Meryl Fernando
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 | 18 April 1923 |
Died | 27 May 2007 Moratuwa, Sri Lanka | (aged 84)
Profession | Teacher |
Ethnicity | Sinhalese |
Weerahennedige Theodore Wilfred Meryl Fernando (18 April 1923 – 27 May 2007) was a
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 organised 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
Fernando stood as the LSSP(R) candidate in Moratuwa at the 1965 parliamentary election but failed to get re-elected.
Fernando died on 27 May 2007 at his home in Koralawella, Moratuwa.[2][3]
Electoral history
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
- ^ "Directory of Past Members: Meryl Fernando". Parliament of Sri Lanka.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Meryl Fernando stood for working class - Prof Tissa Vitharana". Daily News (Sri Lanka). 25 June 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Meryl is no more". The Island (Sri Lanka). 29 May 2007.
- ^ a b "Obituaries". Daily News (Sri Lanka). 29 May 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Plant, J. J. "Obituary: Meryl Fernando (1923–2007)". Marxists Internet Archive.
- ^ a b c d e f g Fernando, Meryl (27 January 2002). "Shunned power for principles". The Island (Sri Lanka).
- ^ a b c d e Fernando, Amaradasa (5 January 2002). "Edmund Samarakkody kept faith to the last". The Island.
- ^ a b "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1956" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lankaa. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-12-09.
- ^ a b "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1960-03-19" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-12-09.
- ^ a b "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1960-07-20" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-12-09.
- ^ a b c "Leftists join the government". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka). 22 June 2008.
- ^ a b "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1965" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-12-09.
- ISBN 0-8223-0975-0.
- ISBN 0-520-01713-7.
- ^ a b "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1977" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-17.