“The Colombo Municipal Council is ours. The green flag has always flown over the Colombo Municipal Council. Can we turn a blind eye to this by handing it over to the leftists…?”
This is what the then Prime Minister and UNP leader, Sir John Kotelawala, said in 1955, trembling with anger.
Sir John was furious that although the UNP had always formed the government, the Colombo Municipal Council—the heart of the UNP—had fallen into the hands of the leftists. The Mayor of Colombo was no ordinary leftist. The standard-bearer of leftist politics was Dr A. N. M. Perera, the celebrated “Double Doctor”, a brilliant intellect. At that time, the LSSP was a constant irritation to the Sir Johns, J. R.s and Dudleys of the UNP. By then, Dudley Senanayake had resigned as Prime Minister and withdrawn from politics.
“A municipal councillor has spoken to our councillors with a plan to take over the Colombo Municipal Council. Do you want him to speak like that?”
At that moment, the UNP General Secretary, Amarasuriya, tried to calm Sir John.
“It’s all right. Bring him in. If you can’t do it, we’ll hand over the task to him…”
Sir John said.
“Who is this man?”
Sir John asked.
“A man named Premadasa…”
the UNP General Secretary replied.
“I will speak to him. We will somehow drive out the N. M….”
Sir John said firmly.
By this time, Ranasinghe Premadasa—then elected to the Municipal Council from the St Sebastian Ward as a member of A. E. Gunasinghe’s Workers’ Party—was serving as a municipal councillor. Coming from a modest family in Kehelwatte, Premadasa knew that even if the doors of Gunasinghe’s party were open to him, gaining entry through the elite gates of Sirikotha in Colombo 7, Kurunduwatte, would not be easy.
Premadasa therefore devised a master plan. He did not do so out of self-interest alone. He was young at the time and aspired to the post of Deputy Mayor.
“The man is a boy from Kehelwatte. Can we trust him?”
asked the UNP leader in the Municipal Council.
“I don’t know the young man personally. But our councillors say he is a hard worker…”
the General Secretary replied.
“Bring a no-confidence motion from the UNP. I will take care of the rest…”
said Premadasa.
For the first time in history, the Kehelwatte municipal councillor—Premadasa—set foot in the elite Sirikotha of Colombo 7. Taking him at his word, the UNP brought forward a no-confidence motion.
N. M. Perera went to court against the motion. The court’s decision was due on the same day the motion was to be debated. N. M. attempted to delay proceedings until the verdict was delivered, allowing LSSP leaders Osmond Jayaratne, Bernard Soysa and J. E. Devarajah hours to speak in the debate.
However, matters did not go as planned. The standard-bearer of leftist politics, the Double Doctor himself, shocked his own camp by persuading Anthony Marshall—elected from Kotahena on the Communist Party ticket—and another member of the ruling group to support the no-confidence motion. The motion passed by a majority of two votes.
At that moment, the UNP hoisted the green flag once again over the Colombo Municipal Council. Deputy Mayor J. Rudra was removed, and Premadasa was appointed Deputy Mayor.
“The man is talented. Bring him into the UNP…”
said Prime Minister and UNP leader Sir John, fully aware that the Colombo Municipal Council had turned green once more. J. R. Jayewardene nodded in agreement.
Yes, many years later, Sajith Premadasa—the son of that same Premadasa—attempted a similar political manoeuvre to regain control of the Colombo Municipal Council, which had fallen to the JVP. This involved Ranil Wickremesinghe’s UNP, Namal Rajapaksa’s Podujana Peramuna, Nimal Siripala de Silva’s Sri Lanka Freedom Party, Dilith Jayaweera’s Sarva Jana Balaya, and Champika Ranawaka’s Janaraja Peramuna, along with several independent groups. Mujibur Rahman was entrusted with executing this strategy.
In the most recent by-election, no single party secured an outright majority in the Colombo Municipal Council. Sajith assigned Mujibur the task of forming an administration. However, the JVP government won over independent councillors with privileges, hospitality, and accommodation in five-star hotels, and ultimately consolidated power through the influence of a JVP-aligned Municipal Commissioner. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake intervened directly. Sajith and Mujibur were powerless against this political manoeuvring.
The UNP’s loss of the Municipal Council in 1954 paved the way for the great wave of 1956. That wave had already begun to form. Neither Sir John nor the UNP could withstand it. For the first time, the left—led by N. M. Perera—won several municipal councils, including Colombo, signalling the coming change of 1956.
Sajith Premadasa’s Samagi Jana Balawegaya contested the 2025 by-election only after the massive JVP tsunami of 2024. At a moment when the UNP of the past had failed to protect the Municipal Council from an approaching wave, Sajith—son of the man who once swam against the tide—defeated the JVP-backed Municipal Council budget and once again painted the council green. This was achieved by blending Ranil’s green, Namal Rajapaksa’s red, Nimal Siripala’s and Dilith Jayaweera’s blue, and Champika Ranawaka’s party colours.
“The young man from Kehelwatte is talented. Let us bring him into the UNP…”
Sir John said on that day.
“Sajith has won. Let us unite the UNP and the SJB and hand the leadership to Sajith…”
It is impossible to imagine Ranil ever saying that.
