If C.P. De Silva had not consumed the glass of milk in the Cabinet, Dahanayake would never have become the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. C.P. De Silva was taken to London for medical treatment after drinking a glass of poisoned milk during the cabinet meeting held before Bandaranaike’s assassination, Dahanayake became the Prime Minister.
Also, Ranil would never have become president if Sajith had not told Gotabha to leave to take over as the prime Minister. The UNP ‘s claim that Ranil accepted the challenges was lost because Gotabhaya revealed in his book that when he asked Sajith to come and take over the Prime Ministership, Sajith requested that Gotabaya bow down to the ‘aragalaya’ and quit. Also, Iran Wickramaratne recently said that he was discussing with Gota’s representatives in one room about the timetable for Sajith to take over as Prime Minister, while Ranil was preparing to take oath as Prime Minister in the other room. He said the Rajapaksa family decided to make Ranil the Prime Minister and falsely told Sajith to take over as the Prime Minister.
However, Ranil became the prime minister by chance just like Dahanayake became the prime minister. Dahanayake started a new political journey by attacking the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and the family of former leader Bandaranaike.
The following is what T.B.Ilangaratna, a former Bandaranaikeist powerful minister in the Dahanayake government, said about Dahanayake’s new political journey.
“A few weeks after the funeral of, Prime Minister Dahanayake called us at a cabinet meeting at Temple Trees, the Prime Minister’s official residence, and said that he had decided to form a new political party.
We are surprised because the Prime Minister of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party government is to build another party. He presented the policies of this new party a program that was completely against the basic policies of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party.
When asked what is the status of us as Sri Lanka Freedom Party members in the cabinet, he replied that we can join his new party, or stay in the Sri Lanka Freedom Party.
With his statement, the cabinet meeting was immediately adjourned to the next day and dissolved.
That night, on December 8, 1959, Oliver Gunathilaka dismissed five of us as ministers. Minister of Home Affairs TB Ilangaratne – Minister of Transport and Power, Maithripala Senanayake – Minister of Health, A.P. Jayasuriya – Minister of Culture and Social Services, P.B.G. Kalugalla, Minister of Labor – M.P. Soysa.
Also, several deputy ministers who did not like Dahanayake were removed from their posts.
In the same way, the conspirators who planned Bandaranaike’s assassination, which was the goal of the reactionary forces, made it even more successful.
Governor-General Oliver Gunathilaka, whose only goal was to make Sri Lanka a little England, was Dahanayake’s main, mentor and adviser.”
Dahanayake first announced that he was leaving the Sri Lanka Freedom Party. The SLFP did not accept his resignation and expelled him from the party. Because of that anger, he removed the Bandaranayakist SLFP ministers and appointed a five-member cabinet. The name of his new party was Ceylon Democratic Party. He contested the March 1960 general election from that party. To the country’s surprise, he and his party suffered a resounding defeat in the election. No one from his party was elected to parliament.
It was the first Cabinet of Ministers in Sri Lanka’s political history where the Prime Minister and the Cabinet were defeated. The Bandaranayakist SLFP ministers who were kicked out of their ministerial posts were elected from the SLFP.
Like Dahanayake, Ranil, who became Prime Minister and President, has a cabinet like Dahanayake. The ministers in this cabinet have no party. These ministers do not even know which party they will contest in the next general election. Like some of the members of this cabinet, the country’s president is also a member of the national list. They don’t even know how to find a national list to come to Parliament next.
Dinesh Gunawardena has a party. That is the People’s United Front. The last time the People’s United Front contested a vote alone was the 1994 general election. In the 1994 general elections, Dinesh and Bandula contested under the wheel symbol. The People’s United Front suffered a crushing defeat in that election. Dinesh and Bandula also lost their deposits. In the 2000 general election, the People’s United Front suffered a crushing defeat by inciting Sinhalese Buddhist racism. They labelled Chandrika the Tigers, were re-aligned under Chandrika’s leadership and were elected to parliament. Today there is a party called People’s United Front. If Dinesh and the People’s United Front contest elections, the same thing will happen as in the 1994 general elections.
Everyone else is without a rope to hang on to. Some people say that Pohottuwa should make Ranil the presidential candidate. Others do not speak a word about the presidential and general elections. Gotabaya appointed this cabinet out of fear of struggle. Gota’s previous cabinet included Pohottuwa members. They were strongly protested by the ‘aragalaya’. At that time, Susil Premajayantha, who was angry with Gota for a ministerial position and did not get it, went to the Delkanda market and criticized Gota saying that the prices of goods were too high.
Wijayadasa Rajapakse did not get a ministry from Gota and was very angry with Gota’s government. Kanchana Wijesekara was with Namall. Prasanna was with Basil. Fearing the struggle, Gota abolished the cabinet and formed a new cabinet by bringing together those who scolded him to survive the ‘aragalaya’ and save the presidency. Meanwhile, Namal’s suggestion Kanchana and Basil’s suggestion Prasanna were included in the cabinet.
When Gota left, this cabinet was haunted. Ranil wanted to keep this orphaned and helpless cabinet without a leader and a party because Ranil also had one MP from his party. During the last two years, this cabinet has only raised its hands like signal poles. At first, this cabinet thought that Ranil would play a big game and save the country. They were to join the UNP alliance once Ranil swallowed the Samagi Jana Balavegaya and revived the UNP. But now they have understood that going with Ranil will make them lose their way. If Ranil is nominated for the presidential election and Ranil loses, it would be a dream for all of them to go to parliament.
If Ranil does not run for the presidential election, finding a party to enter parliament will be even more difficult than looking for ‘Kalunika’.
‘Does that mean that what happened to Dahanayake’s cabinet will also happen to this cabinet…?’ It looks like that.