S.J.V.Chelvanayagam
24th, Death Anniversary
by
M.K.Eelaventhan

The issues that the post independant the Sri Lankan Tamils were likely to be confronted with was identified by SJV. It was the outcome of his political acumen and foresight.The leadership of this country are yet to formulate a solution either by themselves or as prescribed by him. It is a tragedy of our times.

The switching of the formula of "communal representation" to that of "territorial representation" by the Donoughmore Constitution precipitated the differences of ,linguistic, cultural, fortuitous advantages, such as inherited characteristics, were to be discounted in favour of the majority.This naturally fell foul of the minority Tamils. They were to be systematically disadvantaged by various manoeuvres. The approach was to hold the minorities back instead of planning and implementing measures that were to catch up with the advantaged.

The Tamil minority was in no mood to accommodate, designs that were to seriously disadvantage them of their entitlement to equivalent quality of life.It was this ambience that quite justifiably, and quite rightly prompted SJV to propose a federal structure of government as a suitable formula. The federal structure was nothing new. It was a format in which multiethnic, multilingual, multirelegious nations were governed. It is relevant to point out the Honorable SWRD Bandaranayake himself at one point of time advocate the federal form of government.

Mr. SWRD Bandaranayake addressing a meeting presided by Dr. Isacc Thambayah at the Jaffna College in July 1926 on the subject of "Federation is the only solution to our political problems "said "A centralized form of Government assumed a homogeneous whole. He knew no part of the world where a Government was carried on under such conflicting circumstances as would
be experienced in Ceylon.There would be troubles if centralized form of Government was introduced into countries with large communal differences "In a Federal Government each federal unit had complete power over themselves. Yet they united and had one or two assemblies to discuss matters affecting the whole country". At the same meeting during question time a member of the audience had asked if there was difficulty in arriving at a suitable form of Government "Why should not we continue to remain under the British "? to which the speaker responded by replying "No nation deserved the name of a nation if it did not want a measure of self government" The worm has since turned. I had the privilege to be with SJV at his home in Alfred House Gardens when THE BC Pact was abrogated. Mr. Stanley de Soysa arrived in the evening with a note from SWRD announcing that he was unable to honour the implementation of the pact he had entered
to with him. SJV said that he was very sorry that SWRD had found it difficult to implement the pact and went on to say that the consequences would be disastrous in that there would be blood shed and turmoil to follow. This I am sorry to state continues to this date.

It is with deep regret that I have to state that if the elite leadership of the relevant time could comprehend what was proposed we would not be in the mess we find ourselves in. The prize is in squandered time,progress,developments and the denial of the enrichment of a quality of life every Sri Lankan was rightfully entitled to.