IN THE 1947 State Council elections, the estate workers’ votes significantly contributed to the election of many representatives from the highlands and leftists in the lower country areas.

Concerned by this, capitalist leaders passed Act No. 18 of 1948 to diminish the influence of plantation workers. A key requirement for obtaining citizenship was proving that the father or guardian was a native of Sri Lanka. Then in 1949, the Ceylon Citizenship Act No. 03 introduced even stricter conditions.