A rare humanitarian

by Janadasa Peiris

The sudden demise of Vajira Pelpita, a noble human being with religious devotion rarely seen even in a well disciplined patriarch of the Maha Sangha, with a rare humanitarianism inherent in a Marxist revolutionary socialist is a great loss. He had a talent in letters as a multi-linguist and a poetic acumen that placed him on par with the erudite poets of the Colombo era.

It was during the general elections in 1965 and 1970 that Pelpita won the affectionate admiration of the common people.

At that time he was a young Samanera bhikkhu by the name of Ven. Yatideriye Vajirabuddhi. But he was the final speaker at almost every election platform of the United Front.

The young Samanera bhikkhu had such extraordinary oratorical skills that kept the hearts of the common people spellbound. He was in the lower echelons of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party at that time. He was later elected to the Central Committee and as the General Secretary of the Union of Sama Samaja Youth Leagues.

In 1976, protesting against the injustice done to the Lanka Sama Samaja Party with the Cabinet reshuffle, he joined the Communist Party of Sri Lanka and embarked on a long journey culminating in being elected a Central Committee member.

After the setting up of the Provincial Councils in Sri Lanka Pelpita became a Provincial Councillor in 1988 having contested as a candidate of the United Socialist Front for Kalutara district. He emerged victorious at the second Provincial Council Election held in 1993 and was appointed the Minister of Industries, Social Services, Probation and Childcare, Tourism and Culture of the Western Province.

Pelpita who took great pains to bring about a revival of Small Industries organised many exhibitions and fairs. He also inaugurated a program to offer felicitations of the Nation to artists by organising the Paneebharatha Prajabhivandana state honours ceremony.

Even before the General Election of 1947, Lake House was renowned as an institution that acted as 'King Maker' for the United National Party. Hence a main demand of the Leftist political parties was to broadbase the ownership of this institution.

It was in attempting to do this that the Government of Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike was defeated by a majority of one vote in Parliament in 1964.

When the United Front emerged victorious at the 1970 General Election its supporters marched in a mammoth procession to the Lake House building. Its main slogan was that Lake House should be nationalised.

It was Anil Moonesinghe and the young Samanera Ven.

Yatideriye Vajirabuddhi who gave leadership to this procession.

However it was in 1973 that this people's demand was met when Parliament passed the broad-basing of ownership of Lake House Bill.

Pelpita who entered the field of journalism through the Jana Dina and Jana Sathiya newspapers served in the Editorial Boards of Sathiya, Aththa and Dinakara newspapers. He very frequently, participated in discussions, seminars and debates of the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation, the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation and the Independent Television Network.In the last phase of his life he joined Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd. as the Chief Editor of the Silumina newspaper and at the time of his death was a consultant to Silumina. Pelpita who was born on December 8, 1939 at Yatideriye in the Ruwanwella electorate was 66. He was a courageous writer who never lost his bearings wherever he was and whatever he did.