page_title: Vivienne Goonewardene
section_title: Lanka Sama Samaja Government (1970–1975)
hierarchical_section_title: Vivienne Goonewardene / Lanka Sama Samaja Government (1970–1975)
caption_attribution_description: English: Sirimavo Bandaranaike, Prime Minister of Ceylon, 1961
context_page_description: Violet Vivienne Goonewardene, commonly known as "Vivi", was a Sri Lankan anti-colonial activist and prominent politician, serving as one of the world's first female ministers. She was the first and, to date, only female National Hero of Sri Lanka. A key figure in both the Indian independence movement and the Sri Lankan independence movement, her efforts are celebrated each year on the Sri Lankan Independence Day.
  Born into an affluent family to a pro-monarchy conservative, Goonewardene was educated in Buddhist, English-medium schools, speaking Sinhala and Hindi as well as English. While at secondary school, Goonewardene became involved in the anti-imperialist Suriya-Mal Movement, fighting against perceived injustices. She also volunteered during the 1934 Malaria Epidemic, at which time she witnessed rampant malnutrition of the poor. In her childhood, Goonewardene was deeply exposed to the ideologies and activities of the socialist movement from a young age through her maternal uncles, themselves leaders within the socialist circles, Philip Gunawardena and Robert Gunawardena. It was with their help that she defied her father and pursued higher education.
context_section_description: By 1970, Leslie and Vivienne believed that they could implement his views best through the SLFP coalition and joined the SLFP-led United Front government. That year, the United Front, made up of the LSSP, was elected to power in landslide. The LSSP had 18 MPs in the House of Representatives. Goonewardene became Secretary of Home Affairs and Junior Minister of Health. By July, she had worked to convene a Constitutional Assembly to replace the British-drafted constitution with one drafted by the Ceylonese. Policies requiring that permanent secretaries in the government ministries have expertise in their division were introduced. For example, those serving in the Ministry of Housing had to be trained engineers, and those serving in the Ministry of Health, medical practitioners. All government employees were allowed to join Workers Councils and at the local level, People's Committees were established to allow input from the population at large on government administration; this was brought from the LSSP management structure. The changes were intended to remove elements of British colonisation and foreign influence from the country's institutions.
  Facing budget deficits of $195 million – caused by rising energy and food-importation costs and declining revenue from coconut, rubber and tea exports – the Government attempted to centralise the economy and implement price controls. During this time, Bandaranaike announced that her government would not recognise Israel, until the country peacefully settled its problem with its Arab neighbours. The Government also officially granted recognition to East Germany, North Korea, North Vietnam, and the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam. Goonewardene opposed the development of an Anglo-US communications centre in the Indian Ocean, maintaining that the area should be a "neutral, nuclear-free zone". In December, the Business Undertaking Acquisition Act was passed, allowing the state to nationalise any business with more than 100 employees. Ostensibly, the move aimed to reduce foreign control of key tea and rubber production, but it stunted both domestic and foreign investment in industry and development.
  Despite the efforts of Goonewardene and other leftist elements of the government to address the country's economic problems, unemployment and inflation remained unchecked. After 16 months in power, the United Front government was almost toppled by the 1971 Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna Insurrection of militant left-wing youths. Contrary to the LSSP, the JVP believed that socialism would be best implemented militarily. Though aware of the militant stance of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (People's Liberation Front), the administration initially failed to recognise them as an imminent threat, dismissing them as idealists. On 6 March, militants attacked the U.S. Embassy in Colombo, leading to the declaration of a state of emergency on 17 March. In early April, attacks on police stations evidenced a well-planned insurgency that Ceylon's small army was ill-equipped to handle. Calling on its allies for assistance, the government was saved largely because of the LSSP's neutral foreign policy and Goonewardene's long-term stance as a member of the "Non-Aligned Movement". The Soviet Union sent aircraft to support the Ceylonese government; arms and equipment came from Britain, the United Arab Republic, the United States, and Yugoslavia; medical supplies were provided by East and West Germany, Norway, and Poland; patrol boats were sent from India; and both India and Pakistan sent troops. On 1 May, the government suspended their offensives and offered an amnesty, which resulted in thousands of surrenders. The following month a second amnesty was offered. One of the nation's first actions after the conflict was to expel North Korean diplomats, as it was suspected they had fomented the radical discontent.
  In May 1972, Ceylon was replaced by the Republic of Sri Lanka after a new constitution was ratified. Though the country remained within the Commonwealth of Nations, Queen Elizabeth II was no longer re
caption: Bandaranaike and her military escort, pictured in 1961
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