Mrs Bandaranaike Becomes A Figurehead

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29383, 9 December 1960, Page 26

Mrs Bandaranaike Becomes A Figurehead

[B V

JOHN SHAW]

COLOMBO. After only four months in power, the world’s only woman Prime Minister is quickly becoming little more than a figurehead. Ceylon’s Sirimavo Bandaranaike, aged 46, suddenly swept into power last July in an emotional campaign that relied heavily on sympathy for her as the widow of the assassinated Prime Minister. Mr Solomon Bandaranaike. Now her power is just as swiftly being whittled away by the ambitions of her nephew, Mr Felix Bandaranaike, a hard-driving yasg lawyer. He is the man to watch in strategically-placed Ceylon. At 29 he displays all the energy and jjuthlessness that could make him within a very short time the youngest national leader in the world—younger than Mr John Kennedy, Dr. Fidel Castro or Singapore’s Mr Lee Kuan Yew. He is a brilliant orator and debater—he won prizes for both at Colombo’s exclusive Royal College and the University of Ceylon. His grandfather was an outstanding judge—a position his parents hoped he would strive for after he was called to the Bar two years ago. They are still disappointed that he entered politics—despite his meteoric rise from freshman M.P. to Minister of Finance in a few months. With the build of a Rugby forward and his stream of polished tightly-clipped phrases, Felix is an impressive figure in Parliament and a difficult man to argue with. Already he has made many enemies in Parliament, and in the Cabinet, where he skilfully guides Mrs Bandaranaike. many colleagues consider him an autocratic upstart, Mrs Bandaranaike is still her ruling Freedom Party’s greatest asset—the only leader to whom tjie party’s 75 M.Ps owe loyalty. But she may yet become the party’s biggest liability, particularly if she continues to relinquish authority to her nephew, who has no standing at all in the party organisation. Mrs Bandaranaike is a potent publicity-gatherer for Ceylon, but she lacks the experience and ability to tackle the country’s problems. Her husband, Solomon, showed little wisdom in the three years in power which ended with his tragic death at the hands of a pistol-wielding Buddhist monk. He was a muddler who has become a martyr. His legacy to Ceylon—and his wife—was a faltering economy and a complex of worsening racial and religious tensions.

Explosive Issues She has made the position worse by allowing party hotheads—including Felix—to go ahead with two explosive issues —the nationalisation of church schools and enforcement of Sin-

halese as the official language. The deadlines for these moves are December 1 and January 1 and the months ahead are certain to be tense in Ceylon. Ceylon’s Christians—particularly the 900,000 Catholics of all races—are bitterly resentful at the prospect of their fine schools being taken over by a Government, whose own schools are often decades behind in education standards. Hindus. Muslims and a minority of Buddhists are also attacking the school takeover. The Ceylon Tamils, the thrifty, brainy community of about a million, who have lived in the northern areas of the island for many centuries, are now pressing their M.P.’s to make a last-ditch stand on the language issue. It is not that the Tamils cannot or will not learn Sinhalese —but they want equality in their own areas for their own rich and more modern language. Economic Problems These emotional issues tend to overshadow economic problems in Ceylon at a time when the country’s foreign exchange reserves are the lowest for nearly 20 years. Ceylon earns its living by exports of tea. rubber and coconut products. These countinue to fetch good prices on world markets, but too much of their revenue is spent on imports of food that Ceylon , itself could grow in greater quantities. Agriculture including vital rice-growing—is expanding only slowly at a time when the high birth-rate is adding 250,000 new mouths each year to the population of nine millions.

Thirteen years after independence, Ceylon is only just starting a national development plan. Neighbouring India is already vigorously emarking on its third great five-year scheme. As Finance Minister, Mr Felix Bandaranaike insists that the Government wants to encourage investment from overseas. Yet in the same breath he is scaring off foreign investors with plans to nationalise life assurance and the press and to enter the oil business.

On the surface, his plan to import Soviet oil at prices which may be 25 per cent, lower than those of Western companies, looks like good business for Ceylon. But the start of Soviet petroleum shipments would mean the end of plans by the Western companies to build a refinery in Colombo. All this makes good ammunition for the disjointed Opposition—which includes pukka Rightwingers and “rebel" Trotskyites —but it has to be fired at Felix, while Mrs. Bandaranaike is in the tranquil Senate.

Although Mrs Bandaranaike led the trial-run election campaign last March and the tearfully successful one in July, she did not contest a parliamentary seat.

And in spite of an election promise to contest a House of Representatives position. she shows no enthusiasm to enter that tough arena. The recent brawl in the House —one M.P. tried to strike another with a shoe—flared over Mis Bandaranaike’s reluctance to give up her nominated seat in the well-mannered Upper House and face her opponents in open debate. With Felix proving himself a strong bulwark against Opposition critics. Mrs Bandaranaike can be expected to be content with her lesser role. When she has more Parliamentary experience and a better knowledge of Ceylon's problems, she may consider stepping down into the hurlyburly of the island’s violent politics.

But what is more likely is that Mrs Bandaranaike will establish another "first”—by becoming President of the republic that most parties are keen to establish. Mrs Bandaranaike’s figurehead status would then become as official as it is now real. And the way would then be clear for impatient young Felix Bandaranaike to make his bid to become Prime Minister—if he hasn’t made it before.—Associated Newspapers Feature Service.