Philip Gunawardena’s 110th birth anniversary:
A man of the people
Known as ‘the Father of Socialism’ and ‘the Lion
of Boralugoda’:
Jayatilleke De Silva
Today, January 11 we
commemorate the 110th birth anniversary of Philip Gunawardena,
politician, statesman, patriot and great humanist. He had an active
and illustrious political career
Don Philip
Rupasinghe Gunawardena |
*Born: January 11, 1901
*Died: March 27, 1972
*Educated at Prince of Wales, Ananda College
*Entered University College to study economics
*Joined Young Lanka League
*Obtained degrees at Illinois, Wisconsin Universities
*Organized anti-imperialist activities
*Joined British Communist Party and Indian League
*Became Trostskytte
*Active member of Suriya Mal Movement
*Founder member of LSSP
*Selected to State Council in 1936
*Jailed by British in 1940
*Formed VLSSP in 1950
* VLSSP joined SLFP in 1956 and formed MEP
* Became a minister in 1956 and 1965 |
|
Philip
Gunawardena |
Philip Gunawardena had his primary education at the village school.
Later he entered Prince of Wales College, Moratuwa and Ananda College,
Colombo. At Ananda he had the opportunity of association with leaders of
the freedom movement, since he took up residence at the house of T B
Jayah, then a teacher at Ananda College.
Through Jayah, an active member of the freedom movement Philip came
into contact with Anagarika Dharmapala, Walisinghe Harishchandra and
John de Silva, early crusaders against British rule and for national
renaissance.
Having passed the London Matriculation Examination he entered the
University College to study economics. During his University days he
attended meetings of the National Congress and subsequently joined the
Young Lanka League, a radical youth organization led by Victor Corea, A
E Gunasinha and C H Z Fernando.
Anti-imperialist activities
Later he went to the United States and studied at the Universities of
Illinois and Wisconsin and obtained a doctoral degree in agricultural
economics. There his socialist ideas matured as a result of his
association with Socialist Professor Scot Nearing and collaboration with
Indian socialists Jayaprakash Narayan, Seyed Hussein, J B Kumarappa and
the Mexican revolutionary Jesu Vase Gonsales.
In the United States he participated in trade union struggle
especially those of Negro workers in the city. In 1928, Philip came to
England and participated in the activities of the Indian League with
Krishnon Menon.
He organized anti-imperialist activities with Jomo Kenyata of Kenya,
Tuan Malacca of Malaya and Ram Goolam of Mauritius. He also joined the
British Communist Party and participated in trade union activities. He
was also co-opted to the Editorial Board of the Daily Worker. With the
help of the Communist Party he joined the Indian League and was an
active member of it. There he met other Sri Lankan socialists N M Perera,
Leslie Gunawardena, Colvin R de Silva and S A Wickremasinghe.
Malaria epidemic
Irked with the policies of the Comintern headed by Stalin and the
Stalinist purges in the USSR Philip became a convert to Trotskysim.
Travelling to Europe he worked with socialist groups in France and
Germany. He also undertook a dangerous mission crossing the Pyrenees
range alone on foot carrying secret documents for Spanish Rebels.
Back in Sri Lanka took an active part in the Suriya Mal Movement that
was formed to assist the poor during the Malaria epidemic in the early
1930s. Later he was a founder member and a principal leader of the Lanka
Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) Sri Lanka’s oldest political party.
In 1936, he was selected to the State Council where he continued his
struggle for the betterment of workers and peasants. The LSSP split
following the entry of the USSR into the war against Hitler’s Germany
and the Communists supporting the war. The Communists were expelled and
the LSSP became a Trotskyite movement.
The Colonial Government proscribed the LSSP and Philip was
incarcerated together with other LSSP leaders in 1940. They broke jail
on April 5, 1942 and fled to India. In India Philip took the name
Guruswamy and was active in the freedom movement. Arrested in India in
1943 Philip and other LSSP leaders were brought back to Sri Lanka and
jailed for six months.
MEP Government
Following their release from jail the LSSP split again with a section
led by Colvin R de Silva leaving the LSSP on ideological grounds and
joining the Bolshevik Leninist Party (BLP) of India.
That was not the end of splits. When the BLP group rejoined the LSSP
in 1950 Philip left it and formed the VLSSP. In 1956, the VLSSP joined
with the SLFP and formed the MEP, which won the historic 1956 General
Election defeating the UNP.
As Minister of Agriculture in the short-lived MEP Government of 1956
he introduced the Paddy Lands Act, which radically changed the
owner-tenant relations and secured for the tenants a secure livelihood.
So far it remains as the only meaningful reform in the traditional
agricultural sector.
He also reformed the co-operative movement diversifying its range of
activities and democratizing its structure. These reforms earned him the
wrath of the conservative and reactionary forces but he met the
challenge head on without surrendering his position.
However, reaction hit back with a vengeance. The VLSSP was expelled
from the Government.
Key role
Undaunted Philip continued his Left politics taking great efforts to
unite the Left. He played a key role in the formation of the United Left
Front (ULF) in 1963. Unfortunately the ULF, which received mass support
fell apart when one of its constituents - the LSSP joined the SLFP
Government. This caused a disillusioned Philip to seek company
elsewhere, among his erstwhile opponents. He joined the National
Government of 1965 and became a Minister once more.
Though he held strong Trotskyite positions he was not a doctrinaire
socialist. He was flexible enough to seek innovative solutions to the
problems of the masses.
Unlike some leaders of the old Left he managed to maintain links with
native cultural roots without being absorbed by an alien
cosmopolitanism. Like many of his comrades in the old Left he did not
seek fortunes by entering politics. His integrity was always beyond
question. Whatever position he held, he always had the interests of the
common man at heart.
In spite of his aggressive countenance he was a kind and benevolent
soul. Unlike many present day politicians who love to lord over masses
he was a man of the people, a servant of the masses not their master.
That is why he is fondly and gratefully remembered by the masses of Sri
Lanka even 39 years after his demise. |