372
82
would return a Tamil member to maintain a certain proportion of Tamil represen- tation to Singhalese representatives. This version of the proceedings of the Conference is supported by the concluding sentence of Mr. St. Nihal Singh's mem- orandum: "The arrangement of territorial constituencies is so designed as to provide for adequate representation of the Tamil Community in and outside
'olombo." The italicise are not Mr. Singh's.
39 was not ratified
28. The arrangement come to at the "Sravasti Conference by the Tamil Mahajana Sabhai, as the Tamils of Colombo made strong representa- tions to the Sabhai, insisting on the reserved seat for the Tamils in Colombo being openly declared, instead of being assured by any private arrangement.
20. It will also be seen that the eighth clause of the Honourable Mr. James Peiris's Reform motion, as it was originally drafted and notice of it given, was based on the arrangement come to at that Conference, and it was on the refusal of this Sabhai to ratify that arrangement he dropped that scheme of electorates, and suggested the appointment of a Commission to deal with the distribution and allocation of seats in the Legislative Council. This Sabhai states these facts to show what great value the Tamils have set on the Colombo reserved seat, and that Mr. Peiris's scheme of electorates would not have been withdrawn by him if the Tamils were satisfied with the arrangement come to at the Conference in regard to that reserved seat.
30. Paragraph 11 of the Memorial of this Sabhai refers to the grievous set- back which the Tamil community has received under the new constitution, as the result of the last elections. It is pointed out that instead of equal number of Singhalese and Tamil members in the last Council-3 and 3-there are now 13 Singhalese members--12 elected and 1 nominated--as against 3 Tamil members--- 2 elected and 1 nominated-and that every other community also has gained, although not to the extent the Sinhalese have gained.
31. In paragraph 13 of the Memorial of this Sabhai, it is pointed out how the Irish are represented in the British Parliament by a larger proportion of members than they are entitled to by their numerical strength, and how with the consent of the Hindu majority the Mohammedans of India are given much larger proportion of representation in the Legislative Councils of that Empire. It is further submitted that, under the present Irish settlement, in Ireland itself, the Ulster minority have been granted special privileges and safeguards to prevent their being swamped by the Irish majority.
32. This Sabhai begs also to bring to His Excellency's special consideration the statement contained in paragraph 22 of the Memorial of this Sabhai, namely. "that in a Council composed of representatives of various races and communities on the unofficial side, the members belonging to any single community should not be allowed to have a predominant voice in its deliberations as against unofficial members of all other Ceylonese communities combined." It is humbly hoped that the Government will, in any scheme of allocation of seats which it will recommend to the Secretary of State, act on the principle above enunciated.
33. It will be seen from the Memorial of the Sabhai that the Tamils have set a great value on a reserved seat for them in Colombo, not only for the representation of the important, influential and wealthy Tamil community in the Metropolis, but also for the prestige of their community. They feel that there should be a Tamil member resident in Colombo, as all other communities, Europeans, Burghers, Mohammedans and Indians, will each have one or more representatives residing there.
34. It is also submitted that Mr. Peiria's Reform motion not having been passed as he submitted to the Legislative Council, that he having withdrawn the scheme of distribution of seats and moved for a Commission to recommend a fresh scheme, and that ultimately a Committee of the Legislative Council having been unanimously decided upon to do it, with Mr. Peiris's consent, it is but right and proper that the Committee should be at once appointed, and the recommendations of that Committee form part of the proceedings of the Reform debate which His Excellency will forward to the Secretary of State with his recommendations.
95. This Sahhai in this memorandum submits some of the above additional facts in support of the case of the Tamils. in the full hope that their request for the restoration of their former proportion of representation to Singhalese representa- tion, including reserved seats for them in such localities where they form important
83
minorities, will receive the favourable and sympathetic consideration of His Excellency the Governor.
L. P. SPENCER,
Secretary, Tamil Mahajana Sabhai.
Jaffna,
28th January, 1022.
"True Copy."
L. P. Spencer.
Enclosure 3 in No. 42.
Jaffna,
1st September, 1922.
FROM THE SECRETARY, THE CRYLON TAMIL MAHAJANA SABHAI, JAFFNA, TO HIS EXCELLENCY, SIR WILLIAM HENRY MANNING, G.C.M.G., K.B.E., C.B., Governor and COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF IN AND OVER THE ISLAND OF CEYLON, WITH The DependENCIES THEREOF.
May it please Your Excellency,
I have the honour, by direction of the Committee of the Ceylon Tamil Mahajana Sabhai, to forward in triplicates copies of the memorial of this Sabhai, dated 13th November, 1921,* addressed to Your Excellency, and of its memorandum, dated 28th January, 1922, † submitted to you, on constitutional reforms, and to request that Your Excellency will be pleased to transmit them to the Right Honourable the Secretary of State for the Colonies for his information.
It appears
from the reply given in the Legislative Council on 24th August, 1922, by the Honourable the Acting Colonial Secretary, to a question of the Honourable Mr. James Peiris, that that memorial and memorandum having been addressed to Your Excellency, had not been sent to the Secretary of State.
2. Our Committee, at a meeting held to-day, unanimously decided that at a time when memorials to the Secretary of State from various public bodies in Ceylon on the subject of constitutional reforms are engaging his serious attention, he should be put in possession of the views of this Sabhai also, which is entitled to speak with greater authority than any other associations on all matters pertaining to the interests of the Ceylon Tamils.
3. Our Committee begs in this connexion to point out that though in the memorial and memorandum this Sabhai had inserted certain schemes of allocation and distribution of unofficial seats in the Legislative Council, representing the views of the Tamils in regard to the restoration of the former proportion of repre- sentation between the Sinhalese and the Tamils, yet this Committee has unanimously decided to adopt the scheme embodied in the memorandum of the minorities already forwarded to him, because under existing circumstances this scheme, which allots six territorial seats to the Tamil provinces and one communal reserved Tamil seat in the City of Colombo, as against 13 territorial seats to the Sinhalese Provinces, without additional seats to the Kandyan Sinhalese, recommends itself as a workable one acceptable to all the communities in the Island, except the Sinhalese represented by the Congress.
4. A perusal of the memorandum of this Sabhai will, it is hoped, satisfy the Secretary of State that the "Ceylon National Congress" is no longer "national," and that it is practically a Sinhalese organization, since the secession of the Tamils from it as a community. It is, therefore, submitted that the claims of the Congress to speak on behalf of all the Ceylonese Communities is not based on actual facts.
5. It appears from reports published in the Press that the Committee of the Colombo Tamil Association, posing as representing all Tamil Sections," has sent
a telegram to the Secretary of State disapproving the Minorities Memorandum. The public opinion existing among the Ceylon Tamils in general, in regard to the status claimed by the Congress and the Colombo Tamil Association, is well expressed in the leading editorial article on the "Political situation." contained in the Hindu Organ newspaper of 31st August, 1922. annexed.‡
A copy of the Hindu Organ is hereto
I have, &c..
L. P. SPENCER,
Secretary, Ceylon Tamil Mahajana Sabhai.
* Enclosure 2 in No. 8. * Enclosure 2.
↑ Not reprinted.
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