The Sri Lanka Freedom Party ( si, ශ්රී ලංකා නිදහස් පක්ෂය, translit=Śrī Laṁkā Nidahas Pakṣaya; ta, இலங்கை சுதந்திரக் கட்சி, translit=Ilaṅkai Cutantirak Kaṭci) is one of the major and most well known
political parties in
Sri Lanka. It was founded by
S.W.R.D Bandaranaike in 1951 and, since then, has been one of the two largest parties in the Sri Lankan political arena. It first came to power in 1956 and since then has been the predominant party in government on a number of occasions.
The party is generally considered as having a
democratic socialist
Democratic socialism is a left-wing political philosophy that supports political democracy and some form of a socially owned economy, with a particular emphasis on economic democracy, workplace democracy, and workers' self-management within ...
or
progressive economic agenda and is often associated with
nationalist
Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Th ...
Sinhalese
Sinhala may refer to:
* Something of or related to the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka
* Sinhalese people
* Sinhala language, one of the three official languages used in Sri Lanka
* Sinhala script, a writing system for the Sinhala language
** Sinha ...
parties. The party follows a
Non-Aligned foreign policy but always had close ties to socialist nations. The Sri Lanka Freedom Party is a Second Main constituent party in the
Sri Lanka People's Freedom Alliance.
History
After independence, the SLFP represented a form of non-revolutionary socialism and a policy of non-alignment with strong ties to socialist countries. Its social democratic and nationalist policies in the aftermath of Sri Lankan independence supported its rapid rise towards attaining major party status alongside the center-right
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), ...
. Founding leader,
S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike stated that the basis of the party would be the ‘Pancha Maha Balavegaya’ (Five Great Forces) which consisted of the native doctors, clergy, teachers, farmers and workers.
After winning 9 seats in the
1952 parliamentary election, leader S.W.R.D Bandaranaike contested the
1956 election on a platform of giving true meaning to the independence achieved in 1948. This involved a nationalist, democratic and socialist program which saw the SLFP achieve a huge victory at the 1956 elections and is seen by many observers as a social revolution resulting in the eclipse of the Westernized elite.
Under S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike (1956–1959)
Amongst the many achievements of S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike's term of office include the reverting of major defence facilities from British to local control, initiating a shift in Sri Lanka's foreign policy from the West to the
Non-Aligned Movement
The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is a forum of 120 countries that are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc. After the United Nations, it is the largest grouping of states worldwide.
The movement originated in the aftermath o ...
and lowering the voting age from 21 years to 18 years of age.
Working people, a core base of support for the party, also benefited through the setting up of an Employee's Provident Fund and the empowerment of peasants through the Paddy Lands Act. The healthcare and education systems were also improved for the benefit of the common man with the establishment of ayurvedic research centers, recognition of native physicians as well as the allowing of students to learn in their mother tongue (rather than only English).
The S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike government also had a lasting contribution in language policy. In 1956
Sinhala replaced English as the official language of Sri Lanka, fulfilling a major election pledge. In reaction to Tamil unease, the
Bandaranaike–Chelvanayakam Pact
The Bandaranaike–Chelvanayakam Pact was an agreement signed between the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike and the leader of the main Tamil political party in Sri Lanka S. J. V. Chelvanayakam on July 26, 1957. It advocated the ...
was signed to grant official status to the Tamil language. However, this agreement was vehemently opposed by extremists led by the main opposition party UNP and instead a watered down act was passed.
In September 1959, Bandaranaike was assassinated by an extremist monk opposed to his attempts to allegedly appease Tamils. He was replaced as Prime Minister for an interim period by
Wijeyananda Dahanayake
Wijeyananda Dahanayake ( si, විජයානන්ද දහනායක ta, விஜயானந்த தகநாயக்கா; 22 October 1902 – 4 May 1997) was a Sri Lankan politician. He was the Prime Minister of Ceylon from Septe ...
.
Under Sirimavo Bandaranaike (1960–1977)
After this, the party turned to Bandaranaike's widow
Sirimavo Bandaranaike who consequently in 1960 became the world's
first elected female head of government. Sirimavo Bandaranaike was determined to carry on the program of her husband and her government pursued several socialist policies during its terms of office between 1960-1964 and 1970–1977. Sirimavo also initiated the trend of the SLFP forging alliances with other leftist parties such as the
Communist Party of Sri Lanka and the
Lanka Sama Samaja Party which continues to this day with the United People's Freedom Alliance.
Under Sirimavo Bandaranaike's leadership, SLFP governments nationalized key sectors of the economy such as banking and insurance, the Ceylon Transport Board and also all schools then owned by the Roman Catholic Church. Issues arose during the state takeover of foreign businesses which upset the United States and Britain. Consequently, this augmented the SLFP's foreign policy shift towards the East and Non-Aligned Movement. Further, in 1972, the SLFP led government oversaw the introduction of a
new constitution which changed the country's name from Ceylon to Sri Lanka and declared Sri Lanka to be a republic.
During her term in office, Sirimavo Bandaranaike achieved high international standing, being chosen as chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement in 1976 and receiving plaudits as the SLFP led government attempted to mediate between India and China during the
Sino-Indian war
The Sino-Indian War took place between China and India from October to November 1962, as a major flare-up of the Sino-Indian border dispute. There had been a series of violent border skirmishes between the two countries after the 1959 Tibet ...
.
In government, the SLFP had to also overcome a number of challenges to democracy such as the
1962 coup attempt launched by Christian officers upset by the increasing number of Buddhist officer corp which had previously been three-fifths Christian. Likewise, in 1971 the SLFP led government was almost toppled by a violent
Marxist insurrection, which was eventually put down after it claimed more than a thousand lives.
Towards the end of Sirimavo Bandaranaike's second term as Prime Minister, her government had become increasingly unpopular amidst the background of a declining economy and charges of corruption and the SLFP was routed in the
1977 election. This was the start of 17 years in opposition.
In opposition (1977–1994)
This period of opposition was made greatly difficult after President
J.R. Jayewardene's government stripped Sirimavo Bandaranaike of her civic rights for 7 years and expelled her from parliament. As a result, the SLFP fielded
Hector Kobbekaduwa
Hector Senarath Rajakaruna Bandara Kobbekaduwa (29 August 1916 – 17 September 1983) was a Sri Lankan politician and lawyer. He was the Sri Lanka Freedom Party candidate in the 1982 Sri Lankan presidential election and the Minister for Agricult ...
at the
1982 Presidential Election, which failed to deliver a strong outcome for the party. The SLFP suffered a further blow in the same year, when a
referendum
A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...
to delay parliamentary elections by 6 years was passed. During this period, the party suffered from internal conflicts, with Sirimavo's son
Anura Bandaranaike
Anura Priyadarshi Solomon Dias Bandaranaike (15 February 1949 – 16 March 2008) was a Sri Lankan politician, served as Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka (2000-2001) and Leader of the Opposition (1983–1988). He held several cabinet min ...
, who led the party in parliament after her expulsion, shifting the traditionally socialist party to the right, while her daughter and future party leader
Chandrika Kumaratunga led a breakaway group, the
Sri Lanka People's Party
The Sri Lanka Mahajana Pakshaya (SLMP; Sri Lanka People's Party) is a political party in Sri Lanka, founded in 1984 by Vijaya Kumaranatunga.
History
1980s
Vijaya Kumaranatunga founded the party in 1984 and led it until his assassination in 198 ...
, in response to her brother's shift. In 1989 Sirimavo Bandaranaike returned to the parliament and took the lead again; she became leader of the opposition.
Towards the early 1990s, the existing UNP government had weakened through internal conflicts of its own as well as the descent into two civil wars and fading public support. New SLFP leaders, most prominently
Mahinda Rajapaksa, had launched successful pada yatra, jana gosha and white flag campaigns against the UNP government during this period. By that time, Anura Bandaranaike had left the party for the UNP to receive ministerial appointments, so Kumaratunga, who had returned to the party, now was the undisputed leader behind her mother. Sirimavo Bandaranaike had lost her influence with the electorate and steped aside as party leader in favor of her daughter.
Under Chandrika Kumaratunga (1994–2005)
During the 1994
parliamentary
A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democratic governance of a state (or subordinate entity) where the executive derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the support ("confidence") of the ...
and
presidential elections, SLFP completed a successful return to power and Chandrika Kumaratunga was elected the nation's President as part of the SLFP led
People's Alliance coalition. Kumaratunga's tenure marked the beginning of the SLFP's shift from the socialism of Sirimavo towards a more centrist philosophy that sought to combine both the free market and the SLFP's traditional people friendly policies.
[De Silva, K.M. ''A History of Sri Lanka'', Colombo: 2005. .]
The People's Alliance government continued with their predecessor's attempts to negotiate with the
LTTE, whilst simultaneously attempting to weaken them militarily through force. The SLFP government however initially placed greater emphasis on achieving peace with the Kumaratunga government engaging in numerous peace talks. However, LTTE intransigence limited the policy's effectiveness.
The People's Alliance can be credited however with significant victories on the foreign policy front, with Foreign Affairs Minister
Lakshman Kadirgamar
Sri Lankabhimanya Lakshman Kadirgamar, PC ( ta, லக்ஷமன் கதிர்காமர்; si, ලක්ෂ්මන් කදිර්ගාමර්, 12 April 1932 – 12 August 2005) was a Sri Lankan lawyer and statesman. He s ...
spearheading successful efforts to further isolate the LTTE internationally. Other achievements of the Kumaratunga administration include the establishment of several new public universities.
Despite successes on these fronts, the Kumaratunga government also oversaw territorial losses to the LTTE as well as a flagging economy. As a result of this, a UNP government was elected at the
2001 Parliamentary elections. In November 2003, Kumaratunga used her presidential powers to take powers away from Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe's UNP in the form of important ministries, and the People's Alliance returned to power at the
2004 polls with future party leader Mahinda Rajapaksa being appointed as the Prime Minister.
Under Mahinda Rajapaksa (2005–2015)
A rift opened up in the party in 2005 over the choice of its candidate for the
2005 Presidential election between the President Kumaratunga backed
Anura Bandaranaike
Anura Priyadarshi Solomon Dias Bandaranaike (15 February 1949 – 16 March 2008) was a Sri Lankan politician, served as Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka (2000-2001) and Leader of the Opposition (1983–1988). He held several cabinet min ...
and Mahinda Rajapaksa. Many members of the SLFP had been uneasy with Chandrika Kumaratunga's liberal economic policies, privatization of many public institutions as well as several allegations of corruption against her.
Ultimately Rajapaksa was selected as the Presidential candidate for the SLFP led United People's Freedom Alliance and was subsequently elected as President
Under Mahinda Rajapaksa, the SLFP shifted back to the left towards a social democratic program termed Mahinda Chinthana. Some of the companies privatized by the Kumaratunga administration were re-nationalized such as Shell Gas Lanka.
The major legacy of this period of UPFA government was the end of the long-running
civil war
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
and the reunification of Sri Lanka. This achievement boosted the popularity of the SLFP, leading to convincing victories in the
presidential and
parliamentary
A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democratic governance of a state (or subordinate entity) where the executive derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the support ("confidence") of the ...
polls held in 2010.
In the post-war period, the Rajapaksa administration instituted a large-scale infrastructure and development drive including the construction and renewal of many of Sri Lanka's key roads, mainly using loans from China. In 2011 the construction of Sri Lanka's
first expressway was completed. Likewise, new coal and renewable energy power plants were built, improving the nation's power generation capacity. Tourism received a boost specially in
Colombo
Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo m ...
which ranked as the world's fastest growing tourist city in 2015. However many of such projects launched by Rajapaska mostly named after himself have been called
white elephant
A white elephant is a possession that its owner cannot dispose of, and whose cost, particularly that of maintenance, is out of proportion to its usefulness. In modern usage, it is a metaphor used to describe an object, construction project, sch ...
s, being built ignoring feasibility studies,
Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport
Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) ( si, මත්තල රාජපක්ෂ ජාත්යන්තර ගුවන්තොටුපළ, translit=Mattala Rājapakṣa Jātyantara Guvantoṭupaḷa; ta, மத்தல ரா ...
built by Rajapaksa only services one budget carrier and has been built near a migratory route for birds
Other policies of the Rajapaksa government include programs to aid farmers and agricultural production, such as the re-launch of the farmer's pension scheme and subsidization of fertilizers.
In the area of foreign policy, the Rajapaksa government was seen to align itself towards the East, in accordance with SLFP tradition. This situation was augmented by the prevailing geopolitical environment which led some Western nations to criticize the UPFA government regarding accusations of human rights abuses during the civil war.
During this time the government has been implicated of political kidnappings and accused of running a family dynasty of four brothers.
The 2010-2015 period of SLFP led government was characterized by high economic growth and a reducing
debt-to-GDP ratio. But the
IMF has said Sri Lanka's national accounts "suffer from insufficient data sources and undeveloped statistical techniques" and Opposition legislators have accused Rajapaksa of giving overstated growth estimates. One of the top officials in the statistics office was sacked for disobedience and leaking internal information after he said that economic growth data compiled by the office was inflated
Eventually allegations of corruption and nepotism saw Mahinda Rajapaksa lose the presidency to SLFP defector
Maithripala Sirisena
Maithripala Yapa Sirisena ( si, පල්ලෙවත්ත ගමරාළලාගේ මෛත්රීපාල යාපා සිරිසේන; ta, பல்லேவத்த கமராளலாகே மைத்திரி ...
in
2015, who ran against him with the support of the UNP and other smaller parties. The UNP consequently regained power despite the UPFA still holding a majority of seats in the legislature.
Under Maithripala Sirisena (2015–Present)
Soon after President Sirisena's victory, Mahinda Rajapaksa handed over leadership of the party to Maithripala Sirisena as per the SLFP constitution which states any SLFP member who is President is automatically leader of the party. Very soon afterwards, the party split into two main factions with those supporting President Sirisena and willing to work with the minority UNP government on one side. The Rajapaksa faction which included parts of the SLFP and UPFA acted as the main de facto opposition to the new regime.
Nimal Siripala de Silva
Nilenthi Nimal Siripala de Silva MP (born 6 September 1944) is a Sri Lankan politician currently serving as the Minister of Ports, Shipping and Aviation and former Cabinet Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation in 15th Parliament of Sri Lank ...
was appointed as parliamentary leader of the SLFP and the official
Opposition Leader
The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...
.
During Maithripala Sirisena's term as President, SLFP members came to dominate the
cabinet numerically, albeit largely with lower ranking positions. The SLFP, especially the Rajapaksa faction, were instrumental in revising the
19th Amendment to the constitution proposed by the UNP so as to reduce Presidential powers without transferring executive powers to the Prime Minister. However, rigorous attempts by President Sirisena and the SLFP to modify the prevailing and unpopular electoral system were unsuccessful due to stiff opposition from the UNP and other smaller parties.
On 14 August 2015, Party Chairman and President
Sirisena Sirisena is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*Maithripala Sirisena
Maithripala Yapa Sirisena ( si, පල්ලෙවත්ත ගමරාළලාගේ මෛත්රීපාල යාපා සිරිසේන; ...
issued letter stating that Pro-Rajapaksa loyalist and General Secretary
Anura Priyadarshana Yapa
Yapa Appuhamilage Anura Priyadharshana (known as Anura Priyadharshana Yapa born 18 January 1959) Member of Parliament, MP for Kurunegala former Cabinet Minister of Disaster Management in 15th Parliament of Sri Lanka. Anura Priyadharshana Yapa is ...
has been removed from post and he claimed that
Anura Priyadarshana Yapa
Yapa Appuhamilage Anura Priyadharshana (known as Anura Priyadharshana Yapa born 18 January 1959) Member of Parliament, MP for Kurunegala former Cabinet Minister of Disaster Management in 15th Parliament of Sri Lanka. Anura Priyadharshana Yapa is ...
was going against the party policy and disobeying the commands of chairman, Sirsena appointed his loyalist
Duminda Dissanayake as ''acting'' General Secretary 48 hours ahead of Parliamentary Election, Sirisena also obtained
court order to prevent
Anura Priyadarshana Yapa
Yapa Appuhamilage Anura Priyadharshana (known as Anura Priyadharshana Yapa born 18 January 1959) Member of Parliament, MP for Kurunegala former Cabinet Minister of Disaster Management in 15th Parliament of Sri Lanka. Anura Priyadharshana Yapa is ...
from functioning as General Secretary thereafter till 24 August 2015, Eventually President Sirisena had sacked both General Secretaries of
UPFA
The United People's Freedom Alliance (abbreviated UPFA; si, එක්සත් ජනතා නිදහස් සන්ධානය ''Eksath Janathā Nidahas Sandānaya''; ta, ஐக்கிய மக்கள் சுதந்திரக ...
and SLFP
In the
August general election the UPFA led by the SLFP only won 95 seats while its rival the
UNFGG led by the UNP won 106 seats. The
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), ...
who won the elections invited SLFP and an agreement was signed with the SLFP to jointly create a
national unity government
A national unity government, government of national unity (GNU), or national union government is a broad coalition government consisting of all parties (or all major parties) in the legislature, usually formed during a time of war or other nat ...
. 45 MPs joined the government and 50 MPs including
Mahinda Rajapaksa remained in the opposition with the Sri Lanka Freedom Party splitting.
Leadership
Chairperson
General-Secretaries
*
Bernard Aluwihare
*
Saravanamuttu Thangarajah
*
Badi-ud-din Mahmud
Deshamanya Al-Haj Badi-ud-din Mahmud (23 June 1904 – 16 June 1997) was a Sri Lankan politician. He served ten years as Minister of Education and two years as the Minister of Health and Housing.
Early life
Badi-ud-din Mahmud was born in ...
*
Patrick de Silva Kularatne
*
J. R. P. Suriyapperuma
*
Dharmasiri Senanayake - 1992/93- 24 July 2000
*
S. B. Dissanayake - August 2000 – October 2001
*
Maithripala Sirisena
Maithripala Yapa Sirisena ( si, පල්ලෙවත්ත ගමරාළලාගේ මෛත්රීපාල යාපා සිරිසේන; ta, பல்லேவத்த கமராளலாகே மைத்திரி ...
- October 2001 – 21 November 2014
*
Anura Priyadharshana Yapa
Yapa Appuhamilage Anura Priyadharshana (known as Anura Priyadharshana Yapa born 18 January 1959) MP for Kurunegala former Cabinet Minister of Disaster Management in 15th Parliament of Sri Lanka. Anura Priyadharshana Yapa is also the General Se ...
- 21 November 2014 – 14 August 2015
*
Duminda Dissanayake - 14 August 2015 - 3 June 2018
*
Rohana Lakshman Piyadasa - 3 June 2018 - 3 January 2019
*
Dayasiri Jayasekara
J.P. Dayasiri Padma Kumara Jayasekara (born 12 June 1969) is a Sri Lankan politician who is presently serving as a Member of Parliament of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, and is the General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Par ...
- 3 January 2019 – Present
Electoral history
Organization
*Sri Lanka Nidahas Bhikku Sanvidanaya
*Sri Lanka Nidahas Indigenous physicians Organization
*Sri Lanka Nidahas Teachers Union
*Sri Lanka Nidahas Farmers’ Organization
*Sri Lanka Nidahas Sewaka Sangamaya
*Sri Lanka Nidahas Medical Group
*Sri Lanka Nidahas Students’ Organization
*Sri Lanka Nidahas Fishermen and Domestic Industrialists organization
*Sri Lanka Nidahas Cultural Organization
*Sri Lanka Nidahas Lawyers Organization
*Sri Lanka Nidahas Provincial Council members’ Association
*Sri Lanka Nidahas Association of members of local authority
*Sri Lanka Nidahas Management Assistant Union
*Sri Lanka Freedom Graduates Association.
*Sri Lanka Freedom development Officer Association.
*Nil Balakaya (Officially Dissolved after the 2015 Presidential Elections)
Publication
* "Singhale" - First SLFP journal 1956 ( Founder editor Dharma Sri Kuruppu )
*''Dinakara'' - News paper
Notes
References
External links
Fifty years with The Masses
{{Authority control
1951 establishments in Ceylon
Political parties established in 1951
Political parties in Sri Lanka
Sinhalese nationalist parties
Left-wing nationalist parties
Social democratic parties in Sri Lanka