Nanayakkarapathirage Martin Perera, better known as N. M. Perera (6 June 1905 - 14 August 1979) was one of the leaders of the Sri Lankan Trotskyist Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP). He was the first Trotskyist to become a cabinet minister. June 6 is the 157th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (158th in leap years), with 208 days remaining. ... 1905 (MCMV) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... August 14 is the 226th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (227th in leap years), with 139 days remaining. ... This page refers to the year 1979. ... Trotskyism is the theory of Marxism as advocated by Leon Trotsky. ... The Lanka Sama Samaja Party (Sri Lanka Equal Society Party - LSSP) is a trotskyist political party in Sri Lanka. ...

NM Perera addresses a rally in Agalawatte

ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (467x754, 211 KB) NM Perera addresses a rally at Agalawatte Photographer unknown Personal collection of Anil Moonesinghe File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (467x754, 211 KB) NM Perera addresses a rally at Agalawatte Photographer unknown Personal collection of Anil Moonesinghe File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Agalawatte is an electoral division in the Kalutara District of Sri Lanka. ...

Education

Perera started his schooling in the vernacular section of St. Joseph's School, Grandpass and was later was admitted to the English section. From there he was sent for one year to a Branch School of St Thomas' College, then known as Cathedral Boys School, Mutwal. In 1919 he entered St Thomas' proper, but left in 1922 and joined Ananda College. At Ananda he played cricket for the school. The vernacular is the native language of a country or locality. ... 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... // Introduction A new daily English school for the Buddhist children was set up by the Buddhist Theosophical Society on 1st November 1886. ... A cricket match in progress. ...

He obtained a bachelor's degree from University College, Colombo and then left for the UK to join the London School of Economics. There he was a student of the legendary Professor Harold Laski, being awarded a PhD for his thesis on the Constitution of the German Weimar Republic. A further comparative study, of the Constitutions of the UK, USA, France and Germany, won him a DSc from the University of London. At the time Dr. N. M. Perera was the only person in Sri Lanka to hold the degree of Doctor of Science. The London School of Economics and Political Science, often referred to as the London School of Economics or simply the LSE, is a specialist university in London and is regarded as the worlds most prestigious social science institution. ... Harold Joseph Laski (June 30, 1893, Manchester, England - March 24, 1950, London, England) was an English political scientist, economist, author, and lecturer, and served as the 1945-1946 chairman of the Labour Party. ... PhD usually refers to the academic title Doctor of Philosophy PhD can also refer to the manga Phantasy Degree This is a disambiguation page — a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ... A thesis (literally: position from the Greek θέσις) is an intellectual proposition. ... The period of German history from 1919 to 1933 is known as the Weimar Republic (IPA , German Weimarer Republik). ... DSC might be an acronym or abbreviation for: differential scanning calorimeter differential scanning calorimetry digital selective calling DSc - A Doctor of Science document structure convention (PostScript programming) Distinguished Service Cross (USA) - an American military award. ... Senate House, designed by Charles Holden home to the universitys central administrative offices and its library The University of London is a federation of colleges and institutes which together constitute one of the worlds largest universities. ...

Political Life

The work done by Perera (as a member of the Suriya-Mal Movement) in the Kegalle district during the Malaria Epidemic of 1934 and during the subsequent floods gained for him the support of the poor and caste-oppressed people of the area, who called him Parippu Mahathmaya after the dhal (or parippu) he distributed as relief supplies. The Suriya-Mal Movement was formed in British ruled Ceylon (Sri Lanka) to sell Suriya (Portia tree) flowers on Poppy Day for the benefit of Sri Lankan ex-servicemen. ... Kegalle is a city in Sabaragamuwa Province in Sri Lanka. ... Caste systems are an ancient system of social stratification or hierarchy that have existed throughout history and throughout the world, but the most well-known caste system today is the Indian Varna system. ... Dal can mean: Dal (or dhal) is a Sanskrit and Hindi term referring to pulses which have been stripped of their outer hulls and split, as well as to the thick, spicy stew prepared therefrom, a mainstay of Indian cuisine. ...

In 1935 Perera was one of the founder members of the LSSP. In 1936 he contested the Ruwanwella constituency, which at the time was comprised of the Thun Korale areas of Yatiyantota, Ruwanwella and Dereniyagala and parts of the present Galigamuwa electoral division, from the LSSP. His opponent was Molamure Kumarihamy of the Meedeniya Walauwa, the feudal manor which had tremendous power over the poor people of the Sabaragamuwa area at the time. He was to hold this seat, or its Yatiyantota portion on division, continuously until 1977. 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Feudalism comes from the Late Latin word feudum, itself borrowed from a Germanic root *fehu, a commonly used term in the Middle Ages which means fief, or land held under certain obligations by feodati. ... For the area of Sheffield, in England, see Manor, Sheffield. ...

After his election, he and Philip Gunawardena (the other LSSP member of the State Council), acting as people's tribunes used the State Council as a platform to carry forward the party's struggle to gain full independence for the country from the British. At the time only people like N.M. Perera and the LSSP stood for complete independence for Sri Lanka: the leaders of the Ceylon National Congress were only concerned with obtaining concessions from the British. State Council or National Council is the name of a major governmental body in some countries. ...

He was imprisoned in 1940 during World War II, but succeeded in escaping on 5 April 1942. He secretly went to India and worked with the Bolshevik-Leninist Party of India, Ceylon and Burma (BLPI) in that country's independence struggle. 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrination, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atomic bomb. ... April 5 is the 95th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (96th in leap years). ... This article is about the year. ... Bolshevik-Leninist Party of India, Ceylon and Burma (BLPI) was formed in Indian groups and Lanka Sama Samaja Party of Ceylon. ... The Indian Independence Movement was a series of revolutions empowered by the people of India put forth to battle the British Empire for complete political independence, beginning with the Rebellion of 1857, reaching its climax with Mahatma Gandhis Quit India Movement (1942-1945), and Subhash Chandra Boses Indian...

After the war, when the LSSP split, Perera was the leader of the faction that retained the party name. After the 1947 general election, he was elected Leader of the Opposition. 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... A general election is an election in which all members of a given political body are up for election. ... The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest party not in government in a Westminster System of parliamentary government. ...

On reunification with the Bolshevik Samasamaja Party (BSSP), he remained with the LSSP when the Viplavakari Lanka Sama Samaja Party (VLSSP) split off under Philip Gunawardena. The Bolshevik Sama Samaja Party was the Sri Lanka (Ceylon) section Bolshevik Leninist Party of India (BLPI) after 1945 and of the Fourth International in 1948-1950, after the dissolution of the BLPI. After the war there was a split in the Lanka Sama Samaja Party(LSSP). ... Viplavakari Lanka Sama Samaja Party (Revolutionary Ceylon Equal Society Party) was a group that broke away from the trotskyist Lanka Sama Samaja Party, since Philip Gunawardena (of one the two principal LSSP leaders) refused to reconcile with the Bolshevik Samasamaja Party. ...

Perera was elected Mayor of Colombo in 1954, the only non-United National Party-politician to take that office after 1945. He was Mayor for two years. In 1956 he was elected Leader of the Opposition again, a post he held until 1960. A mayor (from the Latin maīor, meaning larger,greater) is the politician who serves as chief executive official of some types of municipalities. ... Towers of downtown Colombo Colombo is the largest city and commercial capital of Sri Lanka. ... 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The United National Party (UNP, Sinhalese:(pronounced Eksath Jathika Pakshaya), Tamil: ஐக்கிய தேசியக் கட்சி) is a political party in Sri Lanka. ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ...

When LSSP was divided over possible government participation in early 1960's, Perera was the principal leader of the wing that wanted to enter into government with the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, which led to LSSP's expulsion from the Fourth International in 1964. The Sri Lanka Freedom Party is a major political party in Sri Lanka. ... For the left communist Fourth International, see Communist Workers International. ... For the Nintendo 64 emulator, see 1964 (Emulator). ...

He was Minister of Finance in the short lived Coalition government of 1964 - 1965 and in the United Front government of 1970 - 1975. For the Nintendo 64 emulator, see 1964 (Emulator). ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link goes to calendar). ... The United Front was a polical alliance in Sri Lanka, formed by the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) and the Communist Party of Sri Lanka (CPSL) in 1968. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ...

In the general election of 1977, he lost his parliamentary seat for the first time, (except for the period he was imprisoned during the Second World War) having won every single election for the Ruanwella constituency or for its successor, Yatiyantota. For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ...

His funeral in 1979 was one of the largest ever seen in Sri Lanka. This page refers to the year 1979. ...

Trade union activities

Dr N.M. Perera was the president of the All Ceylon United Motor Workers' Union and of the Ceylon Federation of Labour (CFL). He was appointed their chief negotiator by the striking workers during the 1946 general strike. The All Ceylon United Motor Workers Union is a trade union which organises workers in the passenger bus sector in Sri Lanka. ... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... A general strike is a strike action by an entire labour force in a city, region or country. ...

Other activities

In 1939, he starred in the first ever Sinhala film.

An avid cricket fan, like many Commonwealth Trotskyists, he became Chairman of the Board of Control of Cricket in Sri Lanka, and worked hard to obtain test status for Sri Lanka. A cricket match in progress. ... Sri Lanka Cricket, formerly the Board for Cricket Control in Sri Lanka (BCCSL), is the controlling body for cricket in Sri Lanka. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Test cricket. ...

References

• Percy Wickremesekera, Dr. N.M. Perera 1905 - 1979 : An honest and upright politician, Sunday Observer, 15 August 2004. accessed 5 December 2005.