Revival of Premadasaism: The way forward for Sri Lanka

Ranasinghe Premadasa

Truly cultured men and women have the capacity to be thankful for the progressive measures taken by Ranasinghe Premadasa. He was a true embodiment of Social Democracy, governing the entire social, political, cultural, and moral order. He was not a mere propagator of a Social Market Economy, when he took over leadership from a right wing, J.R. Jayewardene led UNP that tried to dislodge Deputy Leader Premadasa from his well-earned Presidential candidature in 1989. The same right-wing forces in the UNP, tried to impeach him together with Feudalist sympathisers, who lost all their social status due to Premadasaism

I was socialised in my childhood, by an ardent Samasamajist, LSSP, father, in Moratuwa. However, I became disillusioned in my youth, as I witnessed the ground level actions of the Samasamaja Party, working with Feudalists, who pretended to be Progressive. 

I was not surprised when the LSSP, was annihilated by voters in the 1977 election. The void created in me, was filled by Vijaya Kumaranatunge, when he formed the Mahajana Party with a principled position on social justice. When the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, JVP brutally murdered Vijaya in 1987, my hopes were dashed. 

By the time I entered the Kelaniya University, I was becoming a convert to ‘Premadasaism’ – the deep convictions found in the words and deeds of Ranasinghe Premadasa that I diligently followed. 

I was mesmerised by the speeches of Premadasa, when he articulated his pro-poor ideology to the UNP – the party, that my father opposed all his life. 

Today I am convinced that Sri Lanka is fortunate that Premadasa has left for this nation, a son named Sajith, who is inspired by Premadasa’s ideology and his simple lifestyle. 

Pragmatic and practical 

While academics continue to talk about grand development theory, Ranasinghe Premadasa spent his life evolving a truly Sri Lankan development model, to ensure and enable common people to reach excellence in all sectors of human development. 

Youth of the land should not forget that Premadasa had the foresight to build the first ever, Night and Day Cricket Stadium, at Kettarama, long before we won the World Cup in 1996 and transformed Sugathadasa Stadium in line with top international benchmarks, encouraging younger athletes to reach excellence at the Olympics. He believed that Damayanthi Darsha, the South Asian Games Gold medallist should access the best schools of the land, paving the way for her to be educated at Ladies College, Colombo. He was impatient to see the bright rural youth shine unlike feudal politicians who preached one thing to the people and practiced another for their own children. 

To serve the needs of common people, he established the Sevana Sarana Foster Parents scheme, to provide for the material needs of children. For this he mobilised the affluent to be socially sensitive to the bright, but poor children.

Today, it is not surprising to see his son Sajith inspired to do all this even before he forms a government. 

Birth of Premadasaism

Premadasa harboured these grand ideals of Pro-People Development when he was a child of 15 years of age. He established the Sucharitha Movement in his own habitat Keselwatte, in Colombo Central electorate. 

Premadasa’s vision was far beyond Marxism of Kueneman or Communist Trade Unionism of L.W. Panditha and the Temperance policies of F.R. Senanayake. He saw the beauty of holistic human development, balancing physical and material self-sufficiency of people with spiritual, emotional, and cultural self-sufficiency. He knew clearly that building a ‘Total Man’, would contribute towards a holistic ‘Total Society.’ 

As a social worker at the early age of 15, he celebrated the first anniversary of Sucharitha Movement with S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike and Mrs. Bandaranaike as Chief Guests, long before Bandaranaike ever thought of forming the SLFP. 

Having entered politics in his youth under the tutelage of the eminent Labour leader A.E. Goonesinghe, Premadasa realised just as his political guru Goonesinghe realised, that Marxist inspired politicians coming from affluent backgrounds had severe limitations in their capacities as they were overwhelmed by their own unparalleled revolutionary rhetoric that make them lag in actions. 

Premadasa would roll in his grave if he heard the emotionally and spiritually sterile NPP/Marxist rhetoric of today that husbands should remunerate their wives for their domestic labour. 

Communicating revolutionary ideas in a language common man understood

Premadasa soon became the Youth Front Leader of A.E. Gunasinghe’s Labour Party and was able to explain about social emancipation to the common people – what Marxists like Peter Kuenemann in Central Colombo or Dr. N.M. Perera of Ruwanwella could not explain in lingo understood by the poor. 

When Premadasa opted to join the UNP, its leader Dudley Senanayake had the wisdom to appreciate this capacity, pitting young Premadasa against Dr. N.M. Perera in Dr. Perera’s own electorate Ruwanwella, at the 1956 Parliamentary elections. 

The election proved that the Marxist giant Dr. N.M. Perera could only defeat young Premadasa, by a margin of mere 6228 votes. 

Ironically 10 years later, Dr. N.M. Peter Kueneman, Dr. Colvin R. De Silva, Dr. S.A. Wickramasinghe and the other LSSP and Communist Party Parliamentary stalwarts had to retire from Parliamentary politics when they were politically annihilated by the UNP campaign that was led by the same Premadasa who was Deputy Leader of the UNP at the 1977 Parliamentary elections. 

Humility of Premadasa and arrogance of distractors

President Premadasa was an extraordinary leader with a broad imagination. He was prepared to embrace Oxford educated Susil Siriwardena, a former Theoretician of the JVP, and listen to Wijeweera, attending conscientiously the proceedings of the Criminal Justice Commission in the aftermath of the first JVP uprising in 1971.

He extended his hand of friendship to them with conviction. However, Wijeweera was not prepared. Susil who was a JVP theoretician was wiser in rightly perceiving the mind of Premadasa. 

The difference between Premadasa and Wijeweera, as my respected friend Dr. Dayan Jayatilleke makes clear; is that unlike Wijeweera, Premadasa saw no place for violence in social system change as violence would have to be suppressed by the State at a severe cost to the very people whom they tried to emancipate. Ironically, JVP failed to appreciate this, due to arrogance on their part as stated by Dr. Dayan Jayatilleke in a recent interview with Kusum Wijetilleke – a trait that they still have not shed due to the inherent tendency to overestimate themselves. 

In the late 1980s, Premadasa appointed the National Commission on Youth Unrest, chaired by Professor G.L. Peiris who made serious recommendations such as meritocracy, based employment and youth participation in politics.

Professor G.L. Peiris, who was appointed Vice Chancellor of Colombo University by President Premadasa, and was the Founder Chair of Pohottuwa, recently opted to join with Sajith Premadasa convinced that he offered an enlightened socio-political and cultural order. 

President, Premadasa not only used these eminent men of our times productively, but decisively considered their recommendations on equality, equity, meritocracy, and pluralist political development.

Premadasa as a champion of inclusive development 

The constitution of 1978 purposefully alienated anti-establishment, as well as ethnic minority parties from being represented in Parliament. For this, J.R. Jayawardene’s Constitution had a purposeful, but unrealistic cut off point of 12% in electoral performance for representation. 

The present day JVP should appreciate that Premadasa not only released more than 1,000 JVP activists when he came to power but brought down the cut off point for representation to 5%. Today the JVP is represented in Parliament, together with ethnic minority parties who continue to advocate shared political power.

While progressive Sri Lankans appreciate these social democratic political reforms, the very beneficiaries of these policies may not appreciate what Premadasa achieved for them with his powerful ethos of inclusive, value centred development for the Common Good of all Sri Lankans. However, many people will remember him as a genuine seeker of a new Social Contract.

Knowing the difference between extreme capitalism and extreme socialism

Truly cultured men and women have the capacity to be thankful for the progressive measures taken by Ranasinghe Premadasa. He was a true embodiment of Social Democracy, governing the entire social, political, cultural, and moral order. He was not a mere propagator of a Social Market Economy, when he took over leadership from a right wing, J.R. Jayewardene led UNP that tried to dislodge Deputy Leader Premadasa from his well-earned Presidential candidature in 1989. The same right-wing forces in the UNP, tried to impeach him together with Feudalist sympathisers, who lost all their social status due to Premadasaism

Cost of disowning Premadasa program and vision

Ironically, the so-called educated people of the land, who were found guilty of bankrupting the Sri Lankan economy are among those who disowned the Premadasa legacy that brought recognition, human dignity, and prosperity to our people. 

As emphasised by world renowned social scientist, Dr. Howard Nicholas in an interview with a brilliant young scholar, Kusum Wijetilleke, his pessimism about Sri Lanka, turned into great optimism in late 1980’s with the pro-people contribution of Ranasinghe Premadasa. This, as he says; was a time Sri Lanka was in a perilous condition with a total breakdown of institutions, aggravated by JVP and LTTE terrorism.

Promise for the Future: The Need for a Likeminded Leader 

A visionary leader with the right mindset, with a heart for the poor and for those who can generate wealth can transform Sri Lanka. We know that the options are very few. The heart and the mind of Premadasa is what is absent in the very people that Premadasa groomed for leadership, including the current President, Ranil Wickramasinghe. 

Today, the only hope we see for our nation is Sajth Premadasa; Premadasa’s son who has the courage and foresight to commence an unprecedented Social Democratic programme. 

Ranasinghe Premadasa, expounding his grand development vision as far back as April 4th, 1973, stated: 

“Political power has been diffused amongst the people through the exercise of the franchise. In like manner, the economic wealth of the country should also be diffused amongst the people. We should evolve a scheme under which the public sector, the co-operative sector, the private sector, and a combination of all these three sectors – a joint sector – could function in competition with each other. Such competition will bring the maximum benefit to the people who need not become slaves of either a public or private monopoly. The government should ensure through its legislative and planning processes that the people participate in all aspects of development without allowing monopolies — state or individual.” 

As a petitioner of the historic Supreme Court Case, in 2022, on bankrupting of the economy, which led to a historic verdict in favour of our petition, I would not have been moved to file action on behalf of the country’s entire citizenry, if not for my respect for the Premadasa ideology, which is continued and adapted to meet the challenges of modern Sri Lanka by his son, Sajith Premadasa.

(The writer is Sri Lanka President’s Scholar, British Chevening Scholar, National University of Singapore Scholar and US State Department Post Doctoral Scholar.)