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by S. J. Anthony Fernando

The greatest attributes of a successful politician undoubtedly is to be in constant touch with his people and strive to assist them in whatever manner possible. This has been the hallmark that pervaded the political life of Minister of Interior and Christian Affairs John Amaratunga who commemorates completion of serving for an unbroken period of 25 years as a Member of Parliament on 19th October 2003.

Whether in Opposition or holding high office in a Government of his party - the United National Party - Minister Amaratunga always found the time to meet the people and personally speak to them and attend to their needs. Specially on Saturdays and Sundays his residence at Kandana takes the atmosphere of a busy OPD of a hospital with all those turning up insisting on meeting him personally. Clad in a bush shirt with the crowds seated in front of him awaiting their turn John Amaratunga gives a patient hearing to everyone and dispenses a remedy or a solution to the diverse problems and requirements of the people. A team of aides stand by to take on line any official or person who needs to be contacted or type out letters to be given by him.

John Amaratunga first entered Parliament on 19th October 1978 being the first Appointed MP under the new J. R. Jayewardene Constitution of 1978. He filled the vacancy created by the death of the then MP for Wattala and Minister Shelton Jayasinghe. Since then there was no looking back. Being an Appointed MP John Amaratunga did not inherit a personal vote bank.

Making use of his experience as a successful lawyer and his penchant to select the right man for the right job, moving with the people he soon built up a formidable vote base. That he was able to contest and win the Wattala electorate continuously for an unbroken period of 25 years, despite the defeats of his party at general elections, speak volumes of his organizational capabilities and winning over people by launching pro-people programmes and schemes in his electorate and what is important keeping in touch with the people.

Born into an affluent family seeped in the legal fraternity and the youngest of six children Minister Amaratunga's father was Mr. L. P. Amaratunga, a well-known lawyer who has also served as a Magistrate. As a young lawyer the Minister was groomed to carry forward the business of the family law firm. He enjoyed a lucrative practice before he was gravitated towards politics, as would a many a young lawyer at the time. He involved himself in activities of the United National Party at the local and national levels.

I could well remember as a newspaperman of the former Times of Ceylon Group, that he was a contender for the UNP candidacy at the Ja-Ela by-election in 1976 which fell vacant on the death of Mr. Paris Perera when the SLFP led United Front Government was in power. Ultimately he gave way and supported Joseph Michael Perera, the present Speaker who won the by-election after a very tense election campaign.

Wattala electorate was not a pocket borough for the UNP as did Ja-Ela and Negombo at the time and as such as an appointed MP building up a personal vote base was a challenging one for Mr. Amaratunga.

The Wattala electorate has seen a vast improvement in provision of infrastructure facilities and development projects initiated by Minister Amaratunga who is striving hard to attend to many more other pressing needs of the electorate which had been stalled due to limitation of funds. Wherever possible he would get the private sector to step into help in the tasks which had helped in development of industries and employment generating undertakings in the area. Several housing schemes, town development programmes, provision of various facilities and amenities, water supply schemes had benefited a fair slice of the electorate.

One of the recent noteworthy achievements of John Amaratunga is to get the massive areas South of Colombo Water Supply Project off the ground early last year. This project benefitting several thousands of families in the Gampaha District had been shelved for many years was revived and pursued by the Minister. Work on the project was inaugurated by Minister of Housing and Infrastructure Arumugam Thondaman along with Minister Amaratunga by starting work on the first of many major water towers to be set up under the scheme at Welisara.

Earlier he held the portfolios of subject Minister of Provincial Councils (March 1990) Minister of State for Foreign Affairs (1989-1994), State Minister of Finance (1988-1989). The important role he played as Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) from 1984 to 1993 and then from 1994 drew accolades from Government and Opposition ranks. He also led many Government and Parliamentary delegations to important conferences in Asia and European countries.

Minister Amaratunga was noted for his loyalty to successive leaders of the Party. He learnt the art of state craft and good governance from President J. R. Jayewardene and President Premadasa and is an eloquent advocate of the new policy enunciated by his present leader Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe towards forging peace and harmony and economic revival of the country.

With the advent of the United Front Government he was entrusted by his leader with the newly carved out portfolio of Minister of Interior on 14th December 2001 and was tasked with the unenviable job of reforming the Police Service, used to work with a war mentality for many years due to a protracted war, from a military outfit to perform their normal civil security functions again during peace time. He knew that the Police had earned a bad name because of certain corrupt elements who tend to tarnish the image of the majority who attempt to do an honest job of work.

His first task in the new Ministry was to summon the Police top brass and other grades of the police officers and drum into them the need to improve the image of the police and told them in no uncertain terms the public perception of the police where people fear to go to police stations. He prevailed upon them to improve relations with the public by first improving the appearance of the interior of the police stations and a new system to welcome cordially and courteously anyone going to make a complaint.

He even initiated programmes to improve the management skills and public relations of police officers by initiating training programmes in these aspects and equipping a large number of police stations with computers, photocopy and fax machines to improve efficiency. As an effort to improve police-public relations, over 25,000 peace committees have been formed at the village and town levels linking Police, Schools and places of worship which had helped to contain criminal activities to a certain degree.

With the relatively peaceful atmosphere prevalent and absence of the fear psychosis prevalent before the ceasefire accord, these incidents take prominence. What is more with the proliferation of arms and the hordes of services' deserters taking to crime the underworld which had been nurtured for over fifteen years too have become active in the absence of LTTE terrorism in the South.

That the Minister has given a free hand to Police to do their job is evidenced by the large number of suspects of various crimes committed in the past years as well as in recent times being apprehended. Persons involved in major robberies have been apprehended due to the sound co-ordination between police divisions. He also gave greater mobility to the police by providing over 400 jeeps and 200 motor cycles and other equipment to the police stations.

The removal of road barriers and restrictions allowing free movement to the people which Minister Amaratunga initiated have brought great relief to the much harassed road users. However the surprise roadblocks and checks imposed instead have brought much better results with several underworld elements and those wanted for murders and robberies being rounded up.

Given the long years of nurturing of the underworld through political patronage and black money and swelled by hordes of service deserters carrying away arms, and the fall in social and moral values over the years no doubt contributed to many homicides and crimes which cannot be blamed on one era or one personality as would some try to blame on the Minister even when jilted lover kills another. With a Police force which is short of 12,000 personnel to undertake complete civil security and the absence of emergency regulations which earlier provided police adequate time to make inquiries particularly in tackling organized crime one would concede that the Police had performed a tremendous job given the limitations.

A firm believer in transparency the Minister makes himself readily available to the media personnel to answer any question about the deeds or misdeed of the police or any other sector under his purview. The fortnightly media briefings he has initiated with the police top brass helps in discussing the crime situation and keeping the public informed.

Some of the major changes are the issue of passports in one day eliminating the middlemen and streamlining work at the Head Office of Department of Immigration and Emigration, introduction of the fool proof new passports, issue of National Identity Cards within one day on a special fee, Mobile Services for issue of Identity cards, the introduction of information technology in the affairs of the working of the Ministry and the Departments under the E-Sri Lanka Programme, as well as new Prison reforms including crackdown on several malpractices within Prisons with an appointment of a new Commissioner General of Prisons.

With his high standing and respect he holds among the Christian community Minister Amaratunga became the natural choice for the portfolio of the Ministry of Christian Affairs. Already during the short spell as Christian Affairs Minister he has launched programmes in developing major places of religious worship in co-ordination with the hierarchy of the Church and with the co-operation of relevant ministries and private sector assistance.

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