What is given above is the testimonial issued by Prof. Harold J. Laski of the London School of Economics to one of his illustrious pupils N. M. Perera. Dr. N. M. Perera’s Post- Graduate studies were not only in England but included France and Germany. He had the privilege of studying under Prof. Graham, Prof. Parsley, Prof. Hobhouse and Prof. Paroe. On his return to his native country Dr. N. M. Perera a Bsc, Dsc and PhD (London) of the London School of Economics inspired with socialist ideas opted to a University career that was short- lived. Dr. Perera was born on 5th June 1905. He passed away on 14th August 1979. During the span of his active life Dr. Perera was the Leader of the LSSP, member of the State Council, political prisoner and jail breaker, member of the country’s first Parliament, Mayor of Colombo twice, leader of the opposition in parliament and twice Finance Minister.

He was at the leadership of the mass movement in our country from 1935, the year the LSSP was formed. In the words of his contemporary, Dr. Colvin R. de Silva, Dr. N. M. Perera was a pioneer in taking politics to the common man and involving the common man in the political process. From the time he participated in the Suriya Mal Movement up to the time he led the protest against the current Constitution he was an active leader marching with the masses in defence of their rights.

In an era when politics depended heavily on family ties and feudal relations it was the likes of Dr. N. M. Perera who raised the social consciousness of the oppressed masses at that time. Dr. N. M. and his colleagues played a pioneering role in establishing the first organized political party in the country with a socio-political - economic agenda. His election to the State Council in 1936 provided him a tribune to espouse the cause of the poor and the oppressed and launch a strategy against the oppressive elements both within and outside the State Council. Dr. N.M. Perera pursued this strategy relentlessly until his death in 1979. He was not content with merely analysing, interpreting and conceptualizing the reality of the world around him. He was determined to transform the society in which he was born. For this he depended on the broad masses and the organized power of the trade union movement which he came to head during his lifetime as President of the Ceylon Federation of Labour.

In the changed post - independence period he began to develop the belief that socialist forces could make use of the parliamentary process to usher the much needed reforms for a breakthrough to the ultimate goal of a society free of oppression, inequality and a society in favour of social equity, welfare and freedom.

Dr. N. M. Perera did not possess the necessary state power to be able to complete his cherished goal of social transformation in his life time. He acquired some limited state power during 1970-75 period as Minister of Finance in a coalition government in which the LSSP was a junior partner. During his tenure as Minister of Finance he sought to implement policies with a strong bent towards fair distribution of income and wealth by preventing concentration in the hands of a few. He made a number of proposals such as Capital Levy, increase in the wealth tax, compulsory savings and ceiling on income and expenditure. He also carried out a Demonitisation exercise for Rs. 100/- and Rs. 50/- notes as a means Of flushing out "hoarded black money" in his Budget Speech of 1975 he disclosed that over the years some 40 family groups have succeeded in achieving a disproportionate concentration of wealth in their hands and that 11 of these families own investments worth Rs. 205 million (at the then prevailing values). In the Budget for the year he provided for the increase of wealth tax to 8 percent on net wealth exceeding Rs. 900,000. This and other proposals of the Budget were never implemented. They provided the provocation to remove him and his party from the Government. The SLIT threw him and the LSSP out of the government in order to wealth of the capitalist class.

Some of Dr. N. M. Perera’s proposals are of great relevance today as the capitalist globalization and neo-liberal policies have brought about the present economic crisis that has thrown to the surface the massive rackets and frauds due to insatiable greed promoted by financial globalization. The infamous Sakviti and Golden Key scams may not have taken place under the vigilant eye of Dr. N. M. Perera.

One other area In which Dr. N. M. Perera displayed his principled politics was in espousing and defending the cause of the minorities. He consistently championed the just rights of all religions, linguistic, national and caste minorities. In 1948 when one million plantation workers were deprived of the citizenship rights he was one who raised his voice and protested.

‘Shanie’ writing in the Political Notebook of a No Body in the Island quoting Dr. N. M. Perera’s speech during the debate on the Citizenship Bill in Parliament states that "it is appropriate even today". On another occasion he said "Racial prejudice does not come from the bottom. It always come from the top". In 1956 when the Tamil language was denied its legitimate place he and the LSSP raised their voices for justice. Dr. N. M. Perera did not live to see the emergence of the LTTE and its armed struggle for a separate state of Eelam but his perceptive remark made in 1979 "what might have satisfied the Tamil community twenty years back cannot be adequate twenty years later. Other concessions along the lines of regional autonomy will have to be in the offing if healthy and harmonious relations are to be regained" is a possible political way out of the predicament the country faces as an outcome of the "war against terrorism".

Dr. N.M. Perera personified the LSSP and the LSSP found in him a charismatic figure to promote its political ideals shaped by Dr. N.M and his other colleagues in the party. Dr. N.M. Perera’s marked individuality and the stance he adopted mattered most in the party. Notwithstanding he was a disciplined conscious leader who dedicated himself to preserving the ideological identity of the Party.

In a tribute to his colleague Dr. Colvin R. De Silva stated "N. M. was an organized man, an organizational man and man of the organization. The party Dr. N. M. Perera helped to form is today struggling to escape oblivion mainly due to lack of men of Dr. N. M’s calibre who had the vision focused on the mission they undertook in life.

Dr. N. M. Perera is remembered by a grateful public twice a year on the occasion of his birth and death anniversaries the observances of which are conducted by the Dr. N. M. Perera Centre set up with the guidance of his colleagues Dr. Colvin R. de Silva, Mr. Bernard Soysa and Mr. N. S. E. Perera, the most senior Trustee in the present Board of Trustees. It received the generous support of former President Ms. Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga who was instrumental in allocating the site for the monument, which was erected by a grateful public.