John Kotelawala

For his father, the Ceylonese police officer and businessmen, seeJohn Kotelawala Sr.

GeneralThe Right Honourable SirJohn Lionel Kotelawala CHKBEKStJ
Col. Sir John Kotelawala, c. 1951
3rdPrime Minister of Ceylon
In office 12 October 1953 – 12 April 1956
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Governor-General	The 1st Viscount Soulbury Sir Oliver Ernest Goonetilleke
Preceded by	Dudley Senanayake
Succeeded by	S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike
Minister of Defence and External Affairs
In office 12 October 1953 – 12 April 1956
Prime Minister	Himself
Preceded by	Dudley Senanayake
Succeeded by	S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike
Minister of Transport and Works
In office 26 September 1947 – 1954
Prime Minister	D. S. Senanayake Dudley Senanayake Himself
Succeeded by	Montague Jayawickrama
Member of theCeylon Parliament forDodangaslanda
In office 14 October 1947 – 5 December 1959
Succeeded by	A.U. Romanis
Personal details
Born	(1897-04-04)4 April 1897 British Ceylon
Died	2 October 1980(1980-10-02)(aged 83) Colombo,Sri Lanka
Political party	United National Party
Alma mater	Christ's College, Cambridge, Royal College, Colombo
Profession	Politician,Soldier,Planter
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	Ceylon
Branch/service	Ceylon Defence Force Sri Lanka Army
Rank	General(Sri Lanka Army), Colonel(Ceylon Defence Force)
Unit	Ceylon Light Infantry
Commands	1st Battalion, Ceylon Light Infantry

GeneralSir John Lionel KotelawalaCHKBEKStJPC(Sinhala:ශ්‍රිමත් ජෝන් ලයනල් කොතලාවල;4 April 1897 – 2 October 1980) was aSri Lankanstatesman, who served as the 3rdPrime Minister of Ceylon(Sri Lanka) from 1953 to 1956.

Born to a wealthy landholding and mining family, Kotelawala had a difficult childhood with the suicide of his father and the financial difficulties that followed. He was educated atRoyal College, Colombo,andChrist's College, Cambridge,before returning to become aplanterand run the family estates and mines. Kotelawala joined theCeylon Defense Forceas anvolunteer officerin 1922. Being from apolitically active family,he entered mainstream politics in 1931 having been elected to theState Council of Ceylon.He went on to serve as Minister of Communications and Works in theSecond Board of Ministers of Ceylon.Having served as the commanding officer of theCeylon Light Infantry,he transferred to the reserve with the rank ofcolonelin 1942.

With Ceylon gaining independence in 1948, he was elected to Parliament and became a member of the firstCabinetasMinister of Transport and Works.He was overlooked for the post of prime minister when his uncle, the first prime minister of Ceylon,D. S. Senanayake,died suddenly. A year later he succeeded his cousin,Dudley Senanayake,as the third Prime Minister of Ceylon, serving until his party lost the general election in 1956. Kotelawala retired from politics thereafter, going to self-imposed exile inKent.Having donated his home,Kandawala,to the state to form a defense university, he was granted the rank ofgeneralon his deathbed.

Early life and education

Kotelawela's father, John Kotelawala Snr

Kotelawala was born on 4 April 1897 toJohn Kotelawala Snr,apolice inspector,who later turned businessman andAlice Elisabeth Kotelawala(née Attygalle), daughter ofMudaliyarDon Charles Gemoris Attygalle,a wealthy land and mine owner. He had a younger brotherJustin Kotelawalaand a sister Freda, who later married C. V. S. Corea.

Main article:Attygalle murder

The Kotelawalas lived in considerable comfort owing to the considerable land and mine holdings of his grandfather Mudaliyar Attygalle, which his father managed following the death of his grandfather. After he was forced out of the management of the Attygalle estates by the family, Kotelawala Snr started his own business ventures including the Ceylon-Japan Trading Company. In 1907, he was arrested and found guilty of conspiring to murder his brother-in-law, Francis Attygalle. While the murder trial was underway, Kotelawala Snr committed suicide by poisoning himself.

Kotelawala was eleven years old when his father died and with this, the family fortunes declined after much funds were spent in the legal defence of his father. Alice Kotelawala who had converted to Christianity slowly built up the family wealth through careful management of their remaining land holdings and the share of the Kahatagaha graphite mine, which she received from her younger sister Ellen and brother-in-law,Fredrick Richard Senanayake.She was reputed for her social work and was later awarded aMBEin the1939 Birthday Honoursand aCBEin the1951 Birthday Honours.

Young Kotelawala attendedRoyal College, Colombo,representing the school in cricket, tennis, bo xing and football. He played in theRoyal–Thomian.He had to leave owing to involvements in theriots in 1915,embarking on a tour ofEurope,withWorld War Iraging. He remained in Europe for five years, spending most of that time in England and France, and attendedChrist's College, Cambridgeto study agriculture. Kotelawala was known as an aggressive and outspoken man who loved sports, horseback riding andcricketand, particularly as a young man, got into physical fights when he was insulted. He was fluent inSinhala,EnglishandFrench.After returning to Ceylon, he became a planter, running his family plantation estates and mines, which included theKahatagaha Graphite MineinDodangaslanda.He served as aJustice of the Peace.

Military service

In a time when serving in thevolunteer forceswas prestigious and a gentlemanly pursuit, Kotelawala gained a commission as asecond lieutenantin theCeylon Light Infantryon 15 September 1922. That year the regiment receivedcoloursfrom thePrince of Wales.He progressed with promotions tolieutenanton 27 October 1924,captainon 23 August 1929 andmajoron 1 October 1933. On 1 July 1939, he was appointed second in command of the Ceylon Light Infantry and served till 1 September 1940. He was promoted to the rank oflieutenant colonelon 1 October 1940 and was posted to the reserve of the regiment.

With the outbreak ofWorld War IIin theFar East,theCeylon Defence Forceincluding the Ceylon Light Infantry was mobilized and expanded for wartime service with theBritish Army.Kotelawala as the Minister of Communications and Works, became a member of the Ceylon's War Council and served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Essential Services Labor Corp.He provided his home,Kandawalato function as the officers mess for the wartimeRAF stationatRathmalana.He was promoted tohonorary rankofcolonelon 2 July 1942, the highest rank that a Ceylonese could achieve at the time in the Ceylon Defence Force.

Early political career

Kotelawala as a member of the Board of Ministers of the Second State Council of Ceylon in 1936.

As early as 1915 Kotelawala had become involved with political leaders such asDon Stephen Senanayakeand his brotherF.R. Senanayake,who was married to Kotelawala's mother's sister. They criticized many of the actions of theBritishcolonial officials following theriots in 1915.

State Council

Captain John Kotelawala contested theKurunegalaseat in the1931 electionfor theState Council of Ceylon.He gained 17159 votes, a majority of 9045 over his opponent from theCeylon National Congress.Elected to the State Council, he served as abackbencherin its first term.He was re-elected unopposed in the1936 state council electionfrom Kurunegala and was elected asMinister of Communications and Works,the chair Communications and Works Committee in theSecond Board of Ministers of Ceylon.As the Minister, he oversaw the initiation of several major public works projects in the island.

In Cabinet

The first Cabinet of Ministers of Ceylon

Just before Ceylon received independence anddominionstatus in 1948, Colonel Kotelawala had contested the1947 general electionsfor theUnited National Party(UNP), founded byD. S. Senanayake,from theDodangaslanda electorateand was elected to the newly formedHouse of Representatives,which was the elected lower house of parliament established under theSoulbury Constitution.Kotelawala was an important member of the UNP and was appointed by Senanayake asMinister of Transport and Works,retaining the portfolio of public works which he had held on the second board of ministers.

During his tenure major projects such as theLaxapana power project,expansion of theColombo harbour,expansion of theRatmalana Airport,construction of theUniversity of Peradeniyaand the expansion of road in the island took place.WithS. W. R. D. Bandaranaikeleaving the UNP and crossing over to the opposition, Kotelawala was appointedLeader of the Housein the House of Representatives on 12 July 1951.

Sir John Kotelawala as Minister of Transport visiting atAmsterdam Airport Schipholin 1951.

When Senanayake suddenly died on 22 March 1952, Kotelawala expected to succeed him as prime minister, given he was the leader of the house and the most senior member of the UNP. However, to his great anger,Lord Soulbury,theGovernor-General,appointed Senanayake's son and Kotelawala's younger cousin,Dudley Senanayake,as prime minister on 26 March 1952. An angry Kotelawala threatened resignation and a possible split in the party appeared. After mediation between Kotelawala and Senanayake by senior UNP members includingSir Oliver Goonetilleke,Kotelawala agreed to serve in Dudley Senanayake's cabinet, retaining his existing portfolio. Soon after Senanayake called for fresh elections and in the1952 general elections,Kotelawala was re-elected and retained his ministry and the post of leader of the house as the UNP won a majority to form a government.

The following year, the Senanayake government faced major civil unrest with left-wing parties launching the1953 Hartalin August. On 12 August 1953 civil disobedience, strikes and demonstrations started throughout the island by trade unions against the proposed elimination of the subsidy on rice by the government. The country came to a stand still with transport and communication stopping due to acts of sabotage. The government implemented emergency regulations and deployed the army to suppress the Hartal and restore order. Badly shaken by the events of the Hartal, Senanayake, who was gravely ill, resigned as prime minister on 12 October 1953. Kotelawala succeeded Senanayake as prime minister, Minister of Defense, Minister of External Affairs, and as leader of the UNP.

Prime minister

Domestic policy

His government partially retained the rice subsidy which led to the 1953 Hartal. An ardent anti-communist, he took a hardline stand against trade unions and left-wing parties. He formed theCeylon Railway Engineer CorpsandPost and Telegraph Signalsto minimise the effects on transport and communication in the event of trade union action.

He hostedQueen Elizabeth IIandthe Duke of Edinburghin Ceylon during their Royal Commonwealth Tour in April 1954, using the occasion to request the appointment of a Ceylonese Governor-General when Lord Soulbury's tenure ended. This came to be when Sir Oliver Goonetilleke was appointed Governor-General in July 1954. Kotelawala himself was appointed to theImperial Privy Councilduring the visit.

Foreign policy

Sir John Kotelawala meeting Dutch Prime MinisterWillem DreesatThe Haguein 1955.

As prime minister, Kotelawala led Sri Lanka into theUnited Nationsand contributed to Sri Lanka's expanding foreign relations, particularly with other Asian countries. In 1955 he led his country's delegation to theBandung conferenceinIndonesiawhere his performance earned him the epithetBandung Booruwa(Bandung Donkey) in Sri Lanka, for his lack of knowledge of the presence of the US 7th Fleet in the South China Sea, and his inability to pronounce "Formosan". His uncontroversial first speech at the conference was written by journalists at the Lake House group, However, he had been influenced by the British Government, as well as by his US-aligned permanent secretary Gunasena de Soyza to make anti-Communist remarks. He made these remarks at a press conference but subsequently withdrew them. He confessed later in Parliament that he had only made these remarks because he was pressured by de Soyza.At the conference he stated his belief that fashionably Marxistanti-imperialistrhetoric ignored Communist atrocities. In a private conversation with the prime ministers of Pakistan, India, Burma, and China, he asked the Chinese premierZhou Enlaiif he wanted to bring Communism to Tibet. Zhou replied that it was impractical and undesirable and that the PRC had gone to Tibet because it was "an integral part of the Chinese state" and because it had historically been threatened by "imperialistintrigues "from theBritish EmpireandImperial Russia.

Electoral defeat

His government had to deal with economic problems and ethnic tensions. Although his parliamentary term was valid till 1957, he had the Governor General to dissolve Parliament in 1956, calling for fresh elections. However, the UNP faced a major defeat in the1956 general electionsby a group of more radically chauvinisticSinhaleseparties under the leadership ofSolomon Bandaranaikewhich formed a coalition called theMahajana Eksath Peramuna,which had noncomplete agreements with other leftist parties. Of the 76 candidates fielded by the UNP only eight were elected to parliament, resulting in a humiliating defeat which made the UNP a minority in the opposition.

Final years in Parliament

Kotelawala retained his parliamentary seat having been reelected from the Dodangaslanda electorate, however, he did not attend parliament often sinceDr N. M. Pererahad become theLeader of the Opposition.He returned the party leadership toDudley Senanayakeand left the island. He did not contest the1960 general elections,instead, he supported the candidacy ofA. U. Romanis,his personalchauffeur,as the UNP candidate for Dodangaslanda. Romanis won both general elections in 1960 and remained a member of parliament till 1964.

Later life

Kotelawala retired from politics shortly after his electoral defeat. He bought the Brogues Wood estate atBiddendeninKent,where he lived for several years. He eventually returned to Ceylon. When the post ofGovernor-Generalappeared vacant with the completion ofWilliam Gopallawa's first term, he was hopeful that he would be nominated to the post by the United National Party which was in the government at the time. HoweverDudley Senanayakein his second term as prime minister did not name a successor for Gopallawa and allowed him to have a second term.

Defence university

Kotelawala was a strong supporter of the military and maintained close links with the army. He was the first Chairman of the Ceylon Light Infantry Association in 1974 and was the President of the Ceylon Ex Servicemen's Association from 1948 to his death. In 1978, the commanders of the armed forces identified a need to establish a Defence university to cater to the academic training of its officers. Although the government approved it, funds were limited and no location was provided by the government. In 1979,Lieutenant GeneralDenis Perera,Commander of the Sri Lankan Armyapproached Kotelawala with the proposal of donating his homeKandawalaand its 50 acres estate to the state to establish a Defence university. Six months later having reviewed the proposal and consulted his heirs, Kotelawala agreed to donate Kandawala following his death. On 11 July 1980, he signed a deed of gift with the President, transferring Kandawala atPresident's House, Colomboand a formal ceremony to establish the institution was scheduled for 11 October 1980.

Death

On 29 September 1980, he suffered a stroke at Kandawala and was taken to the cardiac unit of theColombo General Hospital.On 1 October, PresidentJ. R. Jayewardenevisited Kotelawala and conferred on him thehonorary rankof aGeneralof theVolunteer Force of the Armyin recognition for his long service to the country, which was acknowledged by Kotelawala who was on his deathbed. The honor was planned to be awarded on 11 October at the ceremony establishing the proposed Defense Academy.

He died on 2 October 1980 at the Colombo General Hospital. On 5 October, Kotelawala's coffin which was kept at Kandawala was moved toParliament Houseto lay in state, before final rites atIndependence Squarewith full military honours.

Personal life

He married Effie Manthri Dias Bandaranaike, daughter of F. H. Dias Bandaranaike and Maria Frances Dias BandaranaikeneeSenanayake, daughter of MudaliyarDon Spater Senanayakeand sister ofDon Stephen Senanayake.Although the marriage was not successful, ending in divorce, it produced a daughter, Lakshmi Kotelawala, who married Henry Gerald Kotalawala.

Kotelawala was known for his flamboyance and the company he kept. He would entertain guests at his home in Kandawala and his cottage in Nuwara Eliya. Even as prime minister he resided at Kandawala.

Legacy

In 1985 a national defence academy for the training of officers for all three Sri Lankan defence services was established at his estateKandawala,which he had left to the country in his will for this purpose. It has been namedGeneral Sir John Kotelawala Defence University(KDU) is a defence university offering undergraduate and postgraduate study courses to officers of the defence services in Sri Lanka in various disciplines. Statues of Sir John Kotelawala have been erected in many parts of the island, including one at theOld Parliament Building, Colombo.Many schools, libraries and public buildings have been named in his honour. In 1993, the Sir John Kotelawala Museum was opened in Kandawala by the President.

Honours

Sir John Kotelawala's Coat of Arms

An Official Letter toHarry Kotelawala

His Orders, Decorations, Medals and other memorabilia are on display at theGeneral Sir John Kotelawala Defence University.

Appointments

• Member of thePrivy Council(1954)

Honorary military appointments

• Generalof theVolunteer Force of the Army(1980)
• Colonelof theCeylon Defense Force(1942)

Decorations and Medals

Ribbon	Name	Date awarded
	Knight Commanderof theOrder of the British Empire(KBE)	1948
	Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour(CH)	1956
	Knight of Justice of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem(KStJ)	1965
	Defence Medal	1945
	War Medal 1939–1945	1945
	King George V Silver Jubilee Medal	1935
	King George VI Coronation Medal	1937
	Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal	1952
	Efficiency Medal(Ceylon) withclasp	1949
	Ceylon Armed Services Inauguration Medal	1955
	Knight Grand Cross of theLégion d´honneur	1954
	Order of the Rising Sun,1st Class	1954
	Knight Grand Cross of theOrder of Merit of the Italian Republic	1954
	Knight Grand Cross 1st Class of theOrder of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany	1955
	Knight Grand Cross of theOrder of the White Elephant	1956
	Knight Grand Cross of theOrder of the Netherlands Lion	1956
	Ceylon Armed Services Long Service Medal	1980
	Republic of Sri Lanka Armed Services Medal	1980
	Sri Lanka Army 25th Anniversary Medal	1980

Educational

• LLD(honorary) –University of Ceylon
• LLD(posthumously) –General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University

Electoral history

Electoral history of John Kotelawala

Election	Constituency	Party		Votes	Result
1931 state council	Kurunegala		Independent	17,159	Elected
1936 state council	Kurunegala		Independent	Unopposed	Elected
1947 parliamentary	Dodangaslanda		United National Party	17,548	Elected
1952 parliamentary	Dodangaslanda		United National Party	21,934	Elected
1952 parliamentary	Dodangaslanda		United National Party	20,286	Elected

See also

• Kotelawala cabinet
• List of political families in Sri Lanka
• General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University
• Ceylon Light Infantry

External links

• Media related toJohn Kotelawalaat Wikimedia Commons
• The Kotelawala Ancestry
• Attygalle Family Tree
• Website of the Parliament of Sri Lanka
• Official Website of General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University
• Official Website of United National Party
• PLAYING THE GAME WITH - SIR JOHN
• Sir John Kotelawala's early years
• Amara Samara in Sinhala
• Sir John Kotelawala in SinhalaArchived8 February 2015 at theWayback Machine
• Sir John Kotelawala in Sinhala
• Sir John Kotelawala in SinhalaArchived23 September 2015 at theWayback Machine
• Sir John Kotelawala's work
• General The Rt.Hon. Sir John Lionel Kotelawala PC CH KBE KStJ LLD