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| Friday, 10 September 2004 |
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Dr. A. C. S. Hameed September 3rd happens to be the fifth Death Anniversary of Dr. A. C. S. Hameed MP. Having returned undefeated to the Parliament from the Kandy District in 1960 his tenure of office started under the Premiership of President J. R. Jayewardene in the year 1977 being appointed as the first Foreign Minister holding the portfolios of Foreign Affairs and Defence. In 1989 he assumed the portfolio of Higher Education Science and Technology and subsequently became the Minister of Higher Education and Justice under the Premiership of President R. Premadasa till 1993 when he continued as Minister of Foreign Affairs under the Premiership of former President D. B. Wijetunge till 1994. Being in the opposition he was the Chairman of the United National Party under the leadership of Ranil Wickremesinghe MP. Taking into consideration his unbroken representation as a Senior Member of Parliament, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Higher Education, Science & Technology, and Minister of Justice and his wide experience at the start as a Teacher and School Principal he was delegated to resolve the Sri Lanka's most volatile conflicts viz: 1. The Indo Sri Lanka agreement of 1987 2. The Premadasa - LTTE of 1989 - 1990 and 3. The All Party Conference of 1990-1992 through negotiation. Dr. Hameed excelled in most of the qualities of an effective leader which are either bestowed by nature, acquired on maturity or cultivated through personality development. He has since been praised by Mrs., Adele Balasingham in her book "The Will to Freedom" where she quotes him as "A Great Friend". This has been mainly as a result of "The Premadasa - LTTE talks of 1989-1990" wherein he was negotiating peace. However in Summer 1999 Civil War which resumed in Sri Lanka upset Dr. Hameed as he presumed that the prospect peace was uncertain. He in fact sought to bring the major political parties in the South together with a view to getting these parties to a common negotiating position through making Sri Lanka less susceptible to a change on a political perspective. He happens to be a Writer interested in writing short stories and poetry like for eg: "In Pursuit of Peace Disarmament - A Multilateral Approach to Disarmament etc" one amongst them. The last publication before his demise was "The Spring of Love and Mercy" admirably prefaced with selected quotations from the Holy Quran - with the intention to prove the Love and Mercy Islam holds for humanity. "May he be bestowed with Jennathul Firthouse" Karu Jayasuriya MP, Deputy Leader of the United National Party |
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