Monday, Dec. 14, 1959

Short Term

"I shall insist on discipline with a capital D," declared Wijayananda Dahanayake when he became Prime Minister of Ceylon after the assassination of his predecessor, S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike. But soon Dahanayake was surrounded by chaos with a capital C. Hardly had Bandaranaike been buried when dark rumors spread that colleagues of "Daha" himself had plotted the killing. Daha's Finance Minister was under a cloud, and his glamorous female Minister of Housing and Local Government was jailed on charges of complicity in the assassination. Moreover, Ceylon's economy was in bad shape, and Daha's chaotic Sri Lanka Freedom Party was so badly split that the regime survived one no-confidence motion by only one vote. Last week, after 70 days in office, Daha decided it was time to quit, with a capital Q. Dissolving Parliament, Governor General Sir Oliver Goonetilleke called for new elections March 19. In the meantime, Dahanayake will head an interim government.