Democratic Socialism in Sri Lanka

Abstract

THE NEW CONSTITUTION of I 972, which changed name of Ceylon to Sri Lanka, incorporates Principles of State Policy which promise the progressive advancement towards establishment in Sri Lanka of a Socialist democracy and elimination of economic and social privilege, disparity and exploitation.1 The adoption of constitution came fifteen years afer S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike, founder of Sri Lanka Freedom Party and prime minister from I956 to I959, first set up a committee on constitutional reform. The constitution embodied many of objectives of Bandaranaike's party led by his widow, then prime minister of Sri Lanka, Sirimavo Bandaranaike.2 While there were objections to constitution from opposition United National Party, which wished to entrench protection of property rights and institute a presidential system' and from Federal Party which wished to federalise Sri Lanka for protection of Tamil minority, great majority of parliament, including Marxist parties (the Lanka Samasamaja Party and Communists), welcomed commitment to socialism. Despite insurrection in I97i by revolutionary Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna and existence of a number of extra-parliamentary Leninist groups, great bulk of political opinion in Sri Lanka accepted term 'democratic' as implying continued movement towards socialism through parliamentary means and through regular testing of government at ballot box. This commitment to democratic socialism (as term is conven-