C. E. Victor S. Corea: Fearless challenger to British might
View(s):On June 9, 1962, before C.E. Victor S. Corea was laid to rest in the Chilaw cemetery, Speaker R.S.Pelpola, representing Prime Minister, Sirima R.D. Bandaranaike and the government said, “Chilaw has had the rare distinction of producing two of the greatest patriots who served in the country’s legislature, C.E. Corea and his brother C.E. Victor S. Corea who won the hearts of our people with their fearless campaign to achieve independence for our country.”
Standing tall: The statue of C.E. Victor S. Corea at Chilaw
Siriman Gunaratna, one-time Assistant Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, in his tribute to commemorate Victor Corea’s death anniversary published under the heading Men and Memories in the Sunday Observer of June 10, 1984 writes: “Victor Corea, is a descendent of Dominicus Corea Edirimanasuriya Vikramasingha Bandara also known as Edirille Bandara, General of the Sinhala Army who was crowned King of Kotte and Sitawaka. Victor Corea, always displayed an indomitable will and valour which were traits of his ancestors. He was known to be a man of steel guts and a fearless fighter who championed the cause of the common man. Amongst his many daring exploits, one that stands out in undying memory is his relentless fight to abolish the iniquitous Poll Tax in 1921.”
Victor Corea started his own printing press and published the Sinhala journal “Lanka Tharuna Handa” to inculcate a feeling of nationalism and a distaste for what was alien and foreign. He was popularly acknowledged as “The Champion of the Common Man” and fought fearlessly against any issue that oppressed his people. When the villagers of Marawela were suddenly prohibited from earning their livelihood out of limestone and the business vested in the government overnight, the senior men of the village turned to Victor Corea who championed their cause and won their rights to continue the business.
During the Sinhala-Muslim riots of 1915, Victor Corea fought shoulder to shoulder with his brother and other leaders, for the release of the fighters of the Temperance Movement and fought for the reform of the Constitution in order that Ceylon could free herself from imperial rule. Victor Corea and his brother C.E. Corea protected the Muslims in the Chilaw area from the wrath of the Sinhalese. The Corea brothers were responsible for completely exonerating the people of Chilaw from paying damages which was a penalty imposed on all the citizens of Ceylon. They both championed the cause of national unity and were acclaimed in Jaffna as outstanding leaders with C.E.Corea having the rare distinction of being the only Sinhalese to be elected President of the Jaffna Association.
As a politician, Victor Corea challenged the might of the British Government when he opposed the iniquitous Poll Tax which required every male in Ceylon, above the age of 21 to pay the British government two rupees as Poll Tax. Victor Corea, refused to pay it in 1921 and wrote to the Governor that according to their law he should be arrested. Orders were issued to arrest him and during his month’s stay in jail he was expected to break into small pieces, huge boulders stacked by the side of the road under the heat of the scorching sun. Later, inside the jail, he had to beat coconut husks and twist rope.
When orders came from the governor that Victor Corea be given a bed to sleep on and European food of his choice, he refused to accept any form of special treatment. When large crowds, increasing with each day, came from near and far to see the spectacle of an Advocate of the Supreme Court, from an affluent family, fighting the cause of his countrymen, the British, realizing that Victor Corea was gaining unprecedented popularity as a national hero, decided to abolish the Poll Tax and release him.
Shortly after his release Victor Corea, addressed a meeting at the Tower Hall in Maradana and The Times of Ceylon carried the following article :
“The Tower Hall in Maradana was the scene of an electrifying drama. But Annie Boteju and Marshall Perera were not the star attractions. The occasion was a political meeting. It was the climax of a Day of national mourning in remembrance of the Declaration of Martial Law on June 4th 1915. As this story unfolds, the Speaker on the platform is Mr.C.E. Victor S. Corea. June 4, 1922 was a Sunday and the thousands who packed the Tower Hall and its environs exploded in an orgasm of applause. The Times of Ceylon, always a faithful barometer of the political climate, recorded the next day that the Tower Hall was packed to utmost capacity. On the verandahs outside a tightly wedged mass of humanity surged to and fro, a large number remaining on the street outside. Such was the magnetic attraction of Mr. C.E. Victor S. Corea that the police party present was led by the Acting Inspector General of Police himself.”
Even though he waged a relentless campaign against the British government he did so with the ultimate goal of achieving Independence for his country. His campaign was similar to that launched by Mahatma Gandhi and Netaji Subas Chandra Bose in India. Mahatma Gandhi, as a part of his campaign distributed a colourful 15” x 20” poster under the caption FIighters for Swaraj and featured oval-shaped bust-size photographs of all the political giants in India who put their heart and soul fearlessly in their struggle to achieve Independence for India. Victor Corea, was honoured by having his photograph included alongside the Indian freedom fighters. When Mahatma Gandhi visited Ceylon, he specifically wanted to visit Chilaw and meet the Corea brothers. At a banquet hosted by the Corea brothers at “Sigiriya”, a beautiful home belonging to the Corea family, Mahatma Gandhi, personally handed a poster to Victor Corea in appreciation of the campaign he spearheaded at a national level in Ceylon which gave added strength to India’s campaign.
When the beating of hewisi in the Dalada Maligawa in Kandy was stopped on the orders of the Government Agent, a Britisher, because it disturbed the G.A. and his family, it was Victor Corea, a Christian, who rose in protest to display the courage and guts he was well known to possess, by asking the G.A. to shift his residence because the hewisi would continue in accordance to tradition. If the Diyawadana Nilame was not prepared to beat the hewisi in defiance, he vowed that he would come to the Maligawa and beat the hewisi himself. The G.A. withdrew his order fearing unrest in the country. The beating of hewisi has continued uninterrupted ever since.
Very few people of the present generation are aware that Victor Corea was the forerunner and the pioneer of the Labour Movement in Ceylon. When A.E. Goonesinha, formed the Labour Union, anticipating some form of resistance from the British government to curb its activities he wanted a bold and courageous President to give the Union the desired dynamic leadership. Victor Corea was the popular choice and under his stewardship he gave the Labour Union astute and fearless leadership.
In the Legislative Council of Ceylon, Victor Corea played an active role and vehemently fought against any move which he thought would be hazardous for his countrymen. He was a founder member of the Ceylon National Congress along with C.E. Corea, E.W. Perera, Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan, Sir P. Arunachalam, Francis de Zoysa and others. It was the greatest political force in the country at the time, inspired by its counterpart in India, the Indian National Congress.
On December 2, 2008, Chilaw paid a fitting tribute to C.E. Victor S. Corea by having his statue unveiled adjoining the District Court of Chilaw. The imposing figure of Victor Corea, in a standing posture (attired in the costume he designed for himself when attending sessions in the Legislative Council of Ceylon) was unveiled by the Chairman of the Urban Council, Chilaw, attorney-at-law, Hillary Prasanna Fernando who in his address said :
“Chilaw, indeed is proud to have produced a patriot of the calibre of C.E. Victor S. Corea who is a descendent of Edirille Rala. Victor Corea opposed every move of the British that had an adverse impact in the country and the people. He campaigned vehemently for Independence and sought the support of the people by uniting them. Today, we as grateful citizens of this country pay homage to a National Hero who fearlessly fought for the rights of our people and championed their cause.”