Leslie Goonewardene

Their ancestor Thome Rodrigo was a prince who was a signatory to the Malvana Convention in 1597.

As traditional chiefs of the area their ancestors had played a role in defeating Arya Chakrawarti's fleet at Panadura.

Though in adulthood Goonewardene did not have any religious beliefs, as a boy he was influenced by the ideas of John Wesley.

The Methodists were reputed for their contribution in the campaigns to abolish slavery and to make education more accessible, and in the Temperance Movement.

Goonewardene's family were prominent figures of the Methodist Church of Ceylon, and his father was a lay preacher and treasurer of the Home Mission Fund.

The "Panadura debate" (පානදුරාවාදය) was the final debate defending Buddhism against the arguments of the Christian missionaries.

The cause for the debate arose when Rev. David De Silva, at the request of Goonewardene's grandfather, Mathes Swaris Rodrigo Goonewardene, delivered a sermon on the soul at the Wesleyan Chapel in Panadura on 12 June 1873.

Mathes had funded and helped build the chapel.

The Buddhist orator Gunananda Thera delivered a sermon a week later criticizing the points raised by de Silva.

Following Thera's sermon, Mathes Swaris invited the respective parties for a debate, one that served as a pivotal moment in Sinhalese history.

Both parties signed an agreement on 24 July 1873 to hold another debate at Panadura.

Leslie Simon Goonewardene (ලෙස්ලි සයිමන් ගුනවර්ධන, லெஸ்லி சைமன் குணவர்தன; 31 October 190911 April 1983) was a prominent Sri Lankan statesman.

Goonewardene was born on 31 October 1909 in Panadura, south-western Ceylon, to the wealthy Goonewardene family, which was active in local colonial-era politics.

He was the son of Andrew Simon Goonewardene, a reputed doctor who served as President of the Panadura Maha Jana Sabha and chairman of the Urban Council.

The Goonewardene family were major proprietors of coconut property.

Goonewardene's mother died when he was a toddler.

She was from the well-known Fernando family of 'Whitehall' Katana, one of the wealthiest families in Ceylon, privately owning very significant amounts of land.

Leslie inherited all the wealth from his mother and, as his eldest son, a major share from his father.

This wealth allowed Leslie to serve as a major party (LSSP) financier in his later life.

His grand-aunt Selestina Rodrigo and another relative Jeramias Dias were the chief sponsors of the Panadura Ronkoth Viharaya and the reputed Panadura Vivadaya debate.

He founded Sri Lanka's first political party, the Lanka Sama Samaja Party, in 1935, and served as its General-Secretary from 1935 to 1977.

Goonewardene was a key figure in both the Indian independence movement and the Sri Lankan independence movement.

He was designated as a National Hero of Sri Lanka for his leadership in the independence movement, and his efforts are celebrated each year on the Sri Lankan Independence Day.

Born into an aristocratic Panaduran family, Goonewardene was brought up Methodist, educated in English-medium schools, and spoke Sinhala as well as English.

Goonewardene was shaped by the widespread Marxist teachings of the time, notably conflicting with his own privilege, resulting in him pursuing the study of government from the London School of Economics.

There, he was deeply influenced by the teachings of his professor, Harold Laski.

Upon his return to Ceylon from London, Goonewardene founded the Lanka Sama Samaja Party in 1935.

He rose to prominence leading the party through World War II, when it was key to the anti-war movement, culminating in its proscription and his escape from Ceylon to India.

In India, he founded the Bolshevik–Leninist Party of India, which was a revolutionary Trotskyist party, campaigning for independence and socialism in South Asia.

From the 1940s to 1960s, the Lanka Sama Samaja Party was Sri Lanka's main opposition party.

Through this, Goonewardene attempted to reform the former British colony of Ceylon into a socialist republic by nationalising organisations in the banking, education, industry, media, and trade sectors.

He was a significant figure in the Quit India Movement alongside Mahatma Gandhi, leading to India's independence from Britain in 1947.

In 1948, Ceylon followed.

In the 1950s, he had also led the re-introduction of inheritance tax to Sri Lanka, despite the opposition of wealthy established parliamentarians.

In the 1960s, the party led the United Front coalition, and through their election landslide brought the first female head of state to power.

Whilst initially declining a cabinet position, by 1970 Goonewardene believed he could implement his views best through a coalition government and brought about the United Front government.

Goonewardene's government was elected that year with an overwhelming majority, leading to his taking up senior cabinet roles.

During this time, he was an active critic of the nationalist Sinhala Only Act.

Goonewardene remained a key figure in the Non-Aligned Movement and the Fourth International, past his retirement in 1977 and until his death in 1983.

Despite being one of the largest landowners in Sri Lanka through inheritance, by his death he had pledged all of his wealth to charitable organisations.