Could Sri Lanka/Ceylon have stayed a Dominion?

[SealTheRealDeal]

Ceylon attained dominion status in 1948 and became the Republic of Sri Lanka in 1972. Now most commonwealth states that became republics did so within a few years of their independence, very few waited more than a decade before making the switch. Ceylon's 24 years make it the third longest lasting former Dominion (tied with Mauritius) behind South Africa and Ireland. So:

a) Why did Ceylon take so long to become a republic? Was there legitimate attachment to the Crown/Britain, or did it just take them a while to hammer out a new constitution?

b) Could Ceylon stayed as a Dominion to the present?

 

[Kishan]

Ceylon which became independent in 1948 became a Republic only in 1972. Why they waited almost quarter of a century for the change is baffling. Indeed the Sinhala Buddhist Nationalism had rose up in Ceylon even before independence and it was against the dominance of Western culture. It was this Sinhala nationalism that brought SWRD Bandaranayake and his SLFP to power in 1956. It was an ardent supporter of this nationalism, a Buddhist monk, who assassinated Bandaranayake and paved way for his widow Sirimao Bandaranayake to take over his position. Perhaps it might have been the turbulent decade that followed and the SLFP and the UNP rivalry that diverted the attention of the politicians from this matter. Any how Ceylon/Sri Lanka would not have retained the Dominion status too long and would have made the conversion not too late.

 

[Kapellan23]

Ceylon attained dominion status in 1948 and became the Republic of Sri Lanka in 1972. Now most commonwealth states that became republics did so within a few years of their independence, very few waited more than a decade before making the switch. Ceylon's 24 years make it the third longest lasting former Dominion (tied with Mauritius) behind South Africa and Ireland. So:

a) Why did Ceylon take so long to become a republic? Was there legitimate attachment to the Crown/Britain, or did it just take them a while to hammer out a new constitution?

b) Could Ceylon stayed as a Dominion to the present?

So they just changed the name. Were dominion, and became a member of the "Commonwealth".