Dudley Senanayake:

Gentleman statesman par excellence

Thirty-eighth death anniversary:

Stanley E Abeynayake

The thirty-eighth death anniversary of Dudley Shelton Senanayake, the second Prime Minister of Independent Sri Lanka falls today - April 13. The elder son of D S Senanayake, Privy Councillor, the first Prime Minister and Madam Molly Dunuwilla Senanayake, he was an exemplary illustrious personality for whom greatness came unsought.

'Dudley' as he was affectionately and popularly known throughout our country was highly appreciated, loved by all including his political adversaries because he was a pious Sinhala-Buddhist characterised by his recognized, academic and professional accomplishments abroad, simplicity of living but honourably with humility and generosity.

He was generally known as 'Dudley Hamu' by the peasants.

According to tradition, the Senanayakes of 'Botale Walauwa' in Mirigama in close proximity to Ambepussa in the Gampaha district are supposed to be the descendants of a chieftain who accompanied Sanghamitta Theri of ancient North India - “Dambadiva” when she and her retinue of followers brought the sapling of the Sacred Bodhi Tree from Patna in modern Bihar state.

From Anuradhapura the Senanayake clan migrated to the Mahiyangana area in the Uva Province. Later one of their leaders settled down at Botale, Ambepussa, Mirigama.

To their credit and inclination for patriotism it could safely and authentically be asserted that no Senanayake from Botale ever changed his religion under the Portuguese, Dutch or British colonial regimes.

Healthy mind in a healthy body

Mudliyar Don Spater Senanayake the icon of the family was a simple, unassuming, respectable villager of means who amassed a fortune from coconut, paddy cultivation and engaging in plumbago mining at the Waduragala mine in the Kurunegala district.

Dudley received both his primary and secondary education at S Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia where he was a hosteller. His father D S always believed in the saying ‘mens sana in corpore sano’ - healthy mind in a healthy body. So, he didn’t want to make him simply a bookworm.

His father himself a sportsman cum horseman turned agriculturist encouraged his son - apple of the eye - to take to sports in a big way.

So much so Dudley played cricket, hockey, golf, football and rugger at S Thomas’ and for physical fitness took to tennis, badminton, table tennis and what not.

By dabbling in sports he never neglected his studies. Dudley got through his Cambridge Senior Examination creditably well enabling him admission to the world-renowned University of Cambridge. Proceeding to England he got himself admitted to Corpus Christi College affiliated to that University.

He read for the Natural Science Triple - BA and in the course of time was conferred with MA (Canlab). He read for the Bar and was admitted as a Barrister-at-law from the Middle Temple (Law College), London.

On his return to the motherland he took his oaths as an advocate of the Supreme Court. Although he was duly admitted and enrolled as a member of the Bar he was not inclined to building up a practice as a legal practitioner - advocate. His father a statesman with a vision had other plans for his elder son to get him involved in politics.

DS, Dudley’s father was keen to make his son although not a jack-of-all-trades but a jack of some trades to a fully-fledged young gentleman. He got him knowledgeable in Sinhala - mother tongue. He also introduced him to eminent learned Bhikkhus to grasp the salient doctrines of the Dhamma. He got down a musician to teach him to play the violin in order to foster his aesthetic tastes.

Sagacious statesman vallient patriot that DS was, Dudley took to active politics on the advice of his father. His father being the mentor in that arena, it paid rich dividends on the son during the course of time.

Politics

At the age of 25 he contested the Dedigama electorate at the 1936 election to the State Council and won it. When that seat was carved out in the Kegalle district under the Donoughmore Constitution, it was won by G F (later Sir Francis) Molamure.

When the first Parliamentary election was held in 1947 Dudley Senanayake was duly elected as the MP for Dedigama. In his father’s government he was given the portfolio of agriculture.

In that capacity he took great pains to follow in his father’s footsteps in the sphere of agriculture and land development particularly, colonisation schemes, agricultural education and last but not least, the Gal-Oya scheme, the brainchild of D S Senanayake when he was the first Minister of Agriculture from 1931-47.

Prime Minister DS (Don Stephen) Senanayake died under tragic circumstances on March 22, 1952 as a result of his falling down from his horse at the Galle Face Green. Lord Soulbury, the Governor General appointed Dudley Senanayake as the second Prime Minister of Independent Sri Lanka. He was then 41 years of age at the and thus became the youngest Prime Minister in the British Commonwealth.

The new Prime Minister was able to command the respect, loyalty and confidence of all citizens of the country, Sinhalese Buddhists, Catholics, Christians, Tamils led by G G Ponnambalam QC, leader of the Tamil Congress, S J V Chelvanayakam QC, leader of the Federal Party, Muslims under the leadership of Dr M C M Kaleel and Malays with T B Jayah as their leader.

Religious life

The hartal of August 1953 was a stress or toll on his peaceful mind. Besides the antagonism and rivalry of Sir John Kotelawala, a senior Cabinet Minister who aspired to succeed to the Premiership of his Uncle DS was also a cause of worry. Although, Prime Minister Dudley Senanayake won the 1952 elections with a large majority for a United National Party (UNP) government, he did not want to hold the reins of government any longer.

Forthwith he resigned from that exalted position and the UNP, expressing his desire to lead a religious life devoted to Dhamma - Buddhism. A deeply devout Buddhist, along with his father, he was a patron of the Salgala hermitage near Warakapola in the Dedigama electorate founded by that Buddhist activist H Sri Nissanka, KC (King’s Counsel) in 1931 and he was also a patron of the Mahiyangana Chaitya restoration project.

He staged a come back to politics and contested the Dedigama seat at the March 1960 elections. Thus, he accepted the leadership of the UNP and was the Prime Minister for a few months. Again he won the Dedigama electorate at the July 1960 elections though he could not become the Prime Minister.

Prime Minister - 1965-70

He won the Parliamentary elections held on March 24, 1965 and was affirmed as the Prime Minister. His Government was a coalition comprising of the UNP (Dudley Senanayake), Federal Party (S J V Chelvanayakam), Tamil Congress (G G Ponnambalam), SLFSP (C P de Silva), MEP (Philip Gunewardena), JVP (Jathika Vimukthi Peramuna), K M P Rajaratne), LPP (W Dahanayake).

His Minister of Industries Philip Gunawardene established several industries and C P de Silva, Minister of Lands, Irrigation and Power inaugurated the Maskelya Oya hydro-electric scheme and in 1968 September 30 initiated the Mahaweli Ganga diversion at Polgolla, Katugastota in Kandy. Other achievements during his stewardship were Maligawatte New Town, Colombo 10, Radio Ceylon was made a Corporation on January 5, 1967, the oil refinery at Sapugaskanda (1969), the Kankesanthurai harbour development project.

He declared Poya days as weekend holidays. He was also the architect of the Dudley Senanayake-Chelvanayakam Pact similar to the prev-ious Bandaranaike-Chelvanayakam Pact.

His launching of the ‘Green Revolution’ to resuscitate agriculture and increase food production became a reality and a tremendous success.

His government saw to the enactment of the Crown Liability Act and the Contributory Negligence Act.

For his own ‘pocket borough’ or Dedigama seat he established the Thulhiriya textile complex with German aid, Tholangamuwa Dudley Senanayake Central College was upgraded and renovated.

The building up and opening of the Warakapola District Hospital at the present base hospital is a monument to his noteworthy achievements.

Being a devout religious activist, he started work on the restoration of Somawathiya Chaitiya. The crowning of the Kiriwehera near Kataragama with a pinnacle was his last religious service as the Premier in 1970.

Other than being a State Councillor, Parliamentarian, Minister, Prime Minister (four times), he also functioned as the Leader of the Opposition.

Dudley Senanayake, a patriotic son of Mother Sri Lanka was regarded as an incarnation of the pious King Siri Sangabo for his piety, whilst his father dubbed the ‘Father of the Nation’ was believed to be an incarnation of Diyasena, a saviour of the people. His philosophy of life was ‘Live honourabley, harm no one, give everyone their due’.

He passed away on April 13, 1973 aged 62.