Meryl Fernando

This article is about the politician. For the tea grower, see Merrill Joseph Fernando.
Honourable
Meryl Fernando
MP
Member of the Ceylonese Parliament
for Moratuwa
In office
1956–1960
Preceded by Chandrasiri Somaweera
Succeeded by Ruskin Fernando
In office
1960–1965
Preceded by Ruskin Fernando
Succeeded by Ruskin Fernando
Personal details
Born (1923-04-18)18 April 1923
Died 27 May 2007(2007-05-27) (aged 84)
Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Profession Teacher
Ethnicity Sinhalese

Weerahennedige Theodore Wilfred Meryl Fernando (18 April 1923 – 27 May 2007) was a Ceylonese teacher, trade unionist, politician and Member of Parliament.

Early life and family

Fernando was born on 18 April 1923.[1] He was educated at Prince of Wales' College, Moratuwa.[2][3] After school he joined Ceylon University College in 1941, passing the London intermediate examination in 1944.[2] Later he studied at the Teacher Training College in Maharagama and qualified as a teacher.[2][3]

Fernando was married twice - to Christobel and Wimala.[4] He had two children - Sharmalie Nimalka Nagle and Arosha.[4]

Career

Fernando became involved in politics whilst at university and in 1944 dropped out of university to work full-time for the Ceylonese branch of the Bolshevik–Leninist Party of India, Ceylon and Burma (BLPI).[5] He met Edmund Samarakkody, with whom he would be politically associated with for most of his life, whilst working for the BLPI.[5] After World War II Fernando organised labour at the Elephant match-factory in Moratuwa.[2][3][5] He worked for the Moratuwa branch of the Kelaniya Match Workers Union for two decades and served as the branch's secretary for several years.[2][5] In 1948 he got the carpentry workers at Willorawatta, Moratuwa, to join the Industrial and General Workers Union, an affiliate of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP)).[2] Fernando and Doric de Souza successfully negotiated better employment conditions for the carpentry workers.[2] Fernando also orgnaised workers at the Velona Garment Factory and the Lanka Light Match Factory in Moratuwa.[5] Fernando was arrested and imprisoned during the 1953 hartal.[2][3][5]

In 1948 the BLPI merged with the Congress Socialist Party to create the Socialist Party.[6] The BLPI's Ceylon branch became a separate party, the Bolshevik Samasamaja Party (BSP).[6] The BSP and LSSP merged in 1950.[7] Fernando was elected to Moratuwa Urban Council in 1950 as the LSSP member for Koralawella Ward.[5] He was a member of Moratuwa Urban Council until 1967 and served as its chairman.[2][3][5] He stood as the LSSP candidate in Moratuwa at the 1956 parliamentary election. He won the election and entered Parliament.[8] He did not have a car and traveled to Parliament by bus.[3] He lost his seat at the March 1960 parliamentary election but re-gained it at the July 1960 parliamentary election.[9][10]

Whilst Ceylon's main political parties, the United National Party (UNP) and Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), supported the Sinhala Only Act, the leftists, led by the LSSP, opposed the act.[7] In May 1960 LSSP leader N. M. Perera proposed that the party form a coalition government with SLFP.[6] The LSSP joined the SLFP government in June 1964.[7][11] LSSP members who opposed the move (Fernando, V. Karalasingham, Samarakkody, Bala Tampoe etc.) left the LSSP and formed the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (Revolutionary) (LSSP(R)) with Samarakkody as its secretary.[6][7][11] In December 1964 the LSSP(R)'s two MPs, Fernando and Samarakkody, together with several rebel SLFP MPs, voted for an opposition amendment to the government's throne speech, defeating the government and precipitating the dissolution of Parliament.[7][11] Fernando and Samarakkody's action proved controversial within the LSSP(R) as they had in effect supported the capitalist UNP which would go on to win the 1965 parliamentary election.[6] The LSSP(R) supported Fernando and Samarakkody's action but some members who opposed it (Karalasingham and the Sakthi group) left the LSSP(R) and rejoined the LSSP in 1966.[6]

Fernando stood as the LSSP(R) candidate in Moratuwa at the 1965 parliamentary election but failed to get re-elected.[12] Samarakkody fell out with LSSP(R) leader Tampoe and in 1968 left the party, together with Fernando, and founded the Revolutionary Sama Samaja Party (renamed Revolutionary Workers Party in 1973).[6][13][14] Fernando supported the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna's 1971 insurrection.[5] Fernando stood as a candidate in Moratuwa at the 1977 parliamentary election but again failed to get re-elected.[15] He took an active role in the 1980 general strike.[5]

Fernando died on 27 May 2007 at his home in Koralawella, Moratuwa.[2][3]

Electoral history

Electoral history of Meryl Fernando
Election Constituency Party Votes Result
1956 parliamentary[8] Moratuwa LSSP 19,529 Elected
1960 March parliamentary[9] Moratuwa LSSP 9,427 Not elected
1960 July parliamentary[10] Moratuwa LSSP 12,943 Elected
1965 parliamentary[12] Moratuwa LSSP(R) 1,048 Not elected
1977 parliamentary[15] Moratuwa 2,891 Not elected

References

  1. ↑ "Directory of Past Members: Meryl Fernando". Parliament of Sri Lanka.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Meryl Fernando stood for working class - Prof Tissa Vitharana". Daily News (Sri Lanka). 25 June 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Meryl is no more". The Island (Sri Lanka). 29 May 2007.
  4. 1 2 "Obituaries". Daily News (Sri Lanka). 29 May 2007.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Plant, J. J. "Obituary: Meryl Fernando (1923–2007)". Marxists Internet Archive.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Fernando, Meryl (27 January 2002). "Shunned power for principles". The Island (Sri Lanka).
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Fernando, Amaradasa (5 January 2002). "Edmund Samarakkody kept faith to the last". The Island.
  8. 1 2 "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1956" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lankaa.
  9. 1 2 "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1960-03-19" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.
  10. 1 2 "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1960-07-20" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.
  11. 1 2 3 "Leftists join the government". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka). 22 June 2008.
  12. 1 2 "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1965" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.
  13. ↑ Alexander, Robert J. (1991). International Trotskyism, 1929-1985: A Documented Analysis of the Movement. Duke University Press. p. 192. ISBN 0-8223-0975-0.
  14. ↑ Kearney, Robert N. (1971). Trade Unions and Politics in Ceylon. University of California Press. p. 115. ISBN 0-520-01713-7.
  15. 1 2 "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1977" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.
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