Vijaya:

A humble humanist with broad vision

Speech delivered by Power and Energy Minister W. D. J. Seneviratne at the commemorative ceremony to mark late Vijaya Kumaratunga's 61st birth anniversary at Elphinstone Theatre, Colombo on October 9.

REMEMBERED: "There is a saying that 'Great men are born and they don't die'. The late Vijaya Kumaratunga was one such great man who was a time humanist. Vijaya Kumaratunga played an exceptional role in the social, economic, political and cultural mainstream of this country as an eminent film artiste and a political thinker.

Born on October 9, 1945, Vijaya Kumaratunga had his education at the Kandana de Mazenod College and the Colombo St. Benedict's College.

An able speaker he won the gold medal for oratory as a member of the school debating team on many occasions. Although he had a desire to join the police force as an SI after leaving school, destiny made him a popular film star.

Vijaya Kumaratunga who had his debut as a film star in Sugathapala Senarath Yapa's film Hanthane Kathawa, made a great contribution towards the uplift of the local cinema for nearly two decades. His memory is etched in the hearts of Sri Lankan fans as a talented actor and a singer.

The humanist roles he played in films contributed to make him a great humanist in his true life making him nurture a mature political vision. As a result he started his political career by joining the LSSP in the 1970 decade.

By 1977, he entered politics by joining the SLFP. As Katana SLFP Organiser, he contested the 1977 General Elections and gave an able leadership to the SLFPers in Katana. When policy disputes cropped up within the SLFP following the 1977 electoral defeat, he worked fearlessly to defend the leadership of late Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike.

He worked relentlessly to safeguard the SLFP from dissident forces went it faced a crisis following Mrs. Bandaranaike's deprivation of civic rights.

When late Hector Kobbekaduwa contested the 1982 Presidential Election as the SLFP candidate following Mrs. Bandaranaike's deprivation of civic rights, Vijaya Kumaratunga spearheaded his Presidential Election campaign by devoting time, money and energy to ensure his victory.

The public is fully aware of the harassment and State oppression faced by Vijaya Kumaratunga following the 1982 Presidential Election defeat. Branded as a Naxalite he even had to linger in jail. Anyone studying his political vision will realise that he was a great social democrat.

Everyone knows that Vijaya Kumaratunga received a massive mandate when he contested the Mahara by election in 1982. But the opportunity he got to enter Parliament was obstructed by force. We should remember that when he subsequently contested the Minneriya by election in 1986 he came second by even beating the SLFP candidate.

The most significant event in Vijaya's active politics was the setting up of his Sri Lanka Mahajana Pakshaya in 1984. The setting up of SLMP in league with longstanding SLFPers like late T. B. Ilangaratne was a significant development when left forces joined the SLFP and left its Government at various intervals, Vijaya laid the foundation towards bringing them to a single platform and building a left movement for a consensus on resolving grave national problems.

Various packages brought forward for resolving the problems of the Northern people by the two main parties, the SLFP and the UNP from time failed due to various political motives. The Bandaranaike-Chelvanayagam pact had to be shelved due to political opportunitism.

Similarly the political forces led by the SLFP opposed the Dudley-Chelvanayagam pact signed by the Dudley Senanayake Government in 1965.

With the killing of Jaffna Mayor Duraiappa in 1976 the political movement in the North transformed into a militant movement. The incidents which took place in Jaffna during the DDC elections in 1980 held under the UNP Government made the Northern people disgusted of Southern politics. Due to the 1983 communal riots the northern problem which was an internal problem became internationalised.

With the ethnic war becoming a terrorist war after 1984 the breach in relations between people of the North and South developed into enmity. By this time several armed terrorist groups cupped up in the North. These terrorist groups indulged in violence in the North and South destroying human life and property pushing the country towards a destructive war.

1986 was an year when the ethnic war in Sri Lanka aggravated. Most politicians in the South propagated a military solution to the Northern problem then. Vijaya Kumaratunga's name will go down in history as a leader who initiated a North South dialogue in the country at a time the North East war aggravated.

Despite objectives by the then Government a group including Vijaya, Ossie and Felix visited North on October 23, 1986 to seek the release of a group of policemen in LTTE custody.

This visit was a historic step taken by Vijaya Kumaratunga to emphasise the importance of a political solution to the North East problem. Although certain extremist forces criticised this journey to the North it portrayed Vijaya's great interest in resolving the ethnic crisis.

Vijaya also had a clear vision about devolution of power for resolving the ethnic problem. The Vijaya Kumaratunga character could have been used as a bridge to rebuild co-existence between the North and South but the then rulers failed to make use of that opportunity.

Vijaya was a determined leader who marched forward giving leadership to people whatever obstructions were placed on his path. So he visited the North again in December 1986 to meet terrorist leaders and discuss the ethnic issue with them.

Thereafter a group including Vijaya and Chandrika visited Madras in pursuit of the same cause. All this proves the dedication shown by Vijaya towards resolving the ethnic problem. It was Vijaya and the SLMP and leaders of old view that a political solution had to be found to the ethnic problem.

The SLFP donor condone this view then. The SLFP and the UNP then thought that a political solution would harm the country's unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity. But Vijaya insisted that a political solution should be found on devolution of power.

When southern political parties opposed the 13th Amendment to the Constitution for setting up Provincial Councils on the basis of the Indo-Sri Lanka Vijaya displayed his political maturity by supporting the capitalist UNP in its power devolution exercise to ensure political rights of the Northern people.

It was a cruel fate of destiny that violent southern political parties which detested Vijaya's broad vision regarding the northern problem decided to eliminate him from this world on February 16, 1988.

Dr. Sarath Amunugama once compared the Vijaya Kumaratunga assassination to the killing of an innocent butterfly. This proved what a humble humanist Vijaya had been.

Today we have marched a few steps forward from the place his vision was halted.

Although the Peoples Alliance which came to power in 1994 made a dedicated effort to devolve power it failed to arrive at a solution. The political solutions proposed by the former President who had a sound understanding about Vijaya's policies could not be implemented due to the opposition of Southern Political parties.

It is significant that incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa who displayed humanism and a wide practical political vision similar to that of Vijaya is trying to tackle the northern problem with great vision.

Earlier many sections in the South tried to dub the President as a war monger. But his intervention to resolve the ethnic problem with detente and a clear vision is a positive development.

The President while defeating terrorism and creating a sense of confidence about safeguarding the rights of Tamils and Muslims in the North and East has announced a clear policy of maximum devolution while safeguarding the country's unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity, while the President had clearly stated that the government was prepared to safeguard the political and administrative rights of the people in the North and East, the government has inclined towards finding a political solution.

Today the President's policy has been acclaimed by the internaitonal community and all others desiring a solution to this problem. Now the two main political parties in the country have reached a consensus on finding solutions to burning national problems through a common program.

It is also hoped to obtain the support of the other parties including the JVP and the JHU for this endeavour.

President Rajapaksa has made several practical moves to carry forward some of the policies enunciated by late Vijaya Kumaratunga regarding the Northern crisis.

The LTTE which attended Geneva talks later avoided the Oslo talks. The peace talks held earlier and subsequent developments have created suspicions among us. Therefore the government had decided not to desist from retaliatory action wherever human lives, resources and territory are threatened.

But we declare with responsibility that we are dedicated to finding a political solution to the North East problem with maximum devolution with the consensus of southern parties without seeking a military solution.

We are confident hat President Mahinda Rajapaksa would bring about a political solution to the ethnic problem acceptable to the Tamil people after studying all attempts made earlier such as the Bandaranaike, Chelvanayagam, Dudley.

Chelvanayagam pacts, Indo-Lanka Accord as well as the 1988 Democratic Peoples Movement proposals, 1992 Mangala Moonesinghe Parliamentary Select Committee Report and the 2000 proposed new constitution of the Peoples Alliance government.

Countries such as Singapore and Malaysia which gained Independence after us have achieved great economic development. Although we achieved political independence in 1948 we are yet to achieve economic independence by developing the country.

What will happen to economic development targets when millions of rupees available for economic development are spent on a destructive war. To ensure economic development we had to develop infrastructure facilities. Such as highways, electricity and communication services.

These facilities will help extend the industrial and commercial sectors. If we are to achieve eight per cent growth under Mahinda Chintanaya we have to pay attention to our development strategies.

Peace is fundamental for creating economic development, Foreign investment and development of the Tourist Industry and share market will all depend on peace. That is why peace had become the most important hope of all sections of the community including the Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims.

If we are to realise our hopes for Peace on this occasion when we are commemorating a person with a vision for peace such as late Vijaya Kumaratunga we should dedicate ourselves for achieving peace by strengthening President Mahinda Rajapaksa's hands.

As much as Vijaya Kumaratunga the prime objective of President Mahinda Rajapaksa is an undivided country, broad consensus and dignified Peace.