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HT This Day: July 22, 1960 -- Mrs Bandaranaike sworn in premier
A landslide victory for the democratic-socialist- Sri Lanka Freedom Party in the Ceylon elections today gave the country its first and the world its only woman Prime Minister in Mrs Sirimavo Bandaranaike.
A landslide victory for the democratic-socialist- Sri Lanka Freedom Party in the Ceylon elections today gave the country its first and the world its only woman Prime Minister in Mrs Sirimavo Bandaranaike.
The 44-year-old widow of the late Prime Minister. Mr Bandaranaike, was sworn in by the Governor-General, Sir Oliver Goonetilleke, this afternoon shortly after he accepted the resignation of Mr Dudley Senanayake, whose United National Party fared disastrously in the elections.
Mrs Bandaranaike, who took her oath also as Minister of Defence and External Affairs, was to decide on the composition of the Cabinet tonight and would present her Ministers to the Governor-General tomorrow.
She had indicated to newsmen that the strength of her Cabinet would probably be 12.
Enthusiastic crowds lining the road cheered Mrs Bandaranaike, clad in mourning white, as she drove, escorted by police outriders, into the Queen’s House, official residence of the Governor General. Her 11-year-old son, Anura, and 16-year-old daughter, Chandrika, accompanied her.
After taking oath of office, she appeared on the balcony of the Queen’s House with the Governor. General and waved to the cheering crowd outside.
PARTY POSITION
Mrs Bandaranaike, whose party is pledged to follow the socialist policies of its founder, her husband, and his neutralist foreign policy, won 75 of the 151 elective seats. The party will be entitled to nominate six members, so that it will command an overall strength of 81 in a House of 157.
Its nearest rival, the United National Party, had its strength reduced from 50 to 30. With one seat still to be declared. the position of other parties was: Federal Party 15, Trotskyist Lanka Samaj Party 12, Communist 4, Mahajana Eksath Peramuna 3, Jatika Vimukti Peramune 2. Lanka Projathanthrawedi Pakshaya 2, Tamil Congress 1 and Independents 6.
SLFP sources said that six Independents had offered to join the party.
The party expected its Government to have the support also of the Trotskyist and Communist parties and Jatika Vimukti Peramuna, which were its electoral allies, and of the Federal Party from the Tamil-speaking northern and eastern provinces.
With this advantage, observers expected, the party’s election triumph would help resolve the political instability confronting the country since the assassination of Mr Bandaranaike in September 1959.
MOVING SCENES
Although the SLFP had secured only 46 seats in the March elections, which failed to give working majority to any party, it was able to score heavily this time owing, according to observers, largely to the no-contest pact designed to prevent splitting of anti-UNP votes.
Mrs Bandaranaike attributed her personal triumph to the people’s respect for and loyalty to her late husband.
“Of course, the rural people know me and trust me. I have been into their huts. For them will do my best and encourage cottage industries, so that they could earn a better living.” she told newsmen. Earlier today, moving scenes were witnessed when Mrs Bandaranaike returned to the city from Horagolla, ancestral home of her late husband, where she spent the night listening to election results broadcast over the radio.
Mrs Bandaranaike sobbed as she entered the Rosemead Place home, which was the scene of the shooting of Mr Bandaranaike in September last. At the entrance to the house she lighted the traditional coconut oil lamp and then went in and did obeisance on bended knees before a large portrait of her late husband.
PLAN OUTLINED
Mrs Bandaranaike told newsmen: “I am not in the least surprised at the results. I was always confident that the vast majority of the people would endorse my husband’s socialist programmes and policies which reflect the national aspirations of the people.”
“Despite the persecution of organized capitalist reaction at the highest level, the will of the people has triumphed.” she said. Mrs Bandaranaike added that her party intended taking action immediately to appoint a commission to inquire into political aspects of the assassination of the late Prime Minister.
She promised to hold a Press conference soon to explain the policy of her party. But in an earlier interview with a local newspaper she enumerated the following points from the party manifesto:
Nationalization: “My party intends nationalizing life insurance.” On the nationalization of estates. she said: “The Indian question (the problem of citizenship of Indian-origin settlers must be settled first “
Foreign Policy: “My party intends to pursue the policy of non-alignment advocated by the late Prime Minister. The party will not deviate from any of his Policies or programme of work “
Other subjects which she did not touch upon but which were stressed in the party s election manifesto were the establishment of a democratic republic and the appointment of a Press commission.
The late Prime Minister had appointed a joint select committee of Parliament to draw up a republican constitution but the committee was in the middle of its work when Parliament was dissolved last year.
The party is also pledged to implement the ten-year plan of development drawn up by the Planning Commission under the chairmanship of the late Prime Minister and to review the system of taxes to bring relief to poor and middle classes.
Foreign investment was to be allowed in certain fields to be specified in order to promote rapid industrialization of the country.
In a statement the outgoing Prime Minister Mr Senanayake. said: “I congratulate the Sri Lanka Freedom Party on its convincing and outright victory at the general election. I am particularly glad that the SLFP secured a majority on its own right, for this will enable it to form a government of its own.”
The new elected Parliament is due to be ceremonially opened on August 5 with an address by the Governor-General outlining the policy and programme of the SLFP Government.
The House will meet briefly earlier to elect the Speaker.
A NEWCOMER
Mrs Sirimavo Bandaranaike is a new-comer to active politics.
As consellor and constant companion in his political work, she influenced her late husband in his public life but she had herself chosen to remain in the background.
She did not come into the political arena until the latter part of 1959 when the death of Mr Bandaranaike rendered his party leaderless and a house divided against itself.
Before the last election in March, the party had almost been written off, but under her determined leadership it rose. phoenixlike, from the depths to which tragedy and inner strife had lowered it.
EARLY DAYS
Mrs Bandaranaike was born on April 17, 1916, in an aristocratic Kandyan family settled at Balangoda in the gem-district of Ratnapura, known the world over for its star sapphires, rubies and amethysts.
The family had a tradition of service under ancient Sinhalese kings. It was wealthy and influential during British days.
Her father, Barnes Ratwatte Dissawe, who died three years ago, was a member of the Ceylon Senate for six years from 1947.
A devout Buddhist, she was educated at the St. Bridgets Convent, the leading Roman Catholic girls’ school in Ceylon.
Before she was married in 1940 to the late Mr Solomon Bandaranaike, then Minister of Local Government, she took an active interest in social work. She was also interested in music (piano) and tennis.
Marriage brought her into contact with political activities and greater opportunities of social work in Colombo, where she led the Lanka Mahila Samiti (Ceylon Women’s Congress), the All-Ceylon Buddhist Women’s Association and the Sinhalese Institute of Culture.
ELECTION CAMPAIGN
After her husband broke away from the United National Party in 1951 and formed the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, she campaigned for the SLFP at every election and thus developed into a hard-hitting fluent Sinhalese speaker.
She accompanied her husband ‘ on all his foreign tours after he became Prime Minister in 1956. Among the countries she visited were the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and India.
Mrs Bandaranaike has three children-two daughters and a son. Two of her four brothers are doctors and a third is an advocate.
After the death of her husband, she had proposed to contest the seat held by him in Parliament as an independent candidate. Before the by-election was due, that Parliament was dissolved and a general election was ordered in which she assumed the role as leader of the SLFP.
