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 was the first Trotskyist to become a cabinet minister. He served two terms as

Minister of Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", ...

and Leader of the Opposition, as well as one term as the

Mayor of Colombo The Mayor of Colombo is the Mayor (and head) of the Colombo Municipal Council. The post was created in 1866 when the Colombo Municipal Council was established by the Legislative Council of Ceylon. The Mayor is assisted by the Deputy Mayor and a ...

Early life and education

Born to Nanayakkarapathirage Abraham Perera who was a rent collector at 36 St Joseph 's Street, in

Grandpass Grandpass is a suburb in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is part of an area known as ''Colombo 14''. History During the Portuguese administration in Sri Lanka, the area was named Grande Passo. The name was anglicised Anglicisation is the process by ...

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 me ...

and Johana Perera. He was the fifth of nine siblings that was made up of five boys and four girls. Perera started his schooling in the

vernacular A vernacular or vernacular language is in contrast with a "standard language". It refers to the language or dialect that is spoken by people that are inhabiting a particular country or region. The vernacular is typically the native language, n ...

section of St. Joseph's School, Grandpass and was later was admitted to the English section. From there he spent a year at the Cathedral Boys’ School, Mutwal a branch school of

S. Thomas' College, Mutwal , motto_translation = Be Thou Forever , song = Thomian Song , athletics = Yes , sports = Yes , nickname = Thora , denomination = Anglican , patron ...

, then known as Cathedral Boys School, Mutwal. In 1919, he entered S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia and left in 1922 to join

Ananda College ''Appamādo Amathapadan'' (Buddhist quote from the Apramada Vagga in the Dhammapada) , motto_translation = Heedfulness, Punctuality leads to Nirvana , location = P De S Kularatne Mawatha , city = Colo ...

. At Ananda he played

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...

for the college team. From 1922 to 1927, he studied at the University College, Colombo where he was a contemporary of J. R. Jayewardene. Perera graduated with a BSc degree from the University of London External System. Thereafter he left to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

, to enter 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 milli ...

in 1927. He was in London from 1927 to 1933, where he studied under Professor

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 o ...

, gaining his

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with the thesis on the Constitution of the German Weimar Republic. This was followed by a further comparative study, of the Constitutions of the UK, United States, France and Germany; which gained him a DSc from the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degr ...

. Perera was the first Ceylonese to gain a degree of Doctor of Science from the

Formation of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party

Perera returned to Ceylon in 1933. The work done by Perera (as a member of the Suriya-Mal Movement) in the

Kegalle Kegalle ( si, කෑගල්ල; ta, கேகாலை) is a large town in Sabaragamuwa Province of Sri Lanka. It is located on the Colombo– Kandy road, approximately from Colombo and from Kandy. It is the main town in the Kegalle Distri ...

district during the

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. ...

epidemic An epidemic (from Greek ἐπί ''epi'' "upon or above" and δῆμος ''demos'' "people") is the rapid spread of disease to a large number of patients among a given population within an area in a short period of time. Epidemics of infectious ...

of 1934 and during the subsequent floods gained for him the support of the poor and

caste Caste is a form of social stratification characterised by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultur ...

-oppressed people of the area, who called him ''Parippu Mahathmaya'' after the dhal (or ''parippu'') he distributed as relief supplies. In 1935 Perera was one of the founder members of the LSSP and played an leading role in the parties Trotskyist actives between 1936 and 1940.

State Council of Ceylon

In 1936 he contested the Ruwanwella constituency, which at the time was the ''Thun Korale'' areas of Yatiyantota, Ruwanwella and Dereniyagala and parts of the present Galigamuwa electoral division, from the LSSP. His opponent was the incumbent Molamure Kumarihamy of the ''Meedeniya Walauwa'', the feudal manor which had tremendous power over the poor people of the Sabaragamuwa area at the time. He was to hold this seat, or its Yatiyantota portion on division, continuously until 1977. Following his election, he and Philip Gunawardena, the other LSSP member of the State Council, used it as a platform voice the party's policy and objectives for complete independence from Britten, where as the Ceylon National Congress was advocating self-rule. In 1937, he formed the Ratmalana Railway Workers' Union and was the LSSP delegate to the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British E ...

session.

Anti-war activity and imprisonment

With the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, the Board of Ministers declared its support to the

British government ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal Arms , date_est ...

. The LSSP opposed the move, claiming that it was an imperialist war and organized protest. In 1939, Perera formed the All-Ceylon Estate Workers' Union and lead a militant strike at Mooloya Plantation in January 1940. Perera and Gunawardana voted against the war budget in the State Council, On protests of the planters, the

Governor of Ceylon {{Use dmy dates, date=November 2019 The Governor of Ceylon can refer to historical vice-regal representatives of three colonial powers: Portuguese Ceylon * List of Captains of Portuguese Ceylon (1518–1551) * List of Captain-majors of Portuguese ...

declared LSSP activity against war effort as subversive and order the police to arrest the leaders of the LSSP. On 18 June 1940, N.M. Perera, Philip Gunawardena, and

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. ...

were arrested by the police with Edmund Samarakkody being arrested the following day, but Leslie Goonewardene evaded arrest. The LSSP called for a gathering to protest the arrest and carried out a protest march which was dispersed by the police with a baton charge and followed by arrests. LSSP leaders were detained at the Welikada Prison but was later transferred to the

Bogambara Prison Bogambara Prison was a maximum security prison and the second largest prison in the country after Welikada Prison in Colombo, Sri Lanka. After operating for 138 years, the prison was closed on 1 January 2014, and the inmates were transferred to ...

after it was suspected that they were planning a hunger strike. On 5 April 1942 during the Easter Sunday Raid, Perera along with several other imprisoned LSSP members escaped from prison. He was smuggled into

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in July 1942 and worked with the Bolshevik-Leninist Party of India, Ceylon and Burma (BLPI) in that country's independence struggle. He was arrested in Bombay in July 1943 and was deported to Ceylon where he was sentenced to six months’ rigorous imprisonment by the Magistrates Court of Kandy for

prison escape A prison escape (referred as a bust out, breakout, jailbreak, or prison break) is the act of an inmate leaving prison through unofficial or illegal ways. Normally, when this occurs, an effort is made on the part of authorities to recapture t ...

and was imprisoned in Badulla for the duration of the war. He was released in 1945.

Leader of the LSSP

During the war the LSSP had several divisions. With the first taking place in 1940, with the split of the ro-Moscow fraction led by S. A. Wickremasinghe, M. G. Mendis, Pieter Keuneman and A. Vaidialingam. This was followed by a second slit over N. M. Perera and Philip Gunawardena opposition to merger into the Bolshevik-Leninist Party of India, Ceylon and Burma, resulting in the formation the Workers' Opposition. After the war this faction, reconstructed the LSSP as an independent political party with N. M. Perera becoming its leader.

Trade union activities

Perera was the president of the

All Ceylon United Motor Workers' Union The All Ceylon United Motor Workers Union is a trade union which organises workers in the passenger bus sector in Sri Lanka. It is affiliated to the Ceylon Federation of Labour (CFL). History Omnibus transport first began in Sri Lanka as an owner ...

, and the

United Corporations and Mercantile Union The United Corporations and Mercantile Union (UCMU) is a Sri Lankan trade union which brings together workers in the public sector. The UCMU was founded in 1968. Dr N.M. Perera became its President and Anil Moonesinghe became its General Secreta ...

the

Ceylon Federation of Labour The Ceylon Federation of Labour (CFL) is an organisation bringing together trade unions in the private, semi-government and co-operative sectors of Sri Lanka. History The Ceylon Federation of Labour was registered as a federation of unions by the ...

(CFL). He was appointed their chief negotiator by the striking workers during the 1946

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 coa ...

Leader of the opposition (1947-1952)

Having lost their seats in the State Council due to their imprisonment, the LSSP contested the 1947 general elections under the new constitution. N. M. Perera was elected from Ruwanwella and the LSSP gained the 28 seats in parliament, becoming the second largest representation, making Perera the Leader of the Opposition. He opposed the Ceylon Citizenship Act. On reunification with the Bolshevik Samasamaja Party (BSSP), he remained with the LSSP when the Viplavakari Lanka Sama Samaja Party (VLSSP) split off under Philip Gunawardena. He served as opposition leader until fresh elections were called in 1952. In the 1952 general elections, he was re-elected, but the LSSP became the second largest party in the opposition and

S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike ( si, සොලොමන් වෙස්ට් රිජ්වේ ඩයස් බණ්ඩාරනායක; ta, சாலமன் வெஸ்ட் ரிட்ஜ்வே டயஸ் ப� ...

became the opposition leader.

Mayor of Colombo

In 1954, the LSSP won a string of local government elections which included nine Village Councils and three Urban Councils and the Colombo Municipal Council, where N. M. Perera was elected

, only non-

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), ...

-politician to win that office after 1945. He was Mayor for two years, before he was voted out of office on 28 February 1956 by the United National Party.

Leader of the opposition (1956-1959)

N. M. Perera contested the 1956 general elections, where 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� ...

of the Bandaranaike gained landslide victory over the United National Party which was reduced to eight seats in parliament. Once again N. M. Perera was elected leader of the opposition in parliament, a post he held until 1959. He was a strong opponent of the Official Language Act, and narrowly escaped death then a bomb was thrown on stage when he was addressing a crowd at the Old Town Hall.

Split in the party

He was re-elected in the 1960 March general election and the 1960 July general election from Yatiyantota and sat in the opposition. When LSSP was divided over possible government participation in early 1960s, Perera was the principal leader of the wing that wanted to enter into government with the

, which led to LSSP's expulsion from the Fourth International in 1964.

Minister of Finance (1964)

A short lived Coalition government was formed in 1964 known as the United Front and Perera was appointed

in it. He had to step down as minister when the United Front was defeated in the 1965 general elections and sat in the opposition having retained his seat in parliament.

Minister of Finance

He was reappointed as Minister of Finance in 1970, when the United Front won the 1970 general elections. He served as Minister of Finance from 10 May 1970 to 2 September 1975. Perera faced a budget deficit and first attempted to increase government tax revenue. In October 1970, he demonetized with the denominations of Rupees 50 and 100 to flush out black money. This failed to increase government tax revenue at the significant operational cost to the Central Bank. The 1971 Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna Insurrection of left-wing youths to the leftist government by surprise and was almost toppled. He initiated a program of nationalization of private property and industries. It stunted both domestic and foreign investment in industry and development, unemployment and inflation remained unchecked. By 1974, the budget deficits of $195 million and Ceylon was facing a foreign exchange crisis. This was party due to global macro economic conditions of the such as the

1973 oil crisis The 1973 oil crisis or first oil crisis began in October 1973 when the members of the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC), led by Saudi Arabia, proclaimed an oil embargo. The embargo was targeted at nations that had su ...

as well as the results of government policies such as the Bandaranaike government's attempts to centralise the economy and implement price controls which resulted in declining revenue from coconut, rubber and tea exports and increased food-importation costs. In September 1975, N. M. Perera and other LSSP ministers were removed by Prime Minister Sirima Bandaranaike. In the 1977 general elections, which the

won with a total landslide of 5/6 of the seats, the LSSP like other leftist parties suffered a complete defeat and lost all of its seats. Perera lost his parliamentary seat in Yatiyantota.

Later years

From 1977 to 1978, he served as Chairman of the Board of Control of Cricket in Sri Lanka, and worked hard to obtain test status for Sri Lanka. In 1978, he represented Sri Lanka at the

United Nations Conference on Trade and Development The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is an intergovernmental organization within the United Nations Secretariat that promotes the interests of developing countries in world trade. It was established in 1964 by the ...

as an adviser. He died on 14 August 1979 at the Colombo National Hospital following gall-bladder complication, aged 75 and his funeral gathered large crowds.

Personal life

He married fellow LSSP founding member and later party secretary, Selina Margaret Peiris on 6 March 1936. N. M. Perera was an avid

fan and a keen tennis player.

Publications

* ''Parliamentary Democracy'' (1931) * ''The Case for Free Education'' (1944) * ''External Economic Assistance'' (1964) * ''The Economy of Ceylon: Trends and Prospects'' (1971) * ''Critical Analysis of the New Constitution of the Sri Lanka Government'' (1979)

References

External links

Dr N.M. Perera a colossus among leadersOfficial Website of Lanka Sama Samaja Party
* ttp://www.dailymirror.lk/article/Double-Doctor-and-only-non-UNP-Mayor-of-CMC-130329.html Double Doctor and only non-UNP Mayor of CMC {{DEFAULTSORT:Perera, N. M. 1904 births 1979 deaths Alumni of Ananda College Alumni of S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia Alumni of the Ceylon University College Alumni of the London School of Economics Alumni of the University of London Alumni of University of London Worldwide Escapees from British Ceylon detention Finance ministers of Sri Lanka Fugitives wanted by Sri Lanka Lanka Sama Samaja Party politicians Leaders of the Opposition (Sri Lanka) Mayors of Colombo Members of the 2nd State Council of Ceylon Members of the 1st Parliament of Ceylon Members of the 2nd Parliament of Ceylon Members of the 3rd Parliament of Ceylon Members of the 4th Parliament of Ceylon Members of the 5th Parliament of Ceylon Members of the 6th Parliament of Ceylon Members of the 7th Parliament of Ceylon Prisoners and detainees of British Ceylon Sinhalese academics Sinhalese politicians Sri Lankan actor-politicians Sri Lankan independence activists Sri Lankan politicians convicted of crimes Sri Lankan prisoners and detainees Sri Lankan socialists Sri Lankan trade unionists Sri Lankan Trotskyists