December 22, 1970. - Walter Wijenayaka |
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Produced by Lake House |
The eldest son of patriot and philanthropist F.R. Senanayake, the
cousin of Dudley Senanayake and Sir John Kotelawela, Richard Gotabhaya
Senanayake served the nation as a member of Parliament, a Parliamentary
Secretary and a Cabinet Minister for little over quarter of a century.
