Indira
Gandhi became the first Prime Minister of India and the most notable leader in
South Asia. But in the small island nation of Sri Lanka, a wife of a prominent
politician beat Prime Minister Gandhi in becoming the world’s first woman Prime
Minister – Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike.
Early Life
Sirimimavo
Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike was born on April 17, 1916 in Ratnapura, Sri Lanka,
then known as Ceylon. Sirima came from a wealthy background, descending from
old Kandyan family that dominated old Ceylon. Thus it was no surprise she got
an influential politician for a husband – Solomon West Ridgeway Dias
Bandaranaike – or simply SWRD Bandaranaike, the son of the aide-de-camp of the
governor of Ceylon. The couple married in 1940. Their marriage resulted to 3
children: Sunethra, Chandrika (became President of Sri Lanka), and Anura.
Wife of Prime
Minister
 |
| SWRD Bandaranaike |
Her
husband, took important political roles such as becoming a founding member of
the influential United National Party (UNP). But the UNP then began to show
support to minorities like Catholics, Muslims and Tamils as well as liberal
views in economic policy that infuriated SWRD Bandaranaike, leading him to
leave the party and establish the left leaning Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP)
in 1951.
In
1956, SWRD Bandaranaike became the Prime Minister, and Sirimavo took an active
role in becoming a wife of a world leader, serving as a hostess to foreign
dignitaries and attending political events. She also showed interest in social
welfare, becoming aware of poverty among her countrymen.
As
Prime Minister, Bandaranaike showed simplicity, love for the masses, and support
for local industries. His husband showed great deal of support in promoting
Buddhism as well as Sinhalese as the language of the country. He also showed
great skills as an orator, earning the nickname “Silver Bell of Asia.”
However,
Prime Minister Bandaranaike’s tenure cut short by an assassin on September 26,
1959. The leaders of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) decided to choose Sirimavo
Bandaranaike as their new leader, hence candidate for Prime Minister,
capitalizing on the prevailing emotion of longing for the short era of the
demised Premier. But Sirima refused several times the offer of leadership, but
eventually, she gave in for the sake of preserving his husband’s legacy.
She
showed determination during the campaign, even though she lacked the oration
skills of her husband, she displayed great deal of emotions during her
speeches, weeping as she remembered her husband. Her opponents, especially the
UNP, mocked her, dubbing her as the “Weeping Widow.”
Yet,
the weeping Weeping Widow’s appeal to the people won her the elections and on
July 21, 1960, she took her oath as Prime Minister, becoming the first woman to
become the head of government. Her victory came as a result of large influx of
women voting for her.
News
of Sirimavo’s rise to power astounded the world. In Britain, newspapers created
the word “stateswomen” in respect of her new status.
First Premiership
Nationalism,
socialism, and active foreign policy marked Sirimavo’s first tenure as Prime
Minister. She followed the same path of nationalism based on Sinhalese and
socialism as the corner stone of her economic policy, just like her husband.
Sinhalese
and Buddhism topped Ceylon’s identity under PM Sirimivo as initially shown in
January 1, 1961, when the Sinhalese language became the sole language of
administration in the island state. She also placed state funded schools,
mostly Catholic schools, under direct state control.
Wave
of nationalization in the economy followed, starting with banking and then oil
industries. Much of her nationalization, however, earned her the animosity of
western countries, especially the United States that controlled most interest in
the country’s oil industry.
Her
foreign policy on the other hand, expanded Ceylon’s profile in the
international community. She cooperated with neighboring countries over
strenuous issues such as the Indian minorities in the country, which she worked
to settle with an agreement with Indian Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri in
October 1964.
The
issue of Indian minorities in Ceylon started in 1950’s when they found
themselves deprived of citizenship under the rule of Sirimavo’s husband.
Indians in the island sought refuge to India, which refused them as well. The
agreement between Prime Minister Bandaranaike and Shastri hoped to end their
misery with India accepting 500,000 Ceylonese Indians while 300,000 would
remain in the island and given citizenship.
But
the Prime Minister later faced criticism over her betrayal of the Indian
minority when she placed them in a separate electoral registry rather than
alongside normal Ceylonese citizens, a symbolical shunning of them from
national suffrage.
On
the other hand, beyond relations with India, Sirimavo also extended relations
with other socialist and non-aligned countries, such as China, Egypt, and
Yugoslavia. She found it beneficial to strengthen relations with such country
in light of the West’s uproar on her nationalization policy.
Sirimavo’s
policy on economics on the other hand failed to help in alleviating poverty
within the country, which damaged her politically. She had to form an alliance
with the Marxist Lanka Sama Samaja Party or Ceylon Socialist Party and form the
United Front to maintain her position.
Worst
came further, when she passed the Press Bill, which placed the media under
state control, prompting the defection of 14 prominent party members to the
opposition. Ultimately, the failures and the defections translated to political
defeat in December 1964 and the United National Party took power briefly.
The
UNP’s attempt, however, to solve poverty through liberalization of the economy
worsened conditions that significantly damaged their position. After few years
in power, in the May 1970 election, they lose once again to Sirimavo
Bandaranaike’s party.
Sirimavo
Bandaranaike, then took started her 2nd tenure as Prime Minister.
Second Premiership
Challenges
immediately confronted Sirimavo upon her comeback. The insurgency of the Jatika
Vimukti Perumana (JVP) or the National Liberation Front stunned the Ceylon. The rebellion erupted as result of prevailing
economic hardships, especially of the country’s youth that formed the bulk of
the rebel group.
Sirimavo
faced the insurgency head on, sending the army to crush the rebellion and
seeking the assistance of foreign countries. Her appeal spread far and wide
that brought a huge and unbelievable coalition of nations to come into her aid.
Pakistan, India, United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union sent
troops, supplies, or any military support that helped the Ceylonese army to win
the insurgency in a matter of months.
After
the insurgency, Prime Minister Bandaranaike returned to her nationalist socialist
policy, along with her active foreign policy. It also came in with political
reforms that altered Ceylon’s name, government structure, and the center of
political power.
Her
government continued to pursue a command economy, nationalizing prominent
industries, especially agriculture and the tea industry. Private enterprise
lessened by the year under her government.
Sinhalese
language and Buddhism dominated further in Ceylon at the expense of the
minorities especially the Tamils in the northern part of the country. Their
alienation and marginalization resulted eventually to one of the most bloody
and notorious conflicts in world history.
In
foreign policy, she continued to be an active voice in the non-alignment
movement. She even hosted a summit of third world countries of the movement in
Colombo with herself as the chairperson.
But
the hallmark of her second premiership also was the constitutional reform she
ushered. In 1972, the government transformed from a parliamentary bicameral system
to a presidential form with a unicameral legislature. Hence, the power in the
government moved from the office of Prime Minister to the office of the
President. Also significant was the change in the country’s name, from Ceylon
to its present name Sri Lanka.
Her
second tenure, however, also failed to meet the problems of a declining
economy. Moreover, the country started to become a tinder box for ethnic
conflict between the Sinhalese and the Tamils. Under such circumstances, her
SLFP lose in the July 1977 elections, keeping only 8 seats in the 168 members
National Assembly.
Aftermath
Sirimavo’s
opponents, especially the UNP, worked to undermine and to crush her. In 1980,
she was expelled from Parliament and banned from holding any political office.
But in 1986, she surprisingly received a pardon from President Junius
Jayawadene, who belonged to the UNP. After her pardon and years in the
political wilderness, she attempted to stage a comeback in 1988 by running for
President. She completely failed. Nevertheless, she did won back her parliament
seat in 1989 and led the opposition.
Last Premiership and
Death
Although
she failed to be the President and remained an MP, Sirimavo continued to be a
strong political force. Her children also showed themselves as political astute
as their mother. Her daughter, Chandrika, became a socialist force within the
SLFP and she became the President of Sri Lanka in August 1994. As a tribute to
her mother, Chandrika appointed Sirimavo as her Prime Minister. The mother-daughter
tandem waged war against the results of their policies decades ago. A war
fought against Tamil separatist, disillusioned and infuriated over decades of
discrimination and marginalization.
In
August 2000, Sirimavo’s health faltered and during the elections in October,
she had a fatal heart attack, on which she succumbed and passed away. Sirimavo
Bandaranaike received numerous praise and criticism during the course of her
political life.
See also:
Bibliography:
Websites
“Hon. (Mrs.) Sirima Bandaranaike.” In Official
Website of the Prime Minister’s Office. Accessed on March 14, 2017. URL: http://www.pmoffice.gov.lk/profile.php?p_id=P00000000007&p=3
"Sirimavo Bandaranaike." Encyclopedia of World Biography.
Encyclopedia.com. (March 17, 2017). http://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/sirimavo-bandaranaike
Editors of
Encyclopedia Britannica. "Sirimavo Bandaranaike.” In Encyclopedia
Britannica. Accessed on March 14, 2017. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sirimavo-Bandaranaike
Jeyaraj, DBS. “’Stateswoman’ Sirimavo made history as the world’s first woman prime minister.” In Daily Mirror Sri Lanka. Accessed on March 18, 2017. URL: http://www.dailymirror.lk/108079/-Stateswoman-Sirimavo-made-history-as-the-world-s-first-woman-prime-minister
Mowlana, Alavi. “Golden Memories of a Political Prodigy.” In Daily News. Accessed on March 18, 2017. URL: http://archives.dailynews.lk/2001/09/26/fea25.html
Book
Silva,
K.M. A History of Sri Lanka. London: C. Hurst & Co., Ltd., 1981.
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