Sri Lanka must celebrate Republic Day, as India does- by Prof. Tissa Vitarana

Source:Island

May 22nd should be one of the most important days to be commemorated in the history of Sri Lanka. It is the day in 1972 on which we became a Republic, a completely independent sovereign nation. But why is it, that unlike India which has done so since 1951, we do not celebrate Republic Day? Like Sri Lanka, India also celebrates Independence Day, but on a separate day each year with equal pomp and splendour. After nearly 450 years of being a colony under the Portuguese, the Dutch and finally the British, (roughly 150 years each), formal independence was received from the British in 1948. But this was only a sham, being Dominian Status within which we remained a semi-colony.

The British monarch continued to be the head of state, the military power remained with the British, and the Judiciary too remained in British hands as the Privy Council in the UK was the final Court of Appeal. Sri Lanka neither became sovereign nor independent, but we celebrate February 4th as National Independence Day.India too got formal independence from Britain in 1947, but the national minded Indian capitalist class did not want to be subordinate to the British capitalist class and fully supported the Congress Party (led by Gandhi and Nehru) and the Media to mobilize the masses to struggle against British rule, creating a climate that enabled Dr. Ambedkar to draft the Republican Constitution in 3 short years. The LSSP which was fighting against British rule in Sri Lanka was banned and its leaders like NM, Colvin, Philip and Edmund were jailed. They broke jail to join Leslie, Vivienne and Bernard in India to form an underground party, the BLPI, which joined the Congress Socialist Party, to support the Indian mass struggle (and they were jailed in India too), in the certainty that if India got Independence Sri Lanka too would also gain independence because of the resistance that the LSSP would successfully organize.

It took Sri Lanka 24 long years to become a Republic, because it had to overcome many obstacles. The local comprador forces led by the UNP, backed by Britain and the effort to unify a people divided due to communal differences were chief among them. The UNP retained Governmental power for 19 years (out of the 24 years) by forming compradorist governments by fair means or foul (bribery, corruption, thuggery, election manipulation and misinformation) and this was one of the main reasons for the delay in becoming a Republic. Thus the Republican Constitution was drafted by Dr.Colvin R. de Silva in 1972, as the Minister of Constitutional Affairs in the SLFP/LSSP/CP Coalition Government of 1970. To effectively sever the umbilical cord that tied Sri Lanka to Britain Colvin set up a separate Constituent Assembly that sat for two years entertaining all political opinions, as well as representations from the people. This highly democratic process was reflected in the fact that in his Constitution, sovereignty was vested in the people. Thereby the people gained supreme power, and anyone could become even the head of state. e.g. Premadasa and Sirisena were able to become Presidents. In fact, Colvin had to make many compromises (Sinhala only, a non-secular state etc.), and overcome strong opposition from various political quarters, some expected, some unexpected, before completing his task in 1972. As a Minister he played a key role in the nationalization of British owned plantations and in the land reform limiting holdings to 50 acres so that the balance could be divided among the landless poor.

UNP wanted to retain the comprador features of the Soulbury Constitution which would facilitate Sri Lanka’s continued exploitation by the British capitalist class while getting commissions and other benefits for their loyalty to the UK. Colvin as a leader of the LSSP and the working people was seen as a threat. They did everything possible to impede his task. Under the Soulbury Constitution, the legacy of British rule was continued with an appointed Governor General who represented the British Monarch as Head of State. Two Britishers Moore (1948-49) and Lord Soulbury (1949-54) followed by two Sri Lankans Oliver Goonetilleke (1954-62) and William Gopallawa (1962-72) maintained the tradition. Colvin had to break these traditions and he did so by having a two year Constitutional Assembly which met outside Parliament in the Navarangahala to draft the new Republican Constitution. The Governor-General was replaced by a Sri Lankan President. The 1972 Constitution vested sovereignty in the people through an elected Parliament, which chose the Prime Minister as its head. The Senate which strengthened the power of the capitalist government was abolished. The LSSP, backed by the CP and progressives in the SLFP was able to take the SLFP/LSSP/CP Coalition Government on an anti-imperialist and anti-capitalist path.Backed by the USA, the UNP with ample funds won the 1977 General Elections and used every means, fair and foul, to break the will of the people and the unity of the progressive coalition. The local capitalist class feared the empowerment of the people and led by J. R. Jayewardene, through the 1978 Constitution all power was vested in an Executive President, himself. Power was transferred from a Parliament elected by the people who had Legislative and Executive powers, to one individual the Executive President. JR manipulated the election and got himself elected as the President. He boasted that apart from changing a man to a woman and vice versa he had complete power. The Executive Presidency together with the creation of large district-based electorate ensured that political parties backed by large amounts of funds would be able to elect the all-powerful Executive President. Thus, power once again became he preserve of the capitalist class, be it comprador or national.

In the name of Dr. Colvin R. de Silva, one of the five best political leaders that the country has produced, I appeal to the Government to celebrate May 22nd each year as the Republic Day and draft a new Constitution that includes many of the principles that Colvin wanted but had to exclude. He wanted devolution of power to go down to benefit the people at village level through the ‘GRAMA RAJ’ system, so as to empower the people. He also wanted a strong Cooperative Movement, that would eliminate the exploitation by the middleman, so that prices could be controlled. He wanted Workers Advisory Councils to ensure correct functioning of workplaces. The future Constitution must ensure that we retain “two languages as one people”, for saying which at a meeting a bomb was thrown at him. A comrade lost his arm to save Colvin.