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Former Prime Minister, Sirimavo R. D. Bandaranaike, whose second death anniversary was commemorated on October 10th, was regarded by many as the "Iron Lady of Lankan Politics". What accounts for this reputation was her firmness, consistency of purpose and honesty coupled with a no-nonsense approach to the affairs of state. She was also blessed with the rare gifts of fortitude and courage.

It was during her second tenure as Prime Minister from 1970 to 1977 that most of these cherished qualities in a political leader, came to the fore. It was a period of comparative social peace and stability in Sri Lanka. Although the rumblings in the North-East, which were to degenerate into savage civil and political strife, were just beginning to be heard, the social welfare system over which Premier Sirimavo Bandaranaike could be said to have presided, and which was the pride of Lankan democracy, went some way towards containing the incipient socio-political crisis.

We arrive at this assessment in view of the pivotal role, the dismantling of the social welfare system in later years played, in aggravating the ethnic conflict. For, the basic needs of the poor and the needy were better looked after in a socio-political order where social welfarism took pride of place.

Quotas, curbs and cutbacks were seen as the order of the day, but we were comparatively free of the present day scourges of commissions and kickbacks. The rations, quotas and queues of the 1970-1977 period were seen by particularly the wealthy and privileged as strangulatory and suffocatory, but they ensured that the poor went to their mats at night on adequately filled stomachs.

Besides, the symbiotic links between the Northern and Southern economies were quite strong. Essential commodities, such as chillies and onions, which were the mainstay of the Northern farmer, found their way to the South and Southern manufactures flooded the North. Consequently, our food import bill was low and there were sufficient incentives for the youngsters of the North to take to agriculture as a livelihood. Perhaps, if this state of affairs continued, the Northern youth would have been less attracted by the "gun culture".

Sirimavo Bandaranaike bore the vicissitudes of her political career with great fortitude and showed no inclination to pursue witch hunts and vendettas when back in power in 1994. That she was a staunch supporter of a negotiated solution to the ethnic issue came to light when she told her daughter, President Chandrika Kumaratunga, when she was asked by the latter whether she would be voting for the year 2000 Draft Constitution, that she would be doing so with "both hands".

- Lynn Ockersz

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