Meryl Fernando
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Honourable Meryl Fernando MP |
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| Member of the Ceylonese Parliament for Moratuwa |
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In office 1956–1960 |
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| Preceded by | Chandrasiri Somaweera |
| Succeeded by | Ruskin Fernando |
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In office 1960–1965 |
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| Preceded by | Ruskin Fernando |
| Succeeded by | Ruskin Fernando |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 18 April 1923 |
| Died | 27 May 2007 (aged 84) Moratuwa, Sri Lanka |
| Profession | Teacher |
| Ethnicity | Sinhalese |
Weerahennedige Theodore Wilfred Meryl Fernando (18 April 1923 – 27 May 2007) was a Ceylonese teacher, trade unionist, politician and Member of Parliament.
Fernando was born on 18 April 1923. He was educated at Prince of Wales' College, Moratuwa. After school he joined Ceylon University College in 1941, passing the London intermediate examination in 1944. Later he studied at the Teacher Training College in Maharagama and qualified as a teacher.
Fernando was married twice - to Christobel and Wimala. He had two children - Sharmalie Nimalka Nagle and Arosha.
Fernando became involved in politics whilst at university and in 1944 dropped out of university to work full-time for the Ceylonese branch of the Bolshevik–Leninist Party of India, Ceylon and Burma (BLPI). He met Edmund Samarakkody, with whom he would be politically associated with for most of his life, whilst working for the BLPI. After World War II Fernando organised labour at the Elephant match-factory in Moratuwa. He worked for the Moratuwa branch of the Kelaniya Match Workers Union for two decades and served as the branch's secretary for several years. In 1948 he got the carpentry workers at Willorawatta, Moratuwa, to join the Industrial and General Workers Union, an affiliate of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP)). Fernando and Doric de Souza successfully negotiated better employment conditions for the carpentry workers. Fernando also orgnaised workers at the Velona Garment Factory and the Lanka Light Match Factory in Moratuwa. Fernando was arrested and imprisoned during the 1953 hartal.
In 1948 the BLPI merged with the Congress Socialist Party to create the Socialist Party. The BLPI's Ceylon branch became a separate party, the Bolshevik Samasamaja Party (BSP). The BSP and LSSP merged in 1950. Fernando was elected to Moratuwa Urban Council in 1950 as the LSSP member for Koralawella Ward. He was a member of Moratuwa Urban Council until 1967 and served as its chairman. He stood as the LSSP candidate in Moratuwa at the 1956 parliamentary election. He won the election and entered Parliament. He did not have a car and traveled to Parliament by bus. He lost his seat at the March 1960 parliamentary election but re-gained it at the July 1960 parliamentary election.
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