The Lanka Sama Samaja Party, often abbreviated as LSSP (
literally
''Literally'' is an English adverb. It has been controversially used as an intensifier for figurative statements.
History
The first known use of the word ''literally'' was in the 15th century, or the 1530s, when it was used in the sense of "in ...
: Lanka Socialist Party,
Sinhala: ලංකා සම සමාජ පක්ෂය,
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
: லங்கா சமசமாஜக் கட்சி), is a major
Trotskyist
Trotskyism is the political ideology and branch of Marxism developed by Ukrainian-Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky and some other members of the Left Opposition and Fourth International. Trotsky self-identified as an orthodox Marxist, a rev ...
political party
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...
in
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
. It was the first political party in
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
(then
British Ceylon
British Ceylon ( si, බ්රිතාන්ය ලංකාව, Britānya Laṃkāva; ta, பிரித்தானிய இலங்கை, Biritthāṉiya Ilaṅkai) was the British Crown colony of present-day Sri Lanka between ...
), having been founded in 1935 by
Leslie Goonewardene
Leslie Simon Goonewardene ( si, ලෙස්ලි සයිමන් ගුනවර්ධන, ta, லெஸ்லி சைமன் குணவர்தன; 31 October 190911 April 1983) was a prominent Sri Lankan statesman. He founded ...
,
N.M. Perera
Nanayakkarapathirage Martin Perera, commonly known as Dr. N. M. Perera ( Sinhala එන්.එම්.පෙරේරා ; 6 June 1904 – 14 August 1979), was one of the leaders of the Sri Lankan Trotskyist Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP). He ...
,
Colvin R. de Silva,
Philip Gunawardena
Don Philip Rupasinghe Gunawardena (11 January 1901 – 26 March 1972) was a Sri Lankan Marxist politician and leftist. A founder of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party, the first political party in Ceylon which was known for having introduced Trotskyi ...
and
Robert Gunawardena
Don Benjamin Rupasinghe Gunawardena (12 March 1904 - 26 December 1971: si, රොබට් ගුණවර්ධන), popularly as Robert Gunawardena, was a Sri Lankan Marxist politician and diplomat. He was one of the founders of the Lanka Sa ...
. It currently is a member of the main ruling coalition in the
government of Sri Lanka
The Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) ( si, ශ්රී ලංකා රජය, Śrī Lankā Rajaya; ta, இலங்கை அரசாங்கம்) is a parliamentary system determined by the Sri Lankan Constitution. It administers the is ...
and is headed by
Tissa Vitharana
Upali Tissa Vitharana (born 30 August 1934) is a Sri Lankan politician, former Member of Parliament and former cabinet minister. He is the current leader of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP), a member of the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA ...
. The party was founded with
leninist
Leninism is a political ideology developed by Russian Marxist revolutionary Vladimir Lenin that proposes the establishment of the dictatorship of the proletariat led by a revolutionary vanguard party as the political prelude to the establishme ...
ideals, and is classified as a party with
Socialist
Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...
aims.
The LSSP emerged as a major political force in the
Sri Lankan independence movement
The Sri Lankan independence movement was a peaceful political movement which was aimed at achieving independence and self-rule for the country of Sri Lanka, then British Ceylon, from the British Empire. The switch of powers was generally kno ...
during the 1940s, during which time the party was forced to go underground due to its opposition to the British war effort. The party played an instrumental role in the
Indian independence and later
Quit India Movement
The Quit India Movement, also known as the August Kranti Movement, was a movement launched at the Bombay session of the All India Congress Committee by Mahatma Gandhi on 8th August 1942, during World War II, demanding an end to British rule in ...
through the
Bolshevik–Leninist Party of India, Ceylon and Burma
Bolshevik–Leninist Party of India, Ceylon and Burma (BLPI) was a revolutionary Trotskyist party which campaigned for independence and socialism in South Asia. The party was formed in 1942 as a unification of two Indian groups (the Bolshevik Le ...
(BLPI). Through its efforts,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
gained Independence from Britain in 1947, followed by
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
in 1948.
In the late early 1950s, the LSSP took the lead in organising the
Hartal
Hartal () is a term in many Indian languages for a strike action that was first used during the Indian independence movement (also known as the nationalist movement) of the early 20th century. A hartal is a mass protest, often involving a total sh ...
strike, caused by vast food price inflation by the UNP government. At the time,
J.R. Jayawardena was the finance minister of the country. Maintaining the price of rice at 25 cents had been an electoral promise given by UNP in the 1952 elections, and when the new rates of 70 cents were introduced to the public there was a massive anger against it.
From the late 1940s to 1960s, the Lanka Sama Samaja Party served as the
opposition Party in Sri Lanka, whilst being recognised as the Sri Lankan wing of the
Fourth International
The Fourth International (FI) is a revolutionary socialist international organization consisting of followers of Leon Trotsky, also known as Trotskyists, whose declared goal is the overthrowing of global capitalism and the establishment of wor ...
, an organisation characterised by
Trotskyism
Trotskyism is the political ideology and branch of Marxism developed by Ukrainian-Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky and some other members of the Left Opposition and Fourth International. Trotsky self-identified as an orthodox Marxist, a rev ...
. During this period, the party was able to use its considerable political influence to reform the former British Colony of Ceylon into a socialist republic by
nationalising
Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately-owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to pri ...
organisations in the banking, education, industry, media and trade sectors. In 1964, the party joined the
United Front (Sri Lanka)
The United Front ( si, සමගි පෙරමුණ, translit=Samagi Peramuna) was a political alliance in Sri Lanka, formed by the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) and the Communist Party of Sri Lanka ...
, and formed the Socialist
SLFP government, leading to its expulsion from the
Fourth International
The Fourth International (FI) is a revolutionary socialist international organization consisting of followers of Leon Trotsky, also known as Trotskyists, whose declared goal is the overthrowing of global capitalism and the establishment of wor ...
. Through their election landslide in 1964, they brought the world's first non-hereditary
female head of government in
modern history
The term modern period or modern era (sometimes also called modern history or modern times) is the period of history that succeeds the Middle Ages (which ended approximately 1500 AD). This terminology is a historical periodization that is applie ...
,
Sirimavo Bandaranaike
Sirima Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike ( si, සිරිමා රත්වත්තේ ඩයස් බණ්ඩාරනායක; ta, சிறிமா ரத்வத்தே டயஸ் பண்டாரநாயக்கே; 17 April 191 ...
to power as
Prime Minister of Sri Lanka
The Prime Minister of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the head and most senior member of parliament in the cabinet of ministers. It is the second-most powerful position in Sri Lanka's executive branch behind the president, wh ...
. The party peaked in political strength in the 1970s, when it was again leading a coalition government with multiple of its leaders in key cabinet roles.
In recent elections, the party has served a role in the coalition government. As of 2020, the party holds local government roles, as well as the governorship of the
North Central Province.
Name
The Lanka Sama Samaja Party was the first modern political party in
Ceylon
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
, later Sri Lanka. It was noted for its choice to use a native name rather than an English name, and its members were known as "Samasamajists". The party was the first Marxist party in
South Asia
South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...
. The
Sinhala term ''samasamajaya'' was one coined by Dally Jayawardena in the ''Swadesa Mitraya'' to translate the term '
socialist
Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...
'. However, the usage of ''samasamajaya'' has since been superseded by ''samajavadaya'' (which corresponds to similar usage in various Indian languages) in everything but in the names of the LSSP and various of its splinter groups. The
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
term ''samadharmam'' was used to translate 'socialist', but nowadays the English term is used.
History
The Lanka Sama Samaja Party was founded on 18 December 1935, with the broad aims of
Sri Lankan Independence and
Socialism
Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...
, by a group of young politicians. The group at the foundation numbered a bare half-dozen, and composed principally of students who had returned from study abroad, influenced deeply by the ideas of
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist, critic of political economy, and socialist revolutionary. His best-known titles are the 1848 ...
and
Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 19 ...
. The original group consisted of
Leslie Goonewardene
Leslie Simon Goonewardene ( si, ලෙස්ලි සයිමන් ගුනවර්ධන, ta, லெஸ்லி சைமன் குணவர்தன; 31 October 190911 April 1983) was a prominent Sri Lankan statesman. He founded ...
,
N.M. Perera
Nanayakkarapathirage Martin Perera, commonly known as Dr. N. M. Perera ( Sinhala එන්.එම්.පෙරේරා ; 6 June 1904 – 14 August 1979), was one of the leaders of the Sri Lankan Trotskyist Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP). He ...
,
Colvin R. de Silva,
Philip Gunawardena
Don Philip Rupasinghe Gunawardena (11 January 1901 – 26 March 1972) was a Sri Lankan Marxist politician and leftist. A founder of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party, the first political party in Ceylon which was known for having introduced Trotskyi ...
and
Robert Gunawardena
Don Benjamin Rupasinghe Gunawardena (12 March 1904 - 26 December 1971: si, රොබට් ගුණවර්ධන), popularly as Robert Gunawardena, was a Sri Lankan Marxist politician and diplomat. He was one of the founders of the Lanka Sa ...
.
[Leslie Goonewardene][Charles Wesley Ervin, ''Tomorrow is Ours:the Trotskyist Movement in India and Ceylon, 1935-48'', Colombo: Social Scientists Association, 2006]
Origins
The LSSP grew out of the
Youth Leagues of
Ceylon
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
– societies of young people, mainly intellectuals, who wanted independence for the British ruled
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
– in which a nucleus of
Marxists
Marxism is a left-wing to far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand class relations and social conflict and a dialectic ...
had developed. The party's leaders were predominantly educated returnees from study in London; youth who had come into contact with the ideas of the European Left and were influenced by
Harold Laski
Harold Joseph Laski (30 June 1893 – 24 March 1950) was an English political theorist and economist. He was active in politics and served as the chairman of the British Labour Party from 1945 to 1946 and was a professor at the London School of ...
, an English
political theorist
A political theorist is someone who engages in constructing or evaluating political theory, including political philosophy. Theorists may be academics or independent scholars. Here the most notable political theorists are categorized by their ...
and
professor
Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...
at the
London School of Economics
, mottoeng = To understand the causes of things
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £240.8 million (2021)
, budget = £391.1 millio ...
.
Dr S.A. Wickremasinghe, an early returnee and a member of the
State Council State Council may refer to:
Government
* State Council of the Republic of Korea, the national cabinet of South Korea, headed by the President
* State Council of the People's Republic of China, the national cabinet and chief administrative auth ...
from 1931, was part of this group. The Youth Leagues campaigned for independence from Britain, notably organising opposition to the so-called 'Ministers' Memorandum', one which in essence called for the colonial authorities to grant increased power to local ministers.
Wellawatte Spinning and Weaving Mills Strike
The group, through the
South Colombo Youth League, became involved in a strike at the Wellawatte Spinning and Weaving Mills in 1933. The mills; the island’s largest textile factory at that time with 1,400 workers (two-thirds of Indian origin and one-third Sinhalese), gave the members of the Youth League a chance for leadership as well as experience in trade union agitation.
During this period, the collective published an irregular journal in
Sinhala, ''Kamkaruwa'' (The Worker).
Suriya-Mal movement
In 1933 the group got involved in the
Suriya-Mal movement The Suriya-Mal Movement was formed in the British colony of Ceylon to sell ''Suriya'' flowers on Poppy Day for the benefit of Sri Lankan ex-servicemen. The movement became anti-imperialist in character, and was also involved in relief work during ...
, which had been formed to provide support for indigenous ex-servicemen by the sale of Suriya (
Portia tree
''Thespesia populnea'', commonly known as the portia tree (), Pacific rosewood, Indian tulip tree, or milo, among other names, is a species of flowering plant belonging to the mallow family, Malvaceae. It is a tree found commonly on coasts ar ...
) flowers. The Suriya-Mal movement surged as a reaction to the fact that at the time
Poppy Day
Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day owing to the tradition of wearing a remembrance poppy) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces members who have died in t ...
funds went solely to British ex-servicemen. The movement was honed by volunteer work among the poor during the Malaria Epidemic of 1934-1935. The volunteers found that there was widespread
malnutrition
Malnutrition occurs when an organism gets too few or too many nutrients, resulting in health problems. Specifically, it is "a deficiency, excess, or imbalance of energy, protein and other nutrients" which adversely affects the body's tissues a ...
, which they helped fight by making pills of '
Marmite
Marmite ( ) is a British savoury food spread based on yeast extract, invented by the German scientist Justus von Liebig. It is made from by-products of beer brewing ( lees) and is produced by the British company Unilever. Marmite is a vegan ...
' yeast extract.
Early period
In 1936 the LSSP contested the State Council elections in four constituencies and won two of them,
Avissawella
Avissawella, ( si, අවිස්සාවේල්ල, ta, அவிசாவளை) is a township in Sri Lanka, governed by an Urban Council, situated on the A4 route from Colombo to Ratnapura, Colombo District, Western Province, Sri Lanka, ap ...
and
Ruanwella. The two new members,
Philip Gunawardena
Don Philip Rupasinghe Gunawardena (11 January 1901 – 26 March 1972) was a Sri Lankan Marxist politician and leftist. A founder of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party, the first political party in Ceylon which was known for having introduced Trotskyi ...
and
N.M. Perera
Nanayakkarapathirage Martin Perera, commonly known as Dr. N. M. Perera ( Sinhala එන්.එම්.පෙරේරා ; 6 June 1904 – 14 August 1979), was one of the leaders of the Sri Lankan Trotskyist Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP). He ...
, worked at the dismay of the British Colonial government; one that they were trying to dismantle.
Around this time, the LSSP began fraternal relations with the
Congress Socialist Party
The Congress Socialist Party (CSP) was a socialist caucus within the Indian National Congress. It was founded in 1934 by Congress members who rejected what they saw as the anti-rational mysticism of Gandhi as well as the sectarian attitude of th ...
(CSP) of India. Mrs
Kamaladevi Chattopadhyaya
Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay (3 April 1903 – 29 October 1988) was an Indian social reformer and freedom activist. She was most remembered for her contribution to the Indian independence movement; for being the driving force behind the renaissance ...
of the CSP was invited by the LSSP for a highly successful political tour of the island.
Leslie Goonewardene
Leslie Simon Goonewardene ( si, ලෙස්ලි සයිමන් ගුනවර්ධන, ta, லெஸ்லி சைமன் குணவர்தன; 31 October 190911 April 1983) was a prominent Sri Lankan statesman. He founded ...
was also sent as a delegate to the CSP. Despite their move towards Indian relations, the LSSP maintained a clear distance from the Indian
radical left, and considered the
Communist Party of India
Communist Party of India (CPI) is the oldest Marxist–Leninist communist party in India and one of the nine national parties in the country. The CPI was founded in modern-day Kanpur (formerly known as Cawnpore) on 26 December 1925.
H ...
to be an extremist force.
Bracegirdle Incident
In 1937, the British
Colonial Governor Sir
Reginald Stubbs
Sir Reginald Edward Stubbs (; 13 October 1876 – 7 December 1947) was a British colonial governor, who was once the Governor of Hong Kong. He caused controversy while Governor of Ceylon over the Bracegirdle Incident.
Early life and educati ...
attempted to deport a young Anglo-Australian planter,
Mark Anthony Bracegirdle
:''This article refers to the political activist. For the Rear Admiral see Leighton Seymour Bracegirdle. For the fictional family of Hobbits see Bracegirdle.''
Mark Anthony Lyster Bracegirdle (10 September 1912 – 22 June 1999) was a British-born ...
, who had joined the LSSP. He went into hiding in defiance of the Governor and the LSSP started a campaign to defend him. He appeared on the platform at that year's
May Day
May Day is a European festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on 1 May, around halfway between the spring equinox and summer solstice. Festivities may also be held the night before, known as May Eve. T ...
rally, and was able to have his deportation order quashed in the courts. Through this incident,
Stubbs was isolated. The incident led to the further strengthening of an argument for independence as the Bracegirdle incident had brought almost the entire State Council into opposition to the colonial government.
Bracegirdle had been working among the plantation labourers, who were often working in squalid conditions, receiving very little health care, education and living in 'line rooms'. In 1940, the
Lanka Estate Workers' Union (LEWU) intervened in a strike at Mooloya, becoming the harbinger of a wave of trade-union action on the plantations.
Initial Trotskyist ideals
Meanwhile, in the LSSP a number of members had become influenced by the ideas of the Left Opposition led by
Leon Trotsky
Lev Davidovich Bronstein. ( – 21 August 1940), better known as Leon Trotsky; uk, link= no, Лев Давидович Троцький; also transliterated ''Lyev'', ''Trotski'', ''Trotskij'', ''Trockij'' and ''Trotzky''. (), was a Russian ...
. Individual party members, notably
Philip Gunawardena
Don Philip Rupasinghe Gunawardena (11 January 1901 – 26 March 1972) was a Sri Lankan Marxist politician and leftist. A founder of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party, the first political party in Ceylon which was known for having introduced Trotskyi ...
, had encountered Trotskyist groups earlier during stays in
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
and the USA. The Trotskyists within the LSSP came together and formed a secret faction known as the "T" (after Trotsky) group. The group's original members were Philip Gunawardena, N. M. Perera, Colvin R. de Silva, Leslie Goonewardene, Robert Gunawardena and Vernon Gunasekera, the Party Secretary. They were later joined by
Edmund Samarakkody
Edmund Peter Samarakkody (19 April 1912 – 4 January 1992) was a Ceylonese lawyer, trade unionist, politician and Member of Parliament.
Early life and family
Samarakkody was born on 19 April 1912, the fifth of seven children to Charles Peter ...
and
V. Karalasingham
Vaithianathan Karalasingham ( ta, வைத்தியநாதன் காராளசிங்கம்; July 1921 – 8 September 1983) was a Ceylon Tamil lawyer, writer, politician and one of the leading members of the Lanka Sama Sama ...
.
Fourth International
In 1940, the LSSP split with the expulsion of the pro-Moscow fraction led by S. A. Wickremasinghe,
M. G. Mendis,
Pieter Keuneman
Pieter Gerald Bartholomeusz Keuneman (3 October 1917 – 3 January 1997) was a Sri Lankan politician and a Marxist. He was the Cabinet Minister of Housing and Local Government and prominent Member of Parliament and a leading figure in the Commu ...
and A. Vaidialingam. The expelled members formed the United Socialist Party (USP) which later evolved into the
Communist Party of Ceylon
The Communist Party of Sri Lanka ( si, ශ්රී ලංකාවේ කොමියුනිස්ට් පක්ෂය, ''Sri Lankavay Komiyunist Pakshaya'' ta, இலங்கை கம்யூனிஸ்ட் கட்சி, trans ...
(CPC). With the expulsion of the communists, the LSSP planted itself as an independent Trotskyist party. In its heyday, the LSSP was the Fourth International's most successful component.
At the outbreak of the Second World War, the party was forced to go underground due to its opposition to the British war effort. The two State Council members of the party and others on its Central committee were arrested and jailed, but
Leslie Goonewardene
Leslie Simon Goonewardene ( si, ලෙස්ලි සයිමන් ගුනවර්ධන, ta, லெஸ்லி சைமன் குணவர்தன; 31 October 190911 April 1983) was a prominent Sri Lankan statesman. He founded ...
evaded arrest and went underground.
New Programme and adoption of Constitution
On 20 April 1941, a secret conference in
Kandy
Kandy ( si, මහනුවර ''Mahanuwara'', ; ta, கண்டி Kandy, ) is a major city in Sri Lanka located in the Central Province. It was the last capital of the ancient kings' era of Sri Lanka. The city lies in the midst of hills ...
, attended by 42 delegates, was held.
Leslie Goonewardene
Leslie Simon Goonewardene ( si, ලෙස්ලි සයිමන් ගුනවර්ධන, ta, லெஸ்லி சைமன் குணவர்தன; 31 October 190911 April 1983) was a prominent Sri Lankan statesman. He founded ...
, who was in hiding, attended this conference at which the new programme and constitution were adopted. The cover organisation of the party enabled him to work for a period of one year and three months till he left for India. An openly functioning section of the party was established, led by Robert Gunawardena, S.C.C. Anthonipillai, V. Karalasingham, K.V. Lourenz Perera and
William de Silva
Peduru Hewage William de Silva (8 December 1908 – 30 July 1988) was a 20th-century Marxist/Trotskyist Sri Lankan politician. . The 'open' section of the party led a strike wave in May 1941 and strikes in 1942 and 1944.
Proscription and move to India
Following the
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
raid on Colombo on 5 April 1942, the imprisoned leaders escaped and fled to India. In India, the proscribed LSSPers merged their party into the
Bolshevik-Leninist Party of India, Ceylon and Burma
Trotskyism is the political ideology and branch of Marxism developed by Ukrainian-Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky and some other members of the Left Opposition and Fourth International. Trotsky self-identified as an orthodox Marxist, a rev ...
(BLPI). Preparatory work had been done in this connection by
Leslie Goonewardene
Leslie Simon Goonewardene ( si, ලෙස්ලි සයිමන් ගුනවර්ධන, ta, லெஸ்லி சைமன் குணவர்தன; 31 October 190911 April 1983) was a prominent Sri Lankan statesman. He founded ...
,
Doric de Souza Anthony Theodoric Armand "Doric" de Souza (1914–1987) was a Sri Lankan Trotskyist politician, Senator, Professor of English and a brilliant Marxist theoretician.
Born to Goan journalist Armand de Souza, who was the editor of the '' Ceylon ...
and
Bernard Soysa
Bernard Soysa (20 March 1914 - 30 December 1997) was a Sri Lankan politician.
Early life and education
Bernard Soysa was born 20 March 1914 in Colombo, Ceylon. He attended the Holy Family Convent, Bambalapitiya, S. Thomas' College, Mount Lav ...
. The LSSP thus became the Ceylon section of BLPI. Through the BLPI, the Ceylonese trotskyists attained their formal membership in the
Fourth International
The Fourth International (FI) is a revolutionary socialist international organization consisting of followers of Leon Trotsky, also known as Trotskyists, whose declared goal is the overthrowing of global capitalism and the establishment of wor ...
. The Ceylonese Samasamajists who went to India participated actively along with the BLPI in the struggle for
independence
Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...
that commenced in August 1942 in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. It was generally realised that the impending open revolt against imperialism in India was going to be decisive for the future not only of India but of Ceylon as well. Their property and assets back home were confiscated. Various other members were arrested. Only Colvin R. de Silva, Leslie Goonewardene,
Vivienne Goonewardena
Violet Vivienne Goonewardene ( si, වයලට් විවියන් ගුන්වර්ධන, ta, வயலட் விவியென் கூனவர்தன; 18 September 19163 October 1996), commonly known as "Vivi", was a Sri Lan ...
and Selina Perera succeeded in evading arrest up to the end.
![QUITIN2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ca/QUITIN2.JPG)
During the war there was a split in the movement. N. M. Perera and Philip Gunawardena opposed a merger into the BLPI and formed the 'Workers' Opposition'. After the war, they reconstructed LSSP as an independent party. Members of the other section, formed out of the exiled BLPI nucleus, effectively maintained a separate party, the
Bolshevik Samasamaja Party
The Bolshevik Samasamaja Party was the Ceylon section Bolshevik-Leninist Party of India, Ceylon and Burma (BLPI) after 1945 and of the Fourth International in 1948-1950, after the dissolution of the BLPI.
After the war there was a split in the Lan ...
. The latter group functioned as the Ceylon section of BLPI and was led by Colvin R de Silva, Leslie Goonawardene and Edmund Samarakkoddy.
The relation between the two groups was often antagonistic. The BSP accused the LSSP of 'organisational
Menshevism
The Mensheviks (russian: меньшевики́, from меньшинство 'minority') were one of the three dominant factions in the Russian socialist movement, the others being the Bolsheviks and Socialist Revolutionaries.
The factions eme ...
'. The LSSP accused the BSP of being introvert doctrinaires. LSSP wanted to build a mass-based party, whereas the BSP concentrated on building a cadre-based (
revolutionary
A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective, to refer to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor.
...
) party. On 25 October 1945 fist-fights broke out at between the two groups at a meeting of the BSP.
Main party
The LSSP and the BSP were both at the helm of the strike waves that occurred in the post-war period. In 1946 there was a brief reconciliation between the two factions. At the general election of 1947 the LSSP emerged as the main opposition party, with 10 seats.
The BSP obtained 5 seats.
They also had the support of the Ceylon Indian Congress (CIC - which later became the
Ceylon Workers' Congress
The Ceylon Workers' Congress (CWC) ( ta, இலங்கை தொழிலாளர் காங்கிரஸ், translit=Ilaṅkai Toḻilāḷar Kāṅkiras; si, ලංකා කම්කරු කොංග්රසය ''Lanka Kamkaru ...
) of
Natesa Iyer, which had 6 members in Parliament and of various independent members. However,
SWRD Bandaranaike
Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike ( si, සොලොමන් වෙස්ට් රිජ්වේ ඩයස් බණ්ඩාරනායක; ta, சாலமன் வெஸ்ட் ரிட்ஜ்வே டயஸ் ப ...
and his
Sinhala Maha Sabha
The Sinhala Maha Sabha ( si, සිංහල මහා සභා) was a political party in Ceylon, founded by Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike in 1934–5, in order to promote Sinhalese Buddhist culture and community interests. It back ...
backed the newly formed
United National Party
The United National Party, often abbreviated as UNP ( si, එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂය, translit=Eksath Jāthika Pakshaya, ta, ஐக்கிய தேசியக் கட்சி, translit=Aikkiya Tēciyak Kaṭci), ...
(UNP), which was thus able to form a government under
DS Senanayake
Don Stephen Senanayake ( si, දොන් ස්ටීවන් සේනානායක,; ta, டி. எஸ். சேனநாயக்கா; 21 October 1884 – 22 March 1952) was a Ceylonese statesman. He was the first Prime Min ...
.
The BLPI-affiliated BSP became an independent party in 1948, and was recognised as the Ceylonese section of the Fourth International when the BLPI was dissolved.
Success in the Independence Movement
In 1948, the country was granted
Dominion
The term ''Dominion'' is used to refer to one of several self-governing nations of the British Empire.
"Dominion status" was first accorded to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland, South Africa, and the Irish Free State at the 1926 ...
status by the British. The armed forces continued to be commanded by British Officers and the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
and the
RAF
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
continued to have bases on the island (at
Trincomalee
Trincomalee (; ta, திருகோணமலை, translit=Tirukōṇamalai; si, ත්රිකුණාමළය, translit= Trikuṇāmaḷaya), also known as Gokanna and Gokarna, is the administrative headquarters of the Trincomalee Dis ...
and
Katunayake
Katunayake ( si, කටුනායක, ta, கட்டுநாயகம்), is a suburb of Negombo city in Western Province, Sri Lanka. It is the site of Bandaranaike International Airport or Colombo Airport, the primary international air g ...
). The Government was heavily pro-British and anti-
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
. The new government proceeded to disenfranchise plantation workers of
Indian Tamils descent, using the
Ceylon Citizenship Act
The Ceylon Citizenship Act No. 18 of 1948 was a controversial law passed by the Ceylon Parliament which did not grant citizenship to Indian Tamils, who were 11% of the population.
Background
During the 19th and early 20th centuries the Britis ...
of 1948 and the Parliamentary Elections Amendment Act of 1949. These measures were intended primarily to undermine the Left electorally. Of these acts, N. M. Perera said:
'I thought racialism of this type died with Houston Chamberlain
Houston Stewart Chamberlain (; 9 September 1855 – 9 January 1927) was a British-German philosopher who wrote works about political philosophy and natural science. His writing promoted German ethnonationalism, antisemitism, and scientific ...
and Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
. I do not believe that anyone claiming to be a Statesman would ask us to accede to a bill of this nature ... We cannot proceed as if we were God's chosen race quite apart from the rest of the world; that we and we alone have the right to be citizens of this country.'
Reunification
The split between the LSSP and the BSP had weakened the movement, and in particular the BSP which was clearly the smaller of the two parties. A process of reunification was initiated, and in 1950 the BSP merged into the LSSP. Through the reunification, the LSSP became the Ceylonese section of the
Fourth International
The Fourth International (FI) is a revolutionary socialist international organization consisting of followers of Leon Trotsky, also known as Trotskyists, whose declared goal is the overthrowing of global capitalism and the establishment of wor ...
. However, Philip Gunawardena opposed the reconciliation with the BSP. Thus he left LSSP and formed a new party,
Viplavakari Lanka Sama Samaja Party
Viplavakari Lanka Sama Samaja Party (Revolutionary Ceylon Equal Society Party, Sinhala; විප්ලවකාරි ලංකා සමසමජ පක්ෂය) was a political group in Ceylon, that broke away from the Trotskyist Lanka Sama S ...
(VLSSP).
At the 1952 general election, the electoral performance was harmed by the relative prosperity due to the price of natural rubber being driven up by the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
. Also, the disenfranchisement of the Indian Tamil estate workers by the UNP government deprived the LSSP of one of its main bases. Moreover, it damaged the electoral fortunes of its ally, the
CIC
CIC may refer to:
Organizations Canada
* Cadet Instructors Cadre, a part of the Canadian Armed Forces
* Canadian Infantry Corps, renamed in 1947 to Royal Canadian Infantry Corps
* Canadian International Council
* Canadian Islamic Congress
* Chemi ...
, which went unrepresented.
Hartal and after
In 1953, the LSSP took the lead in organising the
Hartal
Hartal () is a term in many Indian languages for a strike action that was first used during the Indian independence movement (also known as the nationalist movement) of the early 20th century. A hartal is a mass protest, often involving a total sh ...
. The immediate cause for the Hartal was a hike in the price of
rice
Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima
''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown i ...
from 25 cent to 70 cent per measure by the UNP government.
At the time,
J.R. Jayawardena was the finance minister of the country. Maintaining the price of rice at 25 cent had been an electoral promise given by UNP in the 1952 elections, and when the new rates were introduced to the public, uproar ensued. This anger was furthered by the suspension of the meals given to schoolchildren and hikes in rail ticket fares and postal fees.
Prior to 1953, the concept of a 'Hartal', or
general strike
A general strike refers to a strike action in which participants cease all economic activity, such as working, to strengthen the bargaining position of a trade union or achieve a common social or political goal. They are organised by large co ...
, was relatively unknown in Ceylon.
Through their exile, the LSSP leaders had witnessed the immense impact of the hartals during the
Quit India Movement
The Quit India Movement, also known as the August Kranti Movement, was a movement launched at the Bombay session of the All India Congress Committee by Mahatma Gandhi on 8th August 1942, during World War II, demanding an end to British rule in ...
, ensuring that this knowledge was brought with them.
The
Communist Party
A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. A ...
and
VLSSP supported the Hartal and the
SLFP
The Sri Lanka Freedom Party ( si, ශ්රී ලංකා නිදහස් පක්ෂය, translit=Śrī Laṁkā Nidahas Pakṣaya; ta, இலங்கை சுதந்திரக் கட்சி, translit=Ilaṅkai Cutantirak Ka ...
and CIC expressed sympathy for the demand of the Hartal, but did not actively support the call for strike.
[ The Ceylon Mercantile Union supported the demands of the strike, but in not take part in it. Rather it encouraged their members to go to work wearing black armbands as a means to protest.
The Hartal took the country to a complete standstill. Afraid of a revolution in the making, the government cabinet sought refuge on , a ]Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
warship offshore. The mass upsurge that accompanied the action of the strikers caused Dudley Senanayake
Dudley Shelton Senanayake ( Sinhala: ඩඩ්ලි ශෙල්ටන් සේනානායක: ta, டட்லி சேனநாயக்கா; 19 June 1911 – 13 April 1973), was a Sri Lankan statesman who served as Prime Mi ...
to resign from the premiership. The Hartal emoboldended the LSSP to start to consider that the party might be able to seize state power.
In 1956 the LSSP went into a no-contest pact with the ''Mahajana Eksath Peramuna
The Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (People's United Front) is a political party in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), for ...
'' (People's United Front) of SWRD Bandaranaike
Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike ( si, සොලොමන් වෙස්ට් රිජ්වේ ඩයස් බණ්ඩාරනායක; ta, சாலமன் வெஸ்ட் ரிட்ஜ்வே டயஸ் ப ...
, which he had formed with Philip Gunawardena and the VLSSP. The MEP won a landslide in the polls held that year. The LSSP once again became the main opposition party, and N. M. Perera became the Leader of Opposition. Through this, the LSSP supported the reforms initiated by the new government, but strongly opposed the 'Sinhala Only' policy. In July 1959, both LSSP and the Communist Party withdrew their support for the government, as inner-party feuds within the SLFP had resulted in a temporary victory for the right-wing and expulsions of leftist ministers like Philip Gunawardena.
In March 1960, the LSSP contested the general elections on the slogan 'forward to a Sama Samaja Government'. The votes won by the LSSP, the Communists and the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna
The Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (People's United Front) is a political party in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), for ...
(a new party, not the 1956 front) of Philip Gunawardena, were sufficient to have made them the biggest bloc in Parliament. However, due to their contesting separately, the LSSP and the MEP won just 10 seats each, the CP a mere 3. Elections were held again in July and the LSSP had a no-contest pact with the Sri Lanka Freedom Party
The Sri Lanka Freedom Party ( si, ශ්රී ලංකා නිදහස් පක්ෂය, translit=Śrī Laṁkā Nidahas Pakṣaya; ta, இலங்கை சுதந்திரக் கட்சி, translit=Ilaṅkai Cutantirak Ka ...
(SLFP) of Sirimavo Bandaranaike
Sirima Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike ( si, සිරිමා රත්වත්තේ ඩයස් බණ්ඩාරනායක; ta, சிறிமா ரத்வத்தே டயஸ் பண்டாரநாயக்கே; 17 April 191 ...
, which was thus able to form a government. The Fourth International was highly critical of the electoral tactics of LSSP, and the LSSP chose not to attend the World Congress of International the following year.
In 1962, officers of the Army and Police attempted a coup d'état
A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...
aimed at overthrowing the government and bringing the UNP to power. This plot was foiled, and the SLFP lurched leftwards in terms of policy. The local branches of petroleum
Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crud ...
companies were nationalised, leading to a boycott of the country by the oil multi-nationals; the boycott was broken with help from the Kansas Oil Producers Co-operative and the Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
n Government.
A parallel process was one of increasing self-confidence and unity amongst the Ceylonese left-wing. In the parliament they were in the opposition. On May Day
May Day is a European festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on 1 May, around halfway between the spring equinox and summer solstice. Festivities may also be held the night before, known as May Eve. T ...
1963 the three main left parties (LSSP, CP and MEP) held a massive joint rally. That was followed by the launching of United Front
A united front is an alliance of groups against their common enemies, figuratively evoking unification of previously separate geographic fronts and/or unification of previously separate armies into a front. The name often refers to a political a ...
on 12 August, the tenth anniversary of the 1953 Hartal. The front launched agitations on issues like bring down the prices of essential commodities, leading it to represent an immediate threat to the governance of SLFP. The SLFP began to offer the left parties ministerial posts and worked intensively to break the unity of ULF.
Trade union activities
The 1950s and 1960s were in many ways the "Golden era" of LSSP. At the time, the most powerful trade unions in the country supported LSSP politics.[ The most prominent trade union in the public sector in this period was the Government Clerical Service Union, which gave the a great support to the political struggle of LSSP. The forefront leader of GCSU, I. J. Wickrema, openly appealed for support to the LSSP-CP coalition in order to defeat imperialism. The GCSU publication ''Red Tape'' constantly criticised the UNP government and asked the people to support the left.][
]
Coalition politics
In 1964, the LSSP held a conference at which the majority agreed with a theoretical categorisation of the SLFP by Hector Abhayavardhana
Hector Abhayavardhana (5 January 1919 – 22 September 2012) was a Sri Lankan Trotskyist theoretician, a long-standing member of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) and a founder-member of the Bolshevik-Leninist Party of India, Ceylon and Burm ...
as a petty bourgeois
''Petite bourgeoisie'' (, literally 'small bourgeoisie'; also anglicised as petty bourgeoisie) is a French term that refers to a social class composed of semi-autonomous peasants and small-scale merchants whose politico-economic ideological ...
party, leaving the door open to a united front
A united front is an alliance of groups against their common enemies, figuratively evoking unification of previously separate geographic fronts and/or unification of previously separate armies into a front. The name often refers to a political a ...
with it. A minority faction, led by Colvin R de Silva and Leslie Goonewardene, opposed the move but opted to stay within the Party. Another minority faction led by Edmund Samarakkody
Edmund Peter Samarakkody (19 April 1912 – 4 January 1992) was a Ceylonese lawyer, trade unionist, politician and Member of Parliament.
Early life and family
Samarakkody was born on 19 April 1912, the fifth of seven children to Charles Peter ...
, Merryl Fernando, V Karalasingham and Bala Tampoe
Bala Tampoe (23 May 1922 – 1 September 2014) was a Sri Lankan lawyer and a trade unionist. He was the General Secretary of the Ceylon Mercantile, Industrial and General Workers Union (CMU) in Sri Lanka.
Early life and education
Born on 23 May 1 ...
, left the party and formed the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (Revolutionary)
Lanka Sama Samaja Party (Revolutionary) was a Trotskyist political party in Sri Lanka, formed in 1964 when the Lanka Sama Samaja Party was expelled from the Fourth International. LSSP(R) was constituted by the ideological hardliners who opposed ...
- the LSSP(R).
Later that year, the LSSP joined the coalition government of Sirimavo Bandaranaike. Three of its MPs became Ministers; Dr N. M. Perera (Finance), Cholomondely Goonewardena (Public Works) and Anil Moonesinghe
Anil Moonesinghe (15 February 1927 – 8 December 2002) was a Sri Lankan Trotskyist revolutionary politician and trade unionist. He became a member of parliament, a Cabinet Minister of Transport in 1964, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament from 199 ...
(Communications). The LSSP was expelled from the Fourth International, and the membership was passed on to the LSSP(R).
The Coalition Government fell in 1965, due to the desertion of several members. However, the number of votes won by the LSSP increased at the general election held that year. After the election, supporters of the party were subject to a co-ordinated campaign of victimisation by the new seven-party coalition led by the UNP. In 1968, the LSSP joined the SLFP and the CP in a United Front
A united front is an alliance of groups against their common enemies, figuratively evoking unification of previously separate geographic fronts and/or unification of previously separate armies into a front. The name often refers to a political a ...
; one that suffered clashes due to the Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
-oriented focus of the CP. That year's joint May Day rally was said to be the biggest ever to take place in Sri Lanka.
In 1970, the United Front, of which the LSSP was part, was elected to power in landslide. The LSSP had 19 MPs in the House of Representatives. Dr NM Perera, Dr Colvin R de Silva
Colvin Reginald de Silva (1907 – 27 February 1989; commonly known as Colvin R. de Silva) was a Cabinet Minister of Plantation Industries and Constitutional Affairs, prominent member of parliament, Trotskyist leader and lawyer in Sri Lanka. ...
and Leslie Goonewardene
Leslie Simon Goonewardene ( si, ලෙස්ලි සයිමන් ගුනවර්ධන, ta, லெஸ்லி சைமன் குணவர்தன; 31 October 190911 April 1983) was a prominent Sri Lankan statesman. He founded ...
became Ministers of Finance, Constitutional Affairs with Plantation Industries and Transport and Communication, respectively.
The Party was able to advance parts of its programme considerably: Foreign-owned plantations were nationalised, local ownership was restricted, democratically elected workers' councils
A workers' council or labor council is a form of political and economic organization in which a workplace or municipality is governed by a council made up of workers or their elected delegates. The workers within each council decide on what thei ...
were established in state corporations and government departments under the purview of its ministries, and measures were taken that narrowed the gap between the rich and poor.
Several LSSP members were appointed to important posts in which they could press forward the party programme: Anil Moonesinghe
Anil Moonesinghe (15 February 1927 – 8 December 2002) was a Sri Lankan Trotskyist revolutionary politician and trade unionist. He became a member of parliament, a Cabinet Minister of Transport in 1964, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament from 199 ...
became Chairman of the Ceylon Transport Board
The Sri Lanka Transport Board (Sinhala language, Sinhala: ශ්රී ලංකා ගමනාගමන මණ්ඩලය ''Shri Lanka Gamanāgamana Mandalaya'')(formerly: Ceylon Transport Board, CTB) is a bus service provider in Sri Lanka. ...
and theoretician Hector Abhayavardhana
Hector Abhayavardhana (5 January 1919 – 22 September 2012) was a Sri Lankan Trotskyist theoretician, a long-standing member of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) and a founder-member of the Bolshevik-Leninist Party of India, Ceylon and Burm ...
was made Chairman of the People's Bank and Doric de Souza Anthony Theodoric Armand "Doric" de Souza (1914–1987) was a Sri Lankan Trotskyist politician, Senator, Professor of English and a brilliant Marxist theoretician.
Born to Goan journalist Armand de Souza, who was the editor of the '' Ceylon ...
was appointed permanent secretary to the Ministry of Plantations.
Dr Seneka Bibile
Senaka Bibile ( Sinhala:සේනක බිබිලේ) (13 February 1920 – 29 September 1977) was a Sri Lankan pharmacologist. He was the founder of Sri Lanka's drug policy, which was used as a model for development of policies based on r ...
, a member of the LSSP, became the founder Chairperson of the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation (SPC) - which distributed drugs at affordable rates, by generic name instead of by trade name. The SPC, which became a model for the Third World and remains so today, was based on a report on Pharmaceuticals in Sri Lanka of which the authors were Dr S. A. Wickremesinghe and Seneka Bibile.
The ''Congress of Samasamaja Youth Leagues'' and the other bodies affiliated to the party (membership of the party proper was still restricted to a small cadre, on a Leninist
Leninism is a political ideology developed by Russian Marxist revolutionary Vladimir Lenin that proposes the establishment of the dictatorship of the proletariat led by a revolutionary vanguard party as the political prelude to the establishme ...
model) saw unprecedented growth at this time. The leadership looked to Salvador Allende
Salvador Guillermo Allende Gossens (, , ; 26 June 1908 – 11 September 1973) was a Chilean physician and socialist politician who served as the 28th president of Chile from 3 November 1970 until his death on 11 September 1973. He was the fir ...
's Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
as a model of revolution through parliamentary means. Leslie Goonewardene, easily the most cosmopolitan of the party's leaders, established contact with the 'Captains' of the Movement of the Armed Forces ('Movimento das Forças Armadas' - MFA) of Portugal, after the Carnation Revolution
The Carnation Revolution ( pt, Revolução dos Cravos), also known as the 25 April ( pt, 25 de Abril, links=no), was a military coup by left-leaning military officers that overthrew the authoritarian Estado Novo regime on 25 April 1974 in Lisbo ...
of April 1974; he also became a theoretician of Eurocommunism
Eurocommunism, also referred to as democratic communism or neocommunism, was a trend in the 1970s and 1980s within various Western European communist parties which said they had developed a theory and practice of social transformation more rele ...
and its application to Sri Lanka, writing a pamphlet 'Can we Get To Socialism This Way'.
In 1975, the United Front broke up with the expulsion of the LSSP ministers. The party then pursued a line of forming a new socialist alliance, the Socialist United Front (SUF). This was finally formed in 1977 with the CPSL and with the People's Democratic Party (PDP), made up of leftist elements from the SLFP led by Nanda Ellawala.
Electoral Struggle (1977)
In 1977, the LSSP and CP lost all their Parliamentary seats, and the Left was unrepresented - something that had not happened in the 46 years since the introduction of universal suffrage
Universal suffrage (also called universal franchise, general suffrage, and common suffrage of the common man) gives the right to vote to all adult citizens, regardless of wealth, income, gender, social status, race, ethnicity, or political stanc ...
. The party and its allies received over 8% of the vote, but this was not sufficient to win any seats under the first-past-the-post system then in place in Sri Lanka. The same year the LSSP suffered another split, as a group led by the youth leader Vasudeva Nanayakkara
Vasudeva Nanayakkara ( si, වාසුදේව නානායක්කාර) (born 3 January 1939) is a Sri Lankan left-wing politician, Member of Parliament and a former presidential candidate.
Early life
Born to a wealthy business fami ...
broke away and formed the Nava Sama Samaja Party
The Nava Sama Samaja Pakshaya (''New Equal Society Party'') is a Trotskyist political party in Sri Lanka. It was formed through the expulsion from the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) of the Vama Samsamja tendency led by Dr Vickrambahu (Bahu), Suma ...
(NSSP).
This was compounded by the death of N. M. Perera in 1979. His funeral was one of the largest ever seen in Colombo.
The end of the LSSP trade union movement
In 1980, an even worse catastrophe occurred. The UNP Government provoked a strike in the Railway Department. The strike became a general strike
A general strike refers to a strike action in which participants cease all economic activity, such as working, to strengthen the bargaining position of a trade union or achieve a common social or political goal. They are organised by large co ...
. The government cracked down on the trade unions, jailing many labour leaders, including Anil Moonesinghe and G.E.H. Perera of the Government Workers' Trade Union Federation. The strike was crushed and with it the LSSP trade union movement.
Further splits
In 1982 the LSSP split over the question of a coalition with the SLFP. Anil Moonesinghe, Cholomondely Goonewardena, G. E. H. Perera, Wilfred Senanayake and others formed the Sri Lanka Sama Samaja Party (SLSSP), which dissolved the next year and merged with the SLFP. Moonesinghe charged that the LSSP had been taken over by the BSP faction. Scuffles broke out between the LSSP and the SLSSP at the joint May Day
May Day is a European festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on 1 May, around halfway between the spring equinox and summer solstice. Festivities may also be held the night before, known as May Eve. T ...
procession that year.
At the Presidential election held that year, the LSSP put forward Dr Colvin R de Silva as its candidate, the SLSSP backed Hector Kobbekaduwa of the SLFP. Dr Colvin R de Silva was beaten into 5th place.
Following the signing of the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord
The Indo-Sri Lanka Peace Accord was an accord signed in Colombo on 29 July 1987, between Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Sri Lankan President J. R. Jayewardene. The accord was expected to resolve the Sri Lankan Civil War by enabling th ...
in 1987, the party was at the receiving end of the terror campaign.
1994 and after
The LSSP joined the People's Alliance, the front led by the Sri Lanka Freedom Party
The Sri Lanka Freedom Party ( si, ශ්රී ලංකා නිදහස් පක්ෂය, translit=Śrī Laṁkā Nidahas Pakṣaya; ta, இலங்கை சுதந்திரக் கட்சி, translit=Ilaṅkai Cutantirak Ka ...
in 1994. It had three members elected to Parliament that year. Bernard Soysa
Bernard Soysa (20 March 1914 - 30 December 1997) was a Sri Lankan politician.
Early life and education
Bernard Soysa was born 20 March 1914 in Colombo, Ceylon. He attended the Holy Family Convent, Bambalapitiya, S. Thomas' College, Mount Lav ...
was Minister of Science and Technology. In 1999, Vasudeva Nanayakkara
Vasudeva Nanayakkara ( si, වාසුදේව නානායක්කාර) (born 3 January 1939) is a Sri Lankan left-wing politician, Member of Parliament and a former presidential candidate.
Early life
Born to a wealthy business fami ...
was expelled after having publicly criticized the People's Alliance government. Nanayakkara had joined LSSP from the NSSP in 1994 and had been elected MP for Ratnapura
Ratnapura (; ) ("City of Gems" in Sinhala and Tamil) is a major city in Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of Sabaragamuwa Province, as well as the Ratnapura District, and is a traditional centre for the Sri Lankan gem trade. It is located ...
. After his expulsion, Nanayakkara floated the Democratic Left Front
The Democratic Left Front was formed as a non-sectarian and non-authoritarian anti-capitalist front in South Africa. It was formed from the ''Conference for a Democratic Left'' launched in 2008, at an event held in Johannesburg in January 2011. It ...
.
When the SLFP shelved the PA and formed the United People's Freedom Alliance
The United People's Freedom Alliance (abbreviated UPFA; si, එක්සත් ජනතා නිදහස් සන්ධානය ''Eksath Janathā Nidahas Sandānaya''; ta, ஐக்கிய மக்கள் சுதந்திரக ...
together with Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna
Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP; ) is a Marxist–Leninist communist party and a former militant organization in Sri Lanka. The movement was involved in two armed uprisings against the government of Sri Lanka: once in 1971 (SLFP), and anot ...
ahead of the 2004 elections
4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures.
In mathematics
Four is the smallest c ...
, the CPSL and LSSP initially stayed out. They did however, sign a memorandum with the UPFA at a later stage and contested the elections on the UPFA platform. LSSP won one parliamentary seat. Its lone MP, Tissa Vitharana
Upali Tissa Vitharana (born 30 August 1934) is a Sri Lankan politician, former Member of Parliament and former cabinet minister. He is the current leader of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP), a member of the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA ...
, was named Minister of Science and Technology.
The LSSP has gradually decreased in strength. The Congress of Samasamaja Youth Leagues has been disbanded. The party celebrated its 70th anniversary in December 2005, with a well-attended rally in Colombo.
On 4 December 2019, Tissa Vitharana
Upali Tissa Vitharana (born 30 August 1934) is a Sri Lankan politician, former Member of Parliament and former cabinet minister. He is the current leader of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP), a member of the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA ...
was appointed as Governor for the North Central Province, Sri Lanka
North Central Province ( si, උතුරු මැද පළාත ''Uturumæda Paḷāta'', ta, வட மத்திய மாகாணம் ''Wada Maththiya Mākāṇam'') is one of the nine provinces of Sri Lanka, the first level administ ...
, being sworn in before President Gotabaya Rajapaksa
Lieutenant Colonel Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa ( si, නන්දසේන ගෝඨාභය රාජපක්ෂ; ta, நந்தசேன கோட்டாபய ராஜபக்ஷ; born 20 June 1949) is a former Sri Lankan militar ...
.
Organisational model
The LSSP operated as a cadre
Cadre may refer to:
*Cadre (military), a group of officers or NCOs around whom a unit is formed, or a training staff
*Cadre (politics), a politically controlled appointment to an institution in order to circumvent the state and bring control to th ...
party on the Leninist
Leninism is a political ideology developed by Russian Marxist revolutionary Vladimir Lenin that proposes the establishment of the dictatorship of the proletariat led by a revolutionary vanguard party as the political prelude to the establishme ...
model. In order to become a member one had first to be active in the peripheral organisations such as the trade unions, women's organisations and youth leagues. Thereafter it was necessary to serve several months' apprenticeship as a candidate member before being elevated to full membership with voting rights. The basic unit of the Party is the Local, consisting of only full- and candidate-members. Locals also exist inside trade unions.
Internally, the LSSP uses democratic process. The supreme body is the conference, which is summoned every few years. The conference decides on policy and elects a Central Committee
Central committee is the common designation of a standing administrative body of Communist party, communist parties, analogous to a board of directors, of both ruling and nonruling parties of former and existing socialist states. In such party org ...
(CC) to preside over its implementation. The CC appoints members to bureaux to look after specific area, such as the Educational Bureau (EB), Organisational Bureau (Orgburo
The Orgburo (russian: Оргбюро́), also known as the Organisational Bureau (russian: организационное бюро), of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union existed from 1919 to 1952, when it was abo ...
) and Trade Union Bureau (TUB); The Political Bureau (Politburo
A politburo () or political bureau is the executive committee for communist parties. It is present in most former and existing communist states.
Names
The term "politburo" in English comes from the Russian ''Politbyuro'' (), itself a contraction ...
) is appointed to deal with day-to-day political matters and effectively provides leadership. The CC also appoints an Editorial Board for running the Samasamajaya newspaper.
The Party also has regional groupings, which have conferences and appoint office bearers for the Regional Committees (RCs). Internationally, there was just one Local, the London Branch. This was also known as the Lanka Socialist League, and was anchored around Wesley Muthiah.
General Secretary
There is strictly no General Secretary
Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...
, but a Secretary to the Central Committee, assisted by a Deputy and an Assistant. Secretaries have been:
* Vernon Gunasekera
* Leslie Goonewardene
Leslie Simon Goonewardene ( si, ලෙස්ලි සයිමන් ගුනවර්ධන, ta, லெஸ்லி சைமன் குணவர்தன; 31 October 190911 April 1983) was a prominent Sri Lankan statesman. He founded ...
* Bernard Soysa
Bernard Soysa (20 March 1914 - 30 December 1997) was a Sri Lankan politician.
Early life and education
Bernard Soysa was born 20 March 1914 in Colombo, Ceylon. He attended the Holy Family Convent, Bambalapitiya, S. Thomas' College, Mount Lav ...
* Batty Weerakoon
* Wimalasiri de Mel
Electoral results
:In the 1947, 1952 and 1956 elections the assembly had 95 single-member constituencies
A single-member district is an electoral district represented by a single officeholder. It contrasts with a Multiwinner voting, multi-member district, which is represented by multiple officeholders. Single-member districts are also sometimes call ...
. In 1960 it was expanded to 151 seats and in 1977 to 168.
:In 1965 Bernard Soysa
Bernard Soysa (20 March 1914 - 30 December 1997) was a Sri Lankan politician.
Early life and education
Bernard Soysa was born 20 March 1914 in Colombo, Ceylon. He attended the Holy Family Convent, Bambalapitiya, S. Thomas' College, Mount Lav ...
was elected unopposed in his constituency.
In recent elections, LSSP has contested on the lists of the People's Alliance and, in 2004, on the lists of the United People's Freedom Alliance
The United People's Freedom Alliance (abbreviated UPFA; si, එක්සත් ජනතා නිදහස් සන්ධානය ''Eksath Janathā Nidahas Sandānaya''; ta, ஐக்கிய மக்கள் சுதந்திரக ...
.
Leaders and important members
:''See List of Members of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party.''
The LSSP has never had a formal leader. In the period immediately after its formation, Dr Colvin R de Silva was elected President, but the post was later removed. For many years, N. M. Perera was the leader of the LSSP Parliamentary Group and was recognised by the public as the party leader. However, the actual leadership has always been that of a group represented in the various bureaux of the Central Committee.
A large proportion of the leadership of the Left in Sri Lanka started their political lives in the LSSP. This is even true of the political right; for example, Esmond Wickremasinghe (the father of Ranil Wickremasinghe
Ranil Wickremesinghe ( si, රනිල් වික්රමසිංහ, ta, ரணில் விக்கிரமசிங்க; born 24 March 1949) is a Sri Lankan politician who is the current president of Sri Lanka since 21 July 2 ...
) was a leading member of the party - before marrying the daughter of the wealthy press baron D. R Wijewardena and being appointed editor-in-chief of Lake House
Lake House is an Elizabethan architecture, Elizabethan English country house, country house dating from 1578, in Wilsford cum Lake in Wiltshire, England, about seven miles north of Salisbury. It is a Grade I listed building. The gardens are Gra ...
. W. Dahanayake, the later prime minister, was associated with the LSSP before gravitating right-wards (finally ending up in the UNP).
Tissa Abeysekara
Deshanabu Tissa Ananda Abeysekara (7 May 1939 – 18 April 2009 as තිස්ස අබේසේකර) was a Sri Lankan filmmaker, actor, writer, director, screen playwright and political activist. He is better known as a script writer for th ...
was at one time tipped to parliament on the National list, however on two occasions he was holding public office (Chairman National Film Corporation) and therefore turned down, but remained an integral member of the party.
Publications
The LSSP's main organ has always been the ''Samasamajaya'' newspaper.[ Its founder-editor was B. J. Fernando, who composed the Sinhala version of the '']Internationale
"The Internationale" (french: "L'Internationale", italic=no, ) is an international anthem used by various communist and socialist groups; currently, it serves as the official anthem of the Communist Party of China. It has been a standard of th ...
''. Today, its publication is somewhat irregular. For many years it was supplemented by the Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
''Samadharmam'' which was commenced in 1938. Its first editor was K. Ramanathan, later succeeded by T. E. Pushparajan.
In the period of underground struggle, the ''Kamkaruwa'', was revived as a legal Sinhalese weekly the 'open' section of the Party and published until banned by Admiral Sir Geoffrey Layton
Admiral Sir Geoffrey Layton, (20 April 1884 – 4 September 1964) was a Royal Navy officer. He was in command of the submarine when, under attack from German vessels, it ran aground off the Danish coast during the First World War. Despite this ...
. The 'open' section also brought out ''Straight Left'' in English.
In 1960 a special magazine was brought out to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the foundation of the LSSP, ''Visi Pas Vasrak''. The large number of members of the Ceylon Mercantile Union (CMU) who had been sacked from Lake House
Lake House is an Elizabethan architecture, Elizabethan English country house, country house dating from 1578, in Wilsford cum Lake in Wiltshire, England, about seven miles north of Salisbury. It is a Grade I listed building. The gardens are Gra ...
that year collaborated in its production.
In 1965, in response to the need for a broad-left popular newspaper to counteract Lake House's ''Dinamina'', the LSSP and members of the SLFP began the '' Janadina'' daily and the ''Janasathiya'' weekly newspaper, later supplemented by the poetry periodical ''Janakavi''. The CMU members sacked from Lake House were prominent in these publications as well. A similar task was carried out in English by ''The Nation''; however, when this weekly was taken over by the SLFP, the LSSP started the ''Socialist Nation'', edited by Hector Abhayavardhana.
A press, the 'Star Press', was begun as a semi-commercial venture, to print the LSSP's publications and still operates.
In 1975 a theoretical journal, ''Rajaya'' was published, edited by a board led by Osmund Jayaratne Vidya Jyothi Osmund Jayaratne (2 October 1924–September 2006) was Sri Lankan academic and politician. He was the President of the Colombo Campus, University of Sri Lanka (now the University of Colombo), Emeritus Professor of Physics. As a left win ...
. This and its English version ''State'', were suspended after a few issues.
See also
* Cocos Islands Mutiny
* Ceylon Federation of Labour
* GCSU Sri Lanka
* I. J. Wickrema
* Communist Party of Sri Lanka
The Communist Party of Sri Lanka ( si, ශ්රී ලංකාවේ කොමියුනිස්ට් පක්ෂය, ''Sri Lankavay Komiyunist Pakshaya'' ta, இலங்கை கம்யூனிஸ்ட் கட்சி, trans ...
* Ceylon National Congress
The Ceylon National Congress ( Sinhala: ලංකා ජාතික කොන්ග්රසය ''Lanka Jathika Kongrasaya'') (CNC) was a Nationalist political party which was formed in Ceylon on 11 December 1919. It was founded after national ...
* Sri Lankan independence movement
The Sri Lankan independence movement was a peaceful political movement which was aimed at achieving independence and self-rule for the country of Sri Lanka, then British Ceylon, from the British Empire. The switch of powers was generally kno ...
Footnotes
Further reading
Leslie Goonewardena, ''A Short History of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party''
accessed 4 November 2005
accessed 4 November 2005
accessed 25 December 2005
* James Jupp
James Jupp AM (born 1932) was a British-Australian political scientist and author. He was Director of the Centre for Immigration and Multicultural Studies in the Research School of Social Sciences at the Australian National University and an A ...
, ''Sri Lanka — Third World Democracy'', Frank Cass, London, 1978.
* Y. Ranjith Amarasinghe, ''Revolutionary Idealism & Parliamentary Politics - A Study Of Trotskyism In Sri Lanka'', Colombo, 1998.
* Wesley S. Muttiah and Sydney Wanasinghe, ''We Were Making History - Saga of the Hartal of August 1953'', Colombo, 2002.
External links
*
George E. Rennar Papers.
1933-1972. 37.43 cubic feet. At th
Labor Archives of Washington, University of Washington Libraries Special Collections.
Contains ephemera on the Lanka Sama Samaja Party from 1957.
{{Sri Lankan political parties
1935 establishments in Ceylon
Communist parties in Sri Lanka
Political parties established in 1935
Trotskyist organisations in Sri Lanka
United People's Freedom Alliance
Indian independence movement