A E Gunasinghe was not only a labor leader

A great patriot, he was also a pioneer in the freedom struggle

Contribution to the country by this non-violent was immeasurable

Karu reveals the history
 

Chairman of the National Movement for a Just Society, Deshabandu Karu Jayasuriya points out that the service rendered to the country and nation by AE Gunasinghe who was not only a labour leader but also a pioneer in the freedom struggle and a non-violent who followed Mahatma Gandhi and Anagarika Dharmapala, was immeasurable.  

Chairman of the National Movement for a Just Society, Deshabandu Karu Jayasuriya was expressing his views at the ceremony held to mark the 100th anniversary of the Ceylon Labor Union where he further stated.

This event organised today I believe is an invaluable opportunity to speak a few words about Mr A. E Gunasinghe as the current generation perhaps only views him as a mere labour rights activist. However, it is a great disservice for us to forget his name from the annals of Sri Lankan history. 
 
Today we remember Mr A.E Gunasinghe with great respect. He was a patriot, a pioneer of the freedom struggle, a brave labour leader and a pacifist follower of Mahatma Gandhi. As we pay our respects to him today, I would like to briefly make note of important facts relating to his life as it is our responsibility to educate the present generation. 

The birth of Mr A.E Gunasinghe itself was remarkable as he was born on labour day - 1 May 1891 in Kandy. He was educated at the prestigious Dharmaraja College. Mr Gunasinghe commenced a temperance movement and took its leadership to prevent his contemporaries from engaging in vices such as the use of cigars, cigarettes and alcohol. This was his first foray into activism. 

While at school, Mr Gunasinghe also served as the Assistant Secretary of the school’s literary society and as the Deputy Editor of the school newspaper. A young Gunasinghe impressed by the self-sacrifice of Anagarika Dharmapala and Mahatma Gandhi to ensure the welfare of the public was inspired to follow the path of pacifism and non-violence. 

In 1910, Mr Gunasinghe arrived in Colombo to commence his career as a clerk at the Department of Railways. He took great pains to commence the Dehiwala Youth Association in 1911. He also commenced the printing of an English newsletter titled ‘Searchlight’ to instil sentiments of nationalism to awaken the nation. In addition to this, he started yet another newsletter titled ‘Veeraya’ priced at just Rs. 1 cent to inculcate the habit of reading among poor workers. 

He was able to render a great service by establishing the Ceylon Workers Union in 1913. For the first time in Sri Lanka, Mr Gunasinghe set up a night school in Borella to teach the English language to workers while he also established the Anderson College in Slave Island to educate children of lower-income families. 

On 18 March 1915, a public meeting was held at the Fort Racket Court Public Library under the chairmanship of Mr Gunasinghe where the ‘Young Lanka League' was established to mark the country’s 100th year under foreign colonisers. 

Mr Gunasinghe, while promising to lay down his life for the country and protect Sri Lanka signed the document holding the organisation's demands in his own blood. In 1918 he commenced yet another organisation called the Young Lanka Front. The intention of this organisation was to fight for the establishment of a free government system through a non-violent struggle by following the footsteps of the great Mahatma Gandhi. 

At the time, adult men who failed to pay a body tax of Rs. 2 were forced to crush stones for two days on the country’s roads. Mr Gunasinghe pointed out that only the poor were subjected to these harsh and unfair rules. He refused to pay the tax and began crushing stones in protest. The number of people who followed suit and chose to crush stones on the road began to increase by the day. He crushed stones under the scorching sun for nearly four years. As the crowds opting to crush stones rather than pay the tax increased, the British government was not able to procure enough equipment for crushing stones. The body tax introduced by the British was removed from Colombo in 1924 while it was scrapped in the whole of Sri Lanka in 1925. 

Mr Gunasinghe formed the Ceylon Labour Union on 3 September 1922 and rendered a yeoman service to ensure the well-being of the workers in Sri Lanka.  He always worked to protect the value of labour and its dignity at a time when service was treated akin to slavery. 

Due to the success of the railway strike initiated by him between 1922 - 1923 the government was forced to for the first time introduce a Labour Relief Commission and increase worker wages. Many workers' rights enjoyed today including that of paid leave were secured under his leadership and efforts. Forming the Labour Party in 1928, Mr Gunasinghe paved the way for Sri Lankan women to join politics. 

A meeting at the Colombo Municipal Council was organised to boycott the 1931 elections. T.B Jayah among others were scheduled to speak. He openly fought against the attempt to block the voting rights of the working people and declared that universal suffrage was a weapon of the poor amidst the loud cheers of those gathered. 

He was elected as the Councillor of Central Colombo in the 1931 elections displaying the value of voting rights. Mr Gunasinghe also later became the first Sinhala Buddhist Mayor of the Colombo Municipal Council. 

Mr Gunasinghe served as the Chief government whip, a Minister in the D.S Senanayake government of 1948, and an MP of the first and second legislative council as well as the first parliament of Sri Lanka for a total of 15 years 6 months and 19 days. He also served as the Parliamentary Secretary and State Minister to the Minister of Labour and Social Services. Mr Gunasinghe also served as Sri Lanka’s ambassador to Indonesia and Burma before passing away on 1 August 1967 at the Memorial ward of the National Hospital in Colombo. 

I would like to extend my thanks to the organising committee led by our dear Mr Wijitha Karadigonna for organising this event and allowing us to pay respects to a great man who truly deserves it.