Death anniversary of M. H. M. Ashraff was on Sep. 16:

An outstanding leader of the Muslims

BY A. A. SAMAD

HAD he lived, Mohamed Hussain Hohamed Ashraff would be 57 years on October 23, 2005. Late M. H. M. Ashraff, one time Cabinet Minister, Member of Parliament and Sri Lanka Muslim Congress and National Unity Alliance founder leader, died on September 16, 2000, while on his way to his native Ampara District in a Sri Lanka Air Force helicopter which crashed in a blaze of flames in Aranayake.

He was the only son of Mohamed Hussain, a highly respected Village Headman and Matheena Ummah, whom he loved dearly. Being a son of the Eastern soil he had his primary education at Wesley College, Kalmunai, and had to leave his home region to pursue further studies in the metropolis.

In 1970 he joined Law College where he excelled and manifested prowess, in the field of Constitutional Law by writing the first book on Constitutional Law in Tamil with particular reference to the 1972 Republican Constitution of Sri Lanka.

At Ceylon Law College, the natural nursery of many a political leader, he was the President of the Law Students' Muslim Majlis and of the student community, nearly missing the coveted position of President of the Law Students' Union.

In 1974 he joined the Attorney General's Department as a State Counsel, and worked there to get himself acquainted with the law to become an eminent lawyer. He practised in Kalmunai. He completed the Masters Degree in Law prior to becoming a Senior Minister. He was honoured with the title President's Counsel.

Ashraff saw as nobody else did before him, the political potential of the Eastern Province with its predominantly Muslim habitation. Before his advent, Muslim politicians aligned themselves to the two major political parties, the UNP and the SLFP. He was no doubt helped by the waves of radicalism sweeping the Islamic world and the growing power of the Arab States.

As a Minister, he was not only a policy formulator, a policy implementer, a keen monitor but also a hard task master. In implementing the decisions of the Government he had a total vision.

In the problems of the affected/displaced persons and port employees, he acted as catalyst without causing any embarrassment to the Government. The Ministry officials enjoyed working with him.

His qualities of leadership and respect for the bureaucracy developed loyalty and team spirit. Mr. Ashraff was a very kind-hearted and sensitive person always with a ready smile and kind word, never failing to greet his staff at least with a smile and a not but at the same time he was a leader who wanted things done correctly and was a stickler for details.

A good administrator should be a good human being. Despite all the knowledge and techniques of administration and management one cannot be a good administrator unless one has good qualities.

Late leader Ashraff possessed all these qualities coupled with attractive talents in ample measure. He did not cultivate these qualities but they were part of his nature.

His experiences in the political field enriched his administrative acumen and became handy. The Eastern Province saw development through the leadership of M. H. M. Ashraff in a short period of six years.

Ashraff was a deeply religious man and would commence nothing without remembering the Almighty and seeking his guidance and blessings. He was an excellent writer of Tamil prose as well English. His genius was in full bloom in his poetic compositions.

His anthology of poems has been hailed as piece of outstanding literary merit by none other than the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M. Karunanidhi, who himself is a respected Tamil scholar.

"If someone would like to be remembered by posterity," - he wrote -

My answer would be

Not as a leader of the SLMC

Not as founder of NUA

Not even as President's Counsel

But as a humble writer

For I firmly believe

That everything will die

Except my writings

It is my desire that

I should continue to communicate

Through my writings

Even after my death,"

He succeeded in installing his long standing dream of a roof to shelter the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, which he named 'Dharusalam,' the house of peace and dedicated it to Sri Lanka.

He worked hard for peace.

"May Allah grant his soul "Jennath Firdouse."