Dr W Dahanayake’s 13th death anniversary fell yesterday:

The common man politician

W. Dahanayake, though a controversial character in the Sri Lankan politics was always a servant of the people at all hours of the day and night for over 60 years. He was unique. He is undoubtedly a role model for young politicians of today to follow

Hema Liyanage

In the early 1920s politics in the south was dominated by CWW Kannangara, H.W. Amarasuriya, SH Dahanayake and DS Goonesekera. They were all leaders of the Ceylon National Congress. Kannangara defeated S.H. Dahanayake at the first General Election held under the Donoughmore Constitution for the Galle seat. SH did not live long thereafter and his politics was continued by his younger brother W. Dahanayake.

From the day Dahanayake entered the political arena he attracted widespread attention. When the Duke of Gloucester arrived in Ceylon in 1935 he led a black flag demonstration against the visit. Much of the early period of his political life was spent in making the people aware of the burning issues of the day. From the steps of the Galle Cricket Club he used to address the people when there was an important national issue. People gathered to listen to him. Thus he became a folk hero.

First Mayor of Galle

His first brush with SWRD Bandaranaike came at the first election held after the Galle city received municipal status. Bandaranaike was the Local Government Minister at the time and the President of the Sinhala Maha Sabha. The Municipal Election was between the Dahanayake Party and those opposed to him. Dahanayake won the election defeating Thomas Amarasuriya and he became the first Mayor of Galle.

As Galle Mayor he became a national figure. He took up all the national issues of the day. He crossed swords with Bandaranaike many a time. At that time he was one politician he loved to hate. Even before he entered Parliament, he had already become the champion of the masses, irrespective of race, caste, creed or religion.

He was invited to speak at the Congress of the Jaffna Youth by Handy Perimpanayagam. He was drawn in a chariot by the members of the Jaffna Congress to the meeting hall.

During the war years he led a strike of workers of Colin Thome and Company and got into trouble as the workers were engaged in a service that helped the war effort. Therefore, the strike was declared illegal. Somehow Dahanayake escaped, pleading his own case. He won his own battle without legal assistance.

When rice rationing was introduced during the war time, people did not know how to use the rice ration book. Dahanayake held meetings at the Galle esplanade, explaining to the people how the rice ration book should be used. He did this daily. This was a period of shortages of essential goods due to the non arrival of merchant vessels due to war. Whatever available was rationed and for the distribution of these commodities co-operative societies were established throughout the country. Dahanayake led the way in forming the Richmond Hill co-operative and working in it.

Parliamentary career

Dahanayake’s Parliamentary career began in 1944 when he was elected to the State Council from the Bibile electorate, defeating bus magnate Simon Peiris. Then began the most colourful period of this political career. It is as a champion of the underprivileged that he excelled the most. In this role he was incomparable.

No politician of the right or left surpassed him. The State Council at that time was dominated by D.S. Senanayake and his supporters.

There was no one to challenge this ruling group. Dr. N.M. Perera and Philip Gunawardena were in detention. Dahanayake came to fill the void and took up the challenge dauntlessly. He began his role as the champion of the masses. Once he referred to the State Council as the ‘den of Ali Baba and his forty thieves’.

He kept the Ministers on their toes. He kept all the Ministers at bay with his sharp criticism and pungent language.Question time in the State Council was a field day for him. Officials in the public service and police who were required to attend State Council meetings when their departments came under scrutiny trembled at question time. This is how he served the people.

People with grievances met him at the State Council or at his house. He used the telephone for good effect. Public servants ignoring a call from Dahanayake knew that it would come up at question time in the Council and the Minister in charge of the subject would have to answer. This is how he kept both the Minister and the public servants on their toes. He was the only politician who knew to use the telephone most effectively for the people.

Supported free education

When the Free Education Bill was proposed by CWW Kannangara, it was Dahanayake who held meetings to canvass support for it. Not stopping at that, he launched a signature campaign that led to the Colonial Secretary relenting his opposition to the Bill.

He maintained that education was the birthright of all. In the State Council he made the longest speech made by a Member, lasting for thirteen and a half hours. The debate was on the Appropriation Bill, presented by Bandaranaike on behalf of DS Senanayake.

W Dahanayake addressing a meeting ANCL file photos

His services to the people and the country were recognized by the grateful public of Galle when they elected him to the first Parliament in 1947, defeating HW Amarasuriya, one of the richest men in the island at the time. This was a period of rationing and even petrol was issued only on coupons to vehicles owners.

Confounding everybody, Dahanayake too changed. In the 1956 elections Dahanayake was the chief speaker and crowd puller for the MEP.

After the fall of the UNP in the 1956 elections, Dahanayake became the Education Minister in the MEP Government. His record of service as Education Minister was outstanding. He gave the Swabasha teacher his due place. He started the Maha Vidyalayas. He did not wait for laboratories to be built to start science education in rural schools. He provided a Science Kit and the teachers so that this discipline could be started immediately. Vidyalankara and Vidyodaya Privenas were elevated to University status. He was also responsible in giving all school children a free mid-day meal.

Following Prime Minister Bandaranaike’s assassination Dahanayake found himself Prime Minister under fortuitous circumstances, as he himself described it. The Government which Dahanayake had to lead was unstable, to say the least. He confounded the entire nation by sacking five Ministers overnight without any warning. The Ministers woke up in the morning to find themselves without their portfolios. It did not take long for him to dissolve Parliament and call for fresh elections. He made history by holding the elections on a single day. Having confounded everybody, he confounded himself by losing his own seat at the elections. He was down for sometime but not out yet.

He returned to Parliament in July 1960, four months after his defeat. He retained his seat in Galle in 1965 when he became the Home Affairs Minister in the Dudley Senanayake Government. He was elected again in 1970 but lost in the 1977 elections to Albert de Silva of the UNP, contesting as an independent candidate. But he was not prepared to give in. He filed an election petition and argued his own case before the Supreme Court. Albert de Silva was unseated. At the by-election which followed, Dahanayake was nominated by the UNP and won comfortably. He remained a backbencher for sometime. In 1989 at the age of 86, he retired from active politics.