415
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of the Executive Council would not, constitutionally, have a divided responsibility: but my knowledge of the Ceylonese character and of local conditions and methods of thought make it clear to my mind that responsibility to the Legislative Council would be vehemently insisted upon by the local Press and in Congress, and that that extreme sensitiveness to public criticism which is a characteristic and predominant weakness of the Eastern character, and which is most pronounced in Ceylon, would quickly and completely influence Elected Members of the Executive Council, and make them assent to the more popular, or perhaps it is better to say the louder, opinion on the subject.
am
Under existing conditions, I have been able to appoint as Members of the Executive Council representatives of the European, Sinhalese and Tamil communities, with considerable advantage to the public interest. But if administrative as well as advisory responsibilities were placed upon them, I fear greatly that it would not be possible to find a suitable European who could time to serve on the Executive Council. You are well aware of the great interests spare the in Ceylon owned by Europeans both resident and non-resident, and I should much deplore the disappearance of a European Member from the Executive Council. I fully alive to the necessity that will arise, when the proposed increase in the Unofficial element in the Legislative Council has taken place, for obtaining support for Government measures in that direction, but I am satisfied that the hands of Government would be weakened rather than strengthened if practical effect were given to Your Grace's proposals. So far as a Government measure was to the taste of the Unofficial element in the Legislative Council, the support of the Unofficial Members of the Executive Council would not be required; but if a Government measure were distasteful to the Legislature, I regret to have to express the well- considered opinion that, though any assent obtained to such a measure in Executive Council from Unofficial Members might not be publicly withdrawn, Government would be very shortsighted if it expected strong exertions to influence hostile Members of the Legislative Council in its favour. The courage which enables a man who is convinced of their correctness to profess publicly unpopular opinions is not as common as it might be in countries where parliamentary institutions are of long standing and divergencies of opinion are treated as matters of course, and as not necessarily requiring that they should be punished by ostracism. But in Ceylon, we do not even approximate to that state of mind. With possibly a single exception, courage in the face of hostile public opinion does not exist in Ceylon, and a majority at once turn to methods of boycott, social, professional and commercial, as the natural weapons to employ against the holder of unpopular opinions. I am convinced, therefore, that unless the Government is to make a practice of giving in to the views of the Unofficial Members of the Executive Council, that the latter will prefer to resign rather than to risk, even in the slightest degree, their popularity with the clamant section of the Ceylonese public. Under parliamentary institutions, resignations by Members of a Government are restrained by party loyalty and the knowledge that an educated public would condemn their being had recourse to except for very grave reasons of principle; but in Ceylon, resignations would be an easy means of regaining a waning popularity, and its frequency would be used as an argument against the continuance of the form of Government under which they occurred.
Furthermore, as it appears to me, it will be necessary appreciably to increase the number of Unofficials on the Executive Council, if one or more of them are to be placed on each of the new sub-committees. Men of combined leisure and means are very few in Ceylon, and if to those qualifications you add character and ability, I greatly fear that the field of selection will be a very small one. Even if a salary were attached to a seat on the Executive Council, I am persuaded that it would be difficult to place on each sub-committee one Unofficial; if that number were increased to two, it would be impossible unless the number of Executive Councillors were so considerably increased that the present official element on it would be placed in a permanent minority.
I say it with all respect, and only under the grave responsibility I am under. in a matter of such vital importance, to speak my mind frankly, but I am convinced that, for the reasons I have given, Your Grace's proposals would fail to satisfy the extreme and most vocal section of political opinion in the Colony, and would result in hampering Government to such an extent as would either make a much
19
greater advance towards the grant of full responsible Government immediately necessary, or require that recourse should again be had to the parliamentary institutions in existence before the Ceylon (Legislative Council), Order in Council 1920, came into operation.
I have made the statement that the extreme and most vocal section of political opinion would not be satisfied, but have so far made no mention of that moderate opinion which, to a greater or less extent, exists in all communities. I regret to have to say that moderate opinion in Ceylon, must, when estimating political forces, be left out of account. In all places, moderate opinion is distinguished by gentleness, if not timidity, of expression; in Ceylon, it only finds expression in the safety of a private conversation and goes, in public, to swell that clamour against Government measures which passes for politics in this community.
I have, in a separate Confidential despatch of this date, quoted a case which occurred in British Guiana, where the experiment of appointing an Elected Member of the Combined Court in that Colony to be a Member of the Executive Council failed for the very same reasons which I consider would operate in Ceylon.
I have, &c.,
40633
No. 25.
W. H. MANNING,
Governor, &c.
THE GOVERNOR to THE SECRETARY OF STATE. (Received 14th August, 1923,)
(Confidential.)
MY LORD DUKE,
[Answered by No. 37.]
The Queen's House, Colombo, Tuesday, 24th July, 1923. WITH reference to your Confidential despatch A, of the 28th June, f I enclose a statement showing the functions of the Executive Council, which I trust will give you the information you desire. The duties of Executive Councillors, you will observe, are onerous, and much time is occupied at most meetings of the Executive Council in connexion with the numerous murder cases which in Ceylon are unfortunately very frequent, and as regards the Unofficial Members who are usually busy men, no inconsiderable call is made upon their time. In addition to the duties of the Executive Councillors in Council itself, there are also circulated a very large number of papers for written opinions, and it is a very frequent occurrence that the sittings of the Executive Council are prolonged, since there are many matters of importance to be decided and which require most detailed examination. The Royal Instructions have been closely followed, and every matter of importance has been referred to the Executive Council and very carefully discussed therein.
In regard to matters in connexion with the Reform of the Constitution, since this subject has been many times very fully debated upon under resolutions moved by Unofficial Members of the Council, and full reports submitted to you, I have not considered it necessary to submit the matter for further discussion in Executive Council, since, in my opinion, in these circumstances, further debate in Executive Council would not have been to any advantage, Government having very fully explained its attitude in the Legislative Council; and further, I am inclined to think that material prejudice would have been sustained had I consulted the Council thereupon until I had submitted to you the reports of the debates and my opinion, after discussion with my advisers here, as to the attitude to be taken up.
As to the question as to how important problems of administration on questions as to the form of draft legislation to be presented to the Legislature are normally discussed in the Executive Council, I can only say that they are very fully discussed, and special weight is always given to the views held by the Unofficial Members of the Council, and especially those of the Ceylonese Members. recognized that with a large unofficial majority in the Legislative Council, the I have very fully support of the Unofficial Members in that Council for Government measures should be, if possible, secured, and I stated this fact in my speech during the debate on the *No. 40458123: not printed. ! No. 82510/28: not printed.
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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
C.O. 882/10
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO