Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
BOOK REVIEW TITLE : C. P. DE SILVA THE MINNERY DEVIYO SO CLOSE AND YET SO FAR AUTHOR : DR. WIJEYADASA RAJAPAKSHE PUBLISHER : S. GODAGE & BROTHERS (PVT) LTD Reviewed by Hemantha Situge
BOOK REVIEW
TITLE : C. P. DE SILVA
THE MINNERY DEVIYO
SO
CLOSE AND YET SO FAR
AUTHOR : DR. WIJEYADASA RAJAPAKSHE
PUBLISHER : S. GODAGE & BROTHERS (PVT) LTD
Reviewed by Hemantha Situge
e-mail : hsituge@gmail.com
blog : Hemantha Situge@blogspot.com
The splendid book entitled : C. P. de Silva - The Minnery Deviyo –
So close and yet so far - was launched on the 30th March 2015 in
presence of the Hon. President Maithripala Sirisena and Hon. Prime Minister, Ranil
Wickremasinghe gracing this momentous occasion.
The biographical study of C. P. de Silva, that charismatic
political leader, statesman of par excellence of the yester year, has revived the
interest of Sri Lankan in all walks of life those who yearn and vie for a new
political culture in the country.
I read and re-read the English and Sinhalese editions of this opus. My interest on this book was drawn to by a son of soil from Welitara Mr.
Buddhika de Zoysa, the Assistant Registrar of the Land Registry Colombo. I owe
him much for arousing my intellectual curiosity,reasearch and the stimulating discussions
I had with him in writing this review.
The authors preface says that: “Great men like C. P. De Silva left
their footprints on the sands of time. But I feel that those footprints are now
getting erased either by ignorance or by design.”
This reviewer ventures to place on record that the footprints that
left by CP is effaced due to
both elements of ignorance and also by design. Most of the pen sketches or
thumbnail impressions written on erudite men of the past have forgotten this true
man of the nation. For e.g. D. B. Dhanapala’s Among Those Presents H. A. J.
Hulugalle’s the book on pen sketches, Gunadasa Liyanage’s Me Kauda? (Who
is this?) (1968) 2014
Therefore all the avid readers owe a deep debt of account to Dr.
Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe for venturing into this path breaking study on C. P. de
Silva whose life as ‘would make’ our ‘lives sublime’ and for resurrecting him
from the deep oblivion or from the abyss of despair. The learned writer would
have received the inspiration for this unenviable task from his elder brother
who served the minister in the capacity of a secretary.
Political biographies in Sri Lanka are indeed very rare. Prof. K.
M. De Silva and William Howard Higgins wrote the
biography of J. R. J. is in two volumes, Premadasa of Sri Lanka by Bradman
Weerakoon in another biographical account which led to a controversy to write another book under
a pseudonym K. T. Perera’s Premadasa of Sri Lanka – 'What Bradman Did Not Say'?.
Chandrika Kumaratunga’s authorized biography was written by Graeme Wilson published by
Media Prima 2014.
These biographies immensely contribute to the development of the
political culture. I congratulate Dr. Rajapakshe for shouldering this onerous
task in compiling this biography on CP. In recent times we saw two other
interesting research accounts Dr. A. P. De Zoysa’s biography by his daughter Dr.
Kumari Jayawardene in 2012 Sanjeev publishers, who also hailed from Randombe
like C. P., the other book is on P. de S. Kularatne by Kamalika Pieris 2015
published by Sarasavi publishers.
This reviewer wishes to make certain comments on this opus. At
page 16 of the book Dr. Rajapakshe provides a photograph of the parents of C.
P. de Silva.Charles Reginus de Silva his father was a Proctor and a Notary
Public in Balapitiya. The reviewer wishes his ge name and the mother’s ge name
would have been included as they are of the Salagama caste clan from Randombe.
This reviewer has enabled to discover the birth certificate bearing No. 1295
where his ‘ge’ name is found as Nallahandi.
CP’s mother is Obinamuni Adelin de Silva who was one of the founders
of the Museus College Colombo 07 an aunt of late Dr. Colvin R. de Silva.
His father C. R. de Silva’s name is enlisted in C. Arsaratnam’s
‘Hand Book of the Supreme Court of Ceylon’, Ceylon Daily News Colombo
1929 at page 158 as a practising Proctor in Balapitiya out of the 13 Proctors, enlisted
therein.
At page 35 of his book Dr. Rajapakshe states that the Sir John
Kotalalwala’s claim for his premiership after the death D. S. who earned the honorific
epithet “Father of the Nation” was ‘borne by the book “Premier Stakes” the
authorship was attributed to Sir John Kotalawala despite his denial’ “An Asian
Prime Minister’s Story” Great Britain, the only autobiography of a Prime
Minister in Ceylon (now known as Sri Lanka). This reviewer consulted chapter 10
of this book: ‘Threat of Dismissal’ in this regard. Page 97-8 of this book it
is found where Dudley Senanayake has sought his resignation in view of this publication,
where J. L. Kotalawala has not handed over same.
At page 38 of the book Dr. Rajapakshe at the outset of the chapter
4, the date resignation of then premier Dudley Senanayake is found as 13th
October 1953. John Kotelawala in his autobiography (supra) at page 106 it is
found as 12th of October evidently a lapsus clamai or lapsus
pennae in Dr. Rajapakshe’s work.
At page 57 of his book, the anecdote on Sir Oliver Goonetileke is
not found in the authorized biography entitled: OEG A Biography of Sir Oliver
Ernest Goonetileke by Sir Charles Jeffries. 1969 London.
At page 71 of the book Dr. Rajapakshe’s account on CP’s new
political party established namely Sri Lanka Freedom Socialist Party which
contested the then general election under the symbol sun, where Wijayananda
Dahanayake secured the seat of Galle, from his party.
Chapter 14 titled: “Salvage of Nindagam Occupants” from pages 87 –
9 has directly dealt with the role of C. P. de Silva’s introducing the Nindagam
Bill in Parliament on 25th February 1968 culled from evidently the
Hansard.
This reviewer wishes, had the esteemed author of the book,
explained as to what is a Nindagama it would have not gone the readers astray.
S. A. W. Mottau in his ‘Glossary of Terms Used in Official Correspondence of
the Government of Sri Lanka’, The Sri Lanka Archives Vol. 3 1985 – 86 vide : at
P139 is found the Sinhalese word ‘ninda’ i.e. exclusive possession. He also
cites several definitions extracted from D’Oyly, Dickman, Gunasekera, Ferguson’s
glossary, John Budd Phear, Codrington’s Notes on Some Kandy and Chief and
Headmen and their dresses 1910. The reviewer has found another reference from
Codrington’s glossary 1924 vide: at page 46. Also vide: at P 281 – 2 in 'The Dictionary of Law' by U. D. J. Jinadasa and Arjuna Udawatta Sarasavi publishers 2008.
The Nindagama Lands Act No. 30 of 1968 (Chapter 301) came into
force on 12.12.1969 from the Gazette bearing No. 142884.
The act defines the word Nindagama lands but does not contain the
origin of the word.
From pages 107 to 118 the author has devoted the chapter 17 on
‘Short-lived Memories of People’ where the sub-titles are on Anagarika
Dharmapala the year of arrival of Colonel Olcott and Madam Blavatsky is cited
as 1980 it should be read as 1880 (17th of May) and ‘embraced
Buddhism at Wijeyananda Temple in Galle.’ But a contrary view is also found at
P72 f.n. 17 Tissa Kariyawasam in his ‘Religious Activities and the Development
of a New Poetical Tradition in Sinhalese 1852 – 1906’ Godage publishers 2009.
At page 110 on C. W. W. Kannangara, this reviewer finds an error
has seeped in. That is: “When he was a student in a lesser known college in
Galle Rev. W. J. T. Small who was the principal of Richmond College Galle …..”
The Chief guests name is not Rev. W. J. T. Small it is Rev. John Hone Darrel
(See: Richmond Centennary magazine 1976 and at page 68 of 'The Tri Sinha' written by Cadmus G de L W Samarasinga 2014 ) Dr. C. W. W. Kannangara was a proctor
who later passed out as an advocate like A. K. Premadasa and Arthur
Samarasekera. Dr. C. W. W. hailed from Randombe like A. P. De Zoysa and C. P. de
Silva.
The reviewer also finds a glaring omission, on Dr. C. W. W’s ‘endeavour
to introduce free education he was ably supported by’ inter alia Dr. A. P. de
Zoysa at the State Council vide: Kumari Jayawardane. (supra)
The reviewer sees another lapse that the use of diacritical marks
is not found in the Sinhalese words used by the esteemed author on this book on
CP. The reviewer does not find any bibliography which would have encouraged
further research on this multi-faceted statesman of par excellence. C. P. de
Silva was indeed a true son of soil of the nation.
The reviewer wishes if the biographer would have placed on record
that C. P. enjoyed the singlehood bliss. He was wedded to the nation for the
cause of the needy poor alleviating their poverty- who played an indispensable
role in uplifting the standards of villagers.
A reported judgement is found in the 67 New Law Reports found
pages 569 to 573 pronounced by Justice Sirimanne, K. D. Ramunuwa Vs. C. P. de
Silva in 1965 the election petition case No. 40 which was filed against C. P.
de Silva for the Minneriya electorate bearing No. 118.
The Petitioner K. D. Pamunuwa challenged the election of the
Respondent C. P. de Silva as a member for the electoral district of Minneriya
on the grounds of initimidation, general treating an alleged failure to make a deposit
as required by Section 29(1) of the Ceylon (Parliamentary Elections) Order in
Council (Chap. 381).
It was held that the preliminary objection should have been taken
before the Returning officer in terms of Section 31(1)d and cannot be permitted
thereafter by way of an election petition.
The election petition was dismissed in favour of C. P. de Silva
with the cost of the suit granted in his favour.
The reviewer could not find the formative years of C. P. de Silva
and on his early days of schooling. CP had his early schooling at the Wesleyan Missionary school of Randombe like Dr. C. W.
W. Kannangara and Dr. A. P. de Zoysa. This school was the precursor of the
Dharmasoka College Ambalangoda. At St. Thomas College Mount Lavinia he won the
Gregory’s scholarship and also won the coveted Millers award.
The biography by Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapaksha is neither an
authorized biography nor a conventional political biography detailing
chronologically every single event in its subject’s life. It is posthomously
written after four decades.
It is said that a person’s life becomes subject to poetic license
at the hands of the biographer. This reviewer finds that Dr. Wijeyadasa
Rajapaksha has judicious examined the pros and cons of life of the C. P. de
Silva’s outstanding political career which envisions a coherent society.
Monday, February 13, 2017
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