“It began to look as if the government had not the vision or the will to undertake radical change. The fact that several prominent members of the government were extensive property owners made matters worse.

Also there was delay in implementing the promise of People’s Committees and finally a scheme was put forward where the ultimate power to appoint both members of the Committees and the Chairman was vested in the hands of a Minister.

So, very rapidly, opposition began to build up against the government. This opposition was spear-headed by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna in an extremely lively and imaginative manner. Here was a group of young people with vitality and with dynamic personalities who expressed themselves forcibly in choice and telling phrases in the Sinhala language. They drewq enormous crowds, though mostly young people, to their meetings. It soon became evident – through a somewhat elaborate programme of simultaneous posting of slogans throughout the country – that they had supporters in most parts of the country and were a highly organised movement.

The government attitude to this movement was the saddest part of its record. There was vigorous denunciation of it from public platforms and a public statement by the United Front condemning it. But there was no attempt to get on terms of dialogue with it – no attempt to approach it at a human level. No doubt, it was a movement with dangerous tendencies and the government would have been justified in investigating it and even, taking a certain firm action against it. But the tragedy lay in its having no clues to approach a vital and powerful section of the youth of the country in a human way. They just could not connect or communicate. This was serious failure at the political level. And it still remains the basic problem of the government.”

An excerpt from Violent Lanka: The Day of Slaughter, by Yohan Devananda. Published by Devasaranaramaya, Ibbagamuva, N.W.P., Sri Lanka, 1972