Ninth death anniversary of Deshamanya Alhaj M. A. Bakeer Markar today:

A life dedicated to national unity

BY RASHEED M. Imthiyaz

WE always remember the leaders of this country who served the people and the nation and who worked hard for the betterment of the human beings.

Today (10.09.2005) is the ninth remembrance day of late Deshamanya Alhaj M. A. Bakeer Markar, a peace lover of the Mother Lanka and a man who dedicated his life for national unity and communal harmony.

He was the last Speaker of the old Parliament building at Colombo and the First Speaker of the new Parliament at Sri Jayawardhanapura Kotte and the renowned Muslim leader of our motherland.

He was born on 12th May 1917 in 'Hakeem Villa' of Maradana Beruwela. He was the son of late Mr. Hakeem Alia Marikar Mohamed Marikar the famous businessman and an ayurvedic physician of Beruwela and Mrs. Rahila Umma Marikar.

He was educated both at St. Sebastian's School of Hulftsdorp, Colombo 12 and Zahira College, Colombo 10.

Alhaj M. A. Bakeer Markar had shown very keen interest in social services from his young age. He was a member of the All Ceylon Muslim League, the oldest Muslim political organisation of Sri Lanka. He became the speaker of the All Ceylon Muslim League Senate and President of the All Ceylon Muslim Students Movement.

Later he was elected as the chief spokesman of the All Ceylon Muslim League delegation led by the late Dr. M. C. M. Kaleel that made representations to the Thalgodapitiya Delimitation Commission in 1959 where he put forward arguments and suggestions to increase the Muslim representations in Parliament.

It was on account of such representation the Beruwela Constituency was created for the purpose of electing a Muslim to the Parliament.

Late Alhaj Bakeer Markar first entered politics in 1950 when he was elected uncontested as a member of the Beruwela Urban Council. During the first year of his tenure be became the Chairman of the Council, which seems to be a record in local government politics.

Thereafter be continued to be a member of the Beruwela Urban Council for a long period representing his people. He implemented various projects for the developments of the area and living standard of the people.

He was elected as the first Member of Parliament to represent Beruwela in March 1960. However that Parliament was dissolved in April 1960 and he contested the General Election held in July 1960 and was re-elected as a Member of Parliament. In the General Election he was able to win the Beruwela Electorate with an overwhelming majority.

On August 4, 1977 Bakeer Markar was elected as the Deputy Speaker of the National State Assembly and again he was elected unanimously as the Speaker of the Parliament of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.

As the Speaker he discharged his duties in great style with his trilingual command to the utmost satisfaction of the members of Parliament.

In the life of Alhaj Bakeer Markar the year 1980 is very significant. According to the Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka the Speaker ranks third in the precedence table.

In the absence of the President and the Prime Minister the Speaker acts for the President as the leader of Sri Lanka. This has happened only once in the history of this country since the introduction of the Executive Presidency.

In early 1980s when President J.R. Jayewardene and Prime Minister R. Premadasa both were out of the country to attend the Royal wedding of Prince Charles and Diana Alhaj Bakeer Markar as the Speaker acted for the Head of Government and Head of State for two weeks.

Thus, in our constitutional history, the only Speaker of Parliament who has acted for the Head of Government and Head of State is Alhaj Bakeer Markar.

On 31.08.1983 Alhaj Bakeer Markar for reasons known to him resigned the post of Speaker and on the same day was appointed as the Minister without Portfolio. He was in the Legislature for 16 years and more than five years as the Speaker and five years as a Minister.

In 1988 he was appointed as the Governor of Southern Province and sworn in before the President J.R. Jayewardene at President's House on 15th June 1988.

I presume Alhaj Bakeer Markar is the only Muslim politician who served the people as Member of Urban Council, Chairman of a Urban Council, Member of Parliament, Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Speaker of Parliament, Minister and a Governor of a Province.

Alhaj Bakeer Markar always extended his helping hand to people wherever and whenever they need it. When a cyclone devastated the Eastern province in the late 1970s Bakeer Markar visited the affected areas along with Ambassadors in Sri Lanka from Muslim countries and granted assistance to fulfil their urgent needs.

With the sponsorship of the Iraq government he built for the cyclone victims a separate village called "Saddam Hussein Village" in Eravur in the Batticaloa district which is also a symbol for his services.

Alhaj Bakeer Markar established the 'All Ceylon Union of Muslim League Youth Fronts' the coordinating body and leading Muslim Youth organization representing Muslim youths in all parts of Sri Lanka. It is one of his great achievements.

He was the founder president of this union. He devoted most of his valuable time to establish this movement a unique one and he visited almost every Muslim village and familiarized himself with the Muslim youths to achieve his goal.

He developed the All Ceylon Union of Muslim League Youth Fronts as a non-governmental, non-political organization. He guided the Muslim youths towards the right political path.

Whoever have taken active part in the movement have now become political leaders of different areas representing various political parties.

He trained the youths from the remote villages to become the leaders of the national level. His vision was achieved and present National President, National General Secretary and the Treasurer of this union are from small villages known as Thalgaspitiya in Mawanella, Ududeniya in Kandy and Viyangalle in Kalutara.

There are a number of youngsters rallied with the All Ceylon Union of Muslim League Youth Fronts from various parts of the country representing their villages, serving the community and the country on the footpath of Alhaj M.A. Bakeer Markar and they also one day will become the leaders in national level fulfilling Bakeer Markar's vision.

Alhaj Bakeer Marker was also loved by the Tamil community. He was the last political leader from the South to have visited the Jaffna peninsula. Jaffna Municipal Council accorded a Civic Reception.

The Mayor of Jaffna, Community leaders and almost all Tamil Parliamentarians of that time and distinguished people of the peninsula graced the occasion honouring him. Though Alhaj Bakeer Markar hailed from a minority community he earned for himself the goodwill and respect of all communities.

He represented a predominately Sinhalese electorate the majority Community in which members of his community form only 26 percent of the population. He was loved by majority Sinhala people all the times.

Alhaj M.A. Bakeer Markar's elder son Alhaj Imthiaz Bakeer Markar, former minister of Mass Communication, is carrying forward the vision of his father.

He established the 'Bakeer Marker Centre for National Unity' (BMCNU) and serving the nation to build unity and harmony among all communities of Sri Lanka. Not only Muslims but also all other community representatives hold key posts of the Bakeer Marker Centre for National Unity.

Peace lovers from all communities and all religions who are strong believers of Alhaj M.A. Bakeer Markar's vision have obtained membership of the Bakeer Marker Centre for National Unity. The Centre is serving the people without considering their religion, community, race, langauge or political differences during the past eight years.

The Government to honour the service of late Hon. Deshamanaya Alhaj M.A. Bakeer Markar released a commemoration Stamp on 20th July 2005 at Zahira College, Colombo.

It is significant that releasing the commemoration stamp at Zahira College since he was a renowned student and a teacher of the Zahira College and was a past chairman of the Board of Governors of the same College.

It shall be also noted that the releasing ceremony of the commemoration stamp for the former speaker was organized by the present Speaker of Parliament W.J.M. Loku Bandara, Minister of Posts, Telecommunications and Udarata Development D.M. Jayaratne M.P., Deputy Minister of Posts, Telecommunications and Udarata Rohitha Abeygunawardana, Governor of Western Province As Seyad Alavi Mowlana and several eminent guests graced the occasion.

The packed crowed in the "Gaffoor Auditorium" of Zahira College on that occasion is an endorsement for the services of late leader Hon. Deshamanya Alhaj M.A. Bakeer Markar.

I prefer to place this quote from Deshamanya Alhaj M.A. Bakeer Markar the strong believer of Democracy to end this article: "I am a firm believer in democracies and rights of man. It fills me with grief to see the hardship circumstances beyond people's control. I am particularly happy; therefore, that Parliament in discharging its duties to the nation has not lost sight of the individual whose final Court of Appeal is Parliament."

(The writer who is an Attorney-at-Law, is the National General Secretary of the All Ceylon Union of Muslim League Youth Fronts)