Gamini Dissanayake: Tireless campaigner for a harmonious society

Today marks Minister Gamini Dissanayake’s 13th death anniversary:

Premasara Epasinghe

“I am totally against violence. I directly reject it. Never in my life would I protect anything resorting to violence. It is my belief that we can achieve all what we want through means of ‘Ahimsa’,” stated Gamini Dissanayake.

He always believed that political vision has to be non-violent and engross humanity as one of its basic tenets.

My recollection of Gamini Dissanayake, will never be erased from my mind.

The bomb that exploded at midnight on October 23, 1994 at Thotalange created a gaping hole in the ground, a vacuum has been created in my soul and in addition, it created an emptiness in the whole Nation. At the time of his untimely death, he was the Presidential Candidate.

In the recent history of our country the making of peace and sustaining it, have been a crucial pre-occupation. It is quite essential to remember that late Gamini Dissanayake initiated a massive effort to bring about a reconciliation between various factions to ensure a stable and harmonious Sri Lankan society.

This unprecedented role he played in the field of Diplomacy and Higher Administration is unfortunately not very much present in the minds of the Sri Lankans of our time, as they struggle to achieve Peace for our country, and it undoubtedly essential to remember adequately the initiate taken by the late Gamini Dissanayake.

Gamini Dissanayake was a noble human being. He possessed a powerful, charming, pleasant, charismatic personality. He was always a man full of compassion. He was a veritable gold mine of information. His oration was mesmerising, language so rich and impeccable. He held his masses spellbound. In Parliament, he was a fine debater.

The delegates, who attended the conference of the International Cricket Council at Lords in London in 1981, were fascinated by the speech delivered by him on behalf of Sri Lankan Cricket.

The facts placed before were so convincing that they could no longer exclude Sri Lanka from Test Arena. Due to Gamini Dissanayake’s discerning intelligence, noble charismatic personality, clarity of speech, eloquence, efficiency and far-sighted vision and wisdom Sri Lanka gained Test status in Cricket.

His words spoken with such elation, enthusiasm, echoed and re-echoed the Long Room at Lords, like the waves of a sea dashing against the seashore.

The Cricketing fraternity of the world was virtually won over. Immediately delegates from Pakistan and India proposed and seconded the resolution to grant Test Status to Sri Lanka. In short, he was the prince of Kotmale, in the hills, but, a king and an administrator of a great game.

Gamini Dissanayake was born to serve the country, a mission he wanted to fulfil in his Sansaric Sojourn. He was instrumental in the construction of huge reservoirs like Kotmale, Victoria, Randenigale, Rantembe, Ulhitiye, Rathkinde and Maduru Oya and large number of canals and waterways such as Southern Bank Canal and Nava Jaya Ganga. This resulted in transforming vast areas of this country into fertile paddy fields.

He entered Parliament in 1970. As a member for Nuwara Eliya - Maskeliya seat, Dissanayake served continuously for over 20 years.

During this period, he distinguished himself as an able and experienced speaker who spoke with quite authority and confidence. He was always impeccably dressed, well mannered and dignified in deportment. He always believed that democracy is a living concept. He always stood for fair-play and justice.

Gamini Dissanayake was born on March 20, 1942. He was born as the eldest son of a family of seven children to Andrew Dissanayake and Welegedara Samaratunga Kumarihamy of Kotmale. Born and bred in Kotmale, his basic values were cultivated in this rural milieu social surrounding and environment.

He entered Trinity College in 1948, and after his school career, his parents wanted their son to pursue a career of a Chartered Accountant. Trinity claims Gamini as one of her proud products. Fate intervened to change their plans. His father suffered a cardiac attack and Gamini had no option but to stay back to manage the family property.

In 1961, he entered the Law College and in 1966 took oaths as an Advocate when he was only 24 years. He ended his legal career as a President’s Counsel.

In 1970, he won his father’s own constituency at the age of 27 years. He was unseated in an election petition in 1971, but, later won back the seat in the by election proving his capabilities as a campaigner. He was an excellent organiser, good judge of men and character. He never kept a grudge. He always picked the correct person to any job. That was the secret behind his success as an administrator and a leader.

In 1977, he was made Minister of Irrigation, Power and Highways at the age of 35 years.

His greatest historic achievement was the administration of the diversification of Mahaweli Ganga, to telescope the 30 year plan to diversify the gigantic river in six years, thus taking the waters of the country’s largest river to the villagers of the dry zone.

In Ranasinghe Premadasa’s Government he served as the Minister of Plantation Industries. The formation of Democratic United National Front later is well known history. He decided to take a break from the political life he knew well and left for the prestigious University of Cambridge to pursue his academic career in development studies.

In his village expansion and settlement schemes, he provided some 75,000 acres of land to over 540,000 farmer families.

Gamini Dissanayake always believed that all human beings should live together, though they emanate from different racial stock and religious backgrounds. His vision was to see people living together in equality.

Once Gamini Dissanayake said, “My vision is of a country where everyone contribute there mite both physical and intellectual participating in the mainstream of economic growth as partners. Everyone should reap the fruits of his or her efforts and benefit from a balanced and sustained march to prosperity that is the Sri Lanka of my dreams”.

Dissanayake’s dream was also to create a nation where people will not be judged by the colour, caste, creed or religion. His beloved wife Srima Dissanayake - Attorney-at-Law was the wind beneath his wings.

Their two sons are Navin, Mayantha and daughter Varuni. They were brought up in the best Buddhist traditions. He was a practising Buddhist.

Further, he was responsible for the construction of the Headquarters of Board Of Control for Cricket (Cricket Sri Lanka), Indoor Cricket Complex at Maitland Place, Colombo and he transformed the historic Asgiriya Grounds as a Test Venue.

For the benefit of our Cricketers he invited Sir Garfield Sobers, Les Lenham to coach them and got the services of Dr. Rudi Webster, the famous Sports Psychologist to address our Cricketers on ‘Motivation’. I was very fortunate to translate his speech into Sinhala.

One of his dreams was to see the completion of Kotmale Maha Seya sited on an escarpment overlooking Kotmale Reservoir, now known as Gamini Dissanayake Reservoir.

Like the great king Dutugemunu who could not complete Ruwanweli Maha Seya, Gamini Dissanayake too could not live to see the completion of his dream project Kotmale Mahaweli Maha Seya at Kotmale.

As Shakespeare once said some men in their lives play many parts. Gamini Dissanayake was one of few to do it all at the same time. Some outstanding individuals symbolize in their life and work near maximum levels of human capacity. Such genius is indeed rare. In the recent history of Sri Lanka, Dissanayake was an individual who approached that measure of high and exceptional human achievement.