Rt. Hon. D.S. Senanayake – The First Prime Minister of Sri Lanka-by Karu Jayasuriya
Source:Island
(Former Speaker of Parliament President of the D.S. Senanayake Commemoration Society)
The 69th death anniversary of Rt. Hon. D.S. Senanayake fell on March 20 and it is our foremost duty and obligation to refresh our memories and pay tribute to this great statesman for rendering an unparalleled service in winning Independence from the Colonial masters in 1948.
The country knows and calls him “The Father of the Nation.” This paints in our minds an instant image of a well-built, broad shouldered six-footer, dark complexioned with rugged features and dominant grey moustache.
Don Stephen Senanayake, was born on October 21, 1884, at Botale, in Hapitigam Korale, currently known as Mirigama. DS, as he was popularly known, was the third son of the late Don Spater Senanayake and Dona Catherine Elizabeth Gunasekera. Spater Senanayake made his fortune in graphite mining and expanded into plantations and other investments. He was later awarded the title of Mudaliyar for his philanthrophy. Don Stephen had two elder brothers, Don Charles, (DC) and Fredrick Richard (FR) and one sister.
He attended the prestigious Anglican S. Thomas’ College, then situated in Mutwal, excelling in sports, including cricket, and played in the Royal-Thomian match. After completing schooling, he joined the Surveyor General’s Department and worked as a clerk for a short period. His father encouraged him to undergo vocational training in agriculture at the Gannoruwa Farm School. Empowered by this training and experience in agriculture, he opted to join his father fulltime. He became an excellent planter and was able to plant broad acres of rubber and coconut. He helped his brother DC to manage the family’s graphite business, too.
The Senanayake brothers were involved in the Temperance Movement of 1912. During the World War I, they were arrested and imprisoned by the British Governor who considered this movement seditious and released on bail, after 46 days without any charge. DS and DC were prominent members of the political party, Lanka Maha Jana Sabha. FR and DC were committed supporters of the YMBA. DS played an active role in the Independence movement, supporting his brother, FR.
In 1924 DS was elected to the Legislative Council from Negombo. He became the Secretary to the Unofficial Members Group of the Council, actively engaged in proceedings with a particular interest in subjects related to agriculture, lands and irrigation. He advocated the establishment of the first University in the Island close to Kandy. When his brother FR died on a pilgrimage in India in 1925, DS assumed leadership of the Independence Movement. Although belonging to the affluent society, DS never lost the common touch and was very close to the common man.
As Prime Minister from 1947 he gained respect from all ethnic communities and was able to maintain the morale of the then elite Ceylon Civil Service during the post-Independence transition period. This despite the loss of senior British officials. However, he retained the services of experts such as Sir Ivor Jennings and harnessed their valuable expertise.
The Gal-Oya Multi-Purpose Scheme of D.S. Senanayake was launched to colonize uninhabitable areas to resettle 250,000 people. In a country without coal, oil or gas, he encouraged hydro-electric power development and constructed the Inginiyagala power generation project, followed by many other hydro power projects.
His dry zone colonization schemes were the foundation of our new era of self-sufficiency in rice and other grains. The settlements of Minneriya, Padaviya, Gal Oya just to mention a few, tells us much of his achievements in a relatively short time.
With the dawn of the Donoughmore reforms, DS became the Minister of Lands and Agriculture, in 1931, holding this position for 15 years. As the Minister he was able to push the Land Development Ordinance through the legislature to convert barren land to cultivable assets. He restored ancient tanks and irrigation network in the dry-zone knowing that fertile lands were covered by dry zone jungle. The relocation of the landless in the wet zone was undertaken by his Ministry under the colonization schemes. Having founded the cooperative movement in 1923, he emphasized the development of cooperatives and acted to modernize agriculture. He became the first people’s Prime Minister with the blessings of the ordinary masses.
The present generation should know about this exemplary leader of Sri Lanka, who was associated with all political leaders and spearheaded the independence struggle. He and his elder brother, FR Senanayake, and colleagues such as Sir D.B. Jayatilake, Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan, Sir Ponnambalam Arunachalam, T.B. Jayah, E.W. Perera and many others led the independence struggle and achieve their objective without shedding a single drop of blood.
Following an illness, due to the weakening of his heart, DS had been hospitalized for a few weeks in early 1952. This culminated when on March 21 of the same year, the Prime Minister succumbed to an untimely death when he suffered a stroke and fell off his horse during his morning ride on Galle Face green. The country was plunged into mourning at the sudden loss of the Father of the Nation. In the words of Kwaja Nazimuddin, Former Prime Minister of Pakistan, “Ceylon has been deprived of one of her most distinguished sons and the world of an elder statesman”.
He successfully guided the country to freedom, when it ceased to be a colony of the British Empire, on February 4, 1948. DS re-hoisted Sri Lanka’s flag that was hauled down by the British in 1815, some 25 years after he embarked on his political career in the National Legislature, and proclaimed the country’s independence to the world. It was evident that his wisdom, clear vision and steadfast perseverance had successfully led the country to independence and economic stability.
With an acute sense of integrity, he firmly believed in maintaining good rapport with our neighbours. Sri Lanka is a small country and as such he knew that we would require the assistance of those far more experienced than us in self- governance. He concluded agreements with the United Kingdom for military assistance and valued the country’s membership of the Commonwealth. He established strong relations with all Commonwealth countries and the United States as well as Burma and Japan, two of the foremost Buddhist countries of the time.
He was a great statesman, known and revered across the world. His son Dudley Senanayake who became the Prime Minister of the country four times followed in the footsteps of his beloved father and continued with the father’s far reaching efforts in economic development
His Excellency Percy Spender, former Australian Ambassador’s observations on DS’s death may be of interest to our present day leaders.
“He (DS Senanayake) was a man of great personal strength of character, yet of profound humanity and humility; unspoiled by the high distinctions he enjoyed. He belonged to the soil and all things with a depth, which only those who belong to the soil can feel”.
DS Senanayake was the man who was the architect of the destiny of a nation and single-handedly facilitated the smooth transition from dominion to independence with great tact and determination. His policies on agriculture, irrigation and colonization were far sighted and ensured the country’s food security.
May he attain the supreme bliss of Nibbana
