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Sri Lanka The Donoughmore Commission
In 1927 a royal commission under the Earl of Donoughmore
visited Sri Lanka to ascertain why representative government as
chartered by the 1924 constitution had not succeeded and to
suggest constitutional changes necessary for the island's
eventual self-rule. The commission declared that the constitution
had authorized a government characterized by the "divorce of
power from responsibility," which at times seemed "rather like
holy matrimony at its worst." The 1924 constitution, considered
by the commission to be "an unqualified failure," failed to
provide a strong, credible executive body of representatives. To
remedy these shortcomings, the commission proposed universal
adult franchise and an experimental system of government to be
run by executive committees. The resulting Donoughmore
Constitution, promulgated in 1931 to accommodate these new
proposals in government, was a unique document that provided Sri
Lankans with training for self-government. The document, however,
reserved the highest level of responsibility for the British
governor, whose assent was necessary for all legislation. The
legislative branch of the government--the State Council--
functioned in both an executive and legislative capacity. Seven
committees performed executive duties. Each committee consisted
of designated members of the State Council and was chaired by an
elected Sri Lankan, who was addressed as minister. Three British
officers of ministerial rank, along with the seven Sri Lankan
ministers, formed a board of ministers. The British ministers
collectively handled responsibility for defense, external
affairs, finance, and judicial matters.
The Donoughmore Constitution ushered in a period of
experimentation in participatory democracy but contemporary
political scientists have criticized it for not having provided
an atmosphere conducive to the growth of a healthy party system.
The system of executive committees did not lead to the
development of national political parties. Instead, a number of
splinter political groups evolved around influential
personalities who usually followed a vision too limited or an
agenda too communally partisan to have an impact on national
politics.
Among the Sinhalese, a form of nationalism arose that sought
once again to restore Buddhism to its former glory. The Great
Council of the Sinhalese (Sinhala Maha Sabha), which was founded
by S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike in 1937, was the strongest proponent of
this resurgent ideology. Other groups followed suit, also
organizing on communal grounds. These groups included the Burgher
Political Association in 1938, the Ceylon Indian Congress in
1939, and the All Ceylon Tamil Congress in 1944.
Data as of October 1988
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