KAMALIKA PIERIS

This essay concludes the  selective  list of improvements made by the 1956 government.

• MEP government brought in the Suspension of the Capital Punishment Act No 20 of 1958, which suspended the death penalty from May 1958.

• Voting age at general election was brought down to 18 years from 21 years. Elections Amendment Act No, 11 of 1959.

• May Day was declared a holiday in Sri Lanka in 1956 for the Government sector, bank and mercantile sectors.

• A brand new Department of Ayurveda was set up in 1956.

• A National Planning Council was formed it. This was a first for the country. This Council brought out Ceylon’s first Ten Year Plan for 1959-68. This Plan was prepared after consultation with economists such as Joan Robinson, Nicholas Kaldor, John Kenneth Galbraith, and Gunnar Myrdal.  It was a comprehensive and systematic plan covering both public and private sectors, unlike earlier plans which covered only the public sector. It extended beyond the usual five years. To implement the ten year plan Sri Lanka needed 150 million annually, this was not forthcoming as Sri Lanka had already obtained monies from countries.

• A conscious effort was made towards industrialization in 1956. Corporations were established under State Industrial Corporations Act 1957, as well as special legislation. These corporations were provided with startup capital in form of grants and loans, confirmed economist Saman Kelegama.  This was the first time, since World War II that local industries were started.

• All cargo handling operations in the Port of Colombo were nationalized in 1958. and the   Port (Cargo) Corporation  set up by Act No. 13 of 1958

• Walawe Ganga Irrigation Development Scheme was inaugurated in 1st October 1957.  It would Irrigate 51,000 acres year, provide water for 15,000 acres of existing paddy fields and 23,000 families were to be settled on it.

• A Ministry of Cultural affairs was established for the first time on 12.04.1956 in accordance with the Throne Speech made by the MEP government when it came into power in 1956. It was established to formulate and implement a national cultural policy to regenerate the indigenous cultural tradition which had been suppressed for so long, under colonial rule.  Ananda Guruge recalled that Bandaranaike had discussed with him, about setting up a Ministry of Cultural affairs and a Department of Cultural affairs. The first ever in Sri Lanka.

• the Sinhala film makers had to go to India to get their films processed.  Sinhala film production in Madras was banned in 1957  .A   film and recording studio with machines for automatic processing named Ceylon Studios  was set up In Kirula Rd, Colombo for making  films. This was  very welcome.  ( continued)