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 30^th 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 13^th October 1953. John Kotelawala in his autobiography (supra) at page 106 it is found as 12^th 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 25^th 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 (17^th 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.