An unexpected happening

After the coalition members left the government, the ‘Ape Aanduwa’ – as the common people preferred to call the Bandaranaike regime – the ministers were all from the SLFP. The Minister of Lands and Land Development, C P de Silva was Leader of the House and was considered ‘second in command’. The former Civil Servant was the head of the rightists’ group and led the fight against the Paddy Lands Act. 

In 1959 Prime Minister Bandaranaike had a lot to resolve with a host of strikes by port workers and other public sector trade unions. The rightists’ group had their own agenda within the Cabinet.

The Prime Minister was to take off to attend in United Nations General Assembly sessions in late September and C P de S was the obvious choice to act when he was away. C P de S suddenly fell ill and was dispatched to London for treatment. 

On Friday 25 September 1959 I had just stepped in for work around 10 in the morning when I realised there was lot of noise on the side of the editorial staffs of the ‘Observer’ and ‘Janatha’, the afternoon newspapers. Something big had happened. 

A reporter hurriedly passed by me saying ‘the Prime Minister has been shot’. The ‘Dinamina’ reporters were trickling in and we went into action though we had enough time to work on what had taken place. The afternoon papers would print several editions with the readers anxiously waiting to get the latest news. 

As I rushed to Rosmead Place, hardly anything was happening there with the people either crowding around radios in boutiques or moving towards the General Hospital where the Prime Minister had been taken. 

To recap the morning’s incident at PM’s home briefly: Being Friday Parliament sits at 10 in the morning. Before going to Parliament the PM is ready to meet the visitors who had come with various complaints and requests. Two monks are seated in a corner of the verandah in PM’s residence. One of them is a lecturer in the Ayurveda College, Borella and the other from Polonnaruwa come to discuss farmer problems. 

Seeing the monks, the PM walks up to them. He first meets Talduwe Somarama Thera who indicated he had some problems in Ayurveda College to discuss. The PM asks him whether he has a written document. He pretends to open a file and pulls out a pistol from his robe and shoots him. The PM tries to get away. More shots are fired. The police constable at the gate rushes and takes the monk into custody.

After the Prime Minister was taken to hospital, everyone was impatient to know his condition. He underwent surgery for five hours and in a statement released to the media the doctors indicated his condition was stable.

We kept vigil until late and returned home. We could only report that he was not out of danger. The night reporter took over along with the night sub-editor. They would contact the editor if anything was heard.

Next day being Saturday it was our weekly holiday. The Prime Minister died that morning. 

In the absence of C P de Silva, Education Minister W. Dahanayake was sworn in as prime minister by the Governor-General, Sir Oliver Goonetilleke.

Massive crowds from every corner of the country came to pay their last respects to the People’s Prime Minister when the body was lying-in-state in Parliament – a place he was familiar with since 1931 when he was elected to the first State Council to represent the Veyangoda seat which he kept until 1956. With the roads closed for traffic we walked several miles to cover the funeral at Horagolla, his birth place.

Paying homage to their leader

Resting at Horagolla Walauwa premises

The family

The Orator