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| Wednesday, 22 October 2003 |
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Esmond the tactician by Lorna Wright The Sunday breakfast table was crowded. All ages. Sinhala, Tamil, Muslims, Burghers. Indigenous food - egg hoppers, string hoppers, pittu, ambulthial, red sambol, pani-pol - kiribath, plantains. The menu did not incorporate such standbys as breakfast cereal and peanut butter for Jira, Sir John's guest from France, who was holidaying. Nothing said or done at the Kandawala table would leave even a thin residue of cultural, ethnic anxiety in anybody's mind.
Esmond the newspaper magnate was enjoying himself. A great believer in the virtues of publicity, he neither sought it himself, nor avoided the limelight. It was there. Saying goodbye, his wisecracks and the laughter was spontaneous and contagious as he left. Jira - "Lionel is that not the man that worked politically against you and you lost your election?". "Yes men" in relaxed mood, "the fellow thinks himself a King-maker. His brother is a Bishop and he has a robust conception of heaven on earth through politicians". "I am amazed you tolerate the man," Sir John laughed. "A good man but his honourable, decent public relations in politics makes the Biblical heaven, he envisages, too big to be marketable on earth - That is what he does not understand". Esmond was a born tactician who could fix a tomorrow with his newspaper and enjoyed doing it constructively. Dwelling negatively on the bad yesterday, killed the very motivation which the country needed, he always said. It could cloud the mind, increase apathy, while deliberate gossip and disinformation could never make up for hurting people. He never hurt anyone. He used Aubrey Collette cartoonist and Tarzie Vittachchi to poke harmless fun. Critics were chastising the Prime Minister on some issues and statements made in Canada. Returning, Sir John had met with the Red Indians. The Cartoon that evening had the Prime Minister waving goodbye to a Red Indian Squaw, the little Papoose tied to her back had his face. The old man laughed loud and long - Esmond joining him was thoroughly proud of his Cartoonist Aubrey who had distracted the public and defused some weighty problem. Politically he encouraged clutter and harmless disorders and disruptions as distractions, but only for a better tomorrow. His love of his country and deep concern and Esmond used his paper to encourage campaigns - "Grow more Food', 'Green Revolution', 'Paddy Weeding", Natinal Heritage - restore Tanks - all distracting tactics that also had their own positive use and served the country. Esmond did not believe in marches, blocking roads, causing the public delays taking children to and from school, going to hospital with life and death patients, the elderly. To him they were self-actualizing politicians obsessed with personal self-immolation. The inconvenienced, inflation battling public had a monster reaction against strikes, disrupting their already burdened lives - there is in the city of Colombo 2 1/2 million daily workers community often from 50, 60 miles away, many daily paid. In Colombo live 1 million people. There is no shouting Jayawewa, nor do they have empathy with strikers or marches. 50 year did not win out or change anything substantially for 25% living below the poverty line. It is a hard worked 8-hour day that will. Esmond had the happy knack of moving around listening and chatting informally - He got unstinting support from his editors especially Denzil Pieris, whose hospitalization saw Esmond have his own car take lunch to him everyday for a month. He valued what the 'Small' man said, his compassion for others was simple, which gave him a fuller range of immediate experiences. He would come at these problems from varying perspectives with his editors. The election campaign '65 was reaching its last week. In the Central Province the plantation workers were not being physically appealed to vote for the party as the Sinhala vote would be jeopardized - no meetings, no house to house. Thondaman instructed to keep away. The CWC Kandy office was busy, busy busy. Thondaman was arriving from India. How will plantation workers vote, 26 electorates 4,000 - 7,000 voters in each. A CWC office in each electorate helpless. He had time only for one meeting in Galaha tomorrow. Rang Esmond, "If I covered Thondaman's meeting tomorrow with photographer would you print 50,000 leaflets for distribution on the estates". "How will you....."? "Okay, okay if you say you do it, you must have found a way. Get the speech down to me quickly". Sir Razeek Fareed's secretary volunteered to take the speech down, the Shell Co executive to take the pictures - the small mini minor car bumped its way to Galaha. You could not see a tea bush in that huge valley for humanity. Thondman walked down, the slope, garland, on garland, on garland put on him. Adulation - seeing was believing. We sat at the edge of the constructed platform - speech, photograph taken we left for Colombo. Next morning 50,000 printed speeches in the Daily News van, we left for Kandy - One and a half days of dumping pamphlets at each electoral office for distribution. The electorates were won, all except Teldeniya which would not be reached - JR was grateful for what we did and said so. But without Esmond making a quick decision, without consulting this regulation and that, but acting immediately on just a telephone call - it would not have happened. |
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