Death of former President D.B. Wijetunga

Funeral on Thursday under State patronage:

Chaminda Perera, Asela Kuruluwansa and Indika Polkotuwa

KANDY: Dingiri Banda Wijetunga, the fourth President (third Executive President), 11th Prime Minister of Sri Lanka and first Executive President to be elected by Parliament in 1993 passed away at the Kandy General hospital at the age of 86, yesterday.

Born on February 15, 1922, he was the President from May 1, 1993 to November 12, 1994, Prime Minister from March 3, 1989 to May 7, 1993 and the Governor of North Western province, from 1988 to 1989.

The funeral of former President Wijetunga will be held on Thursday at the Kandy Municipal Grounds in Getambe under State patronage, said Public Administration Minister Karu Jayasuriya.

The Minister at a discussion at the Kandy General Hospital yesterday appointed a special committee to organise funeral arrangements on President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s directive.

The committee is chaired by Central Province Chief Minister Sarath Ekanayake.

The remains of the former President are expected to be taken to the Parliament complex from his ancestral residence at Pilimathalawa on Thursday for several hours and will be brought to the Kandy MC grounds in a motorcade.

Kandy Mayor L.B. Aluvihare and Kandy district UNP parliamentarian Abdul Cader were also present.

A rare gentleman in politics - Premier

The Late President D.B. Wijetunga was a rare gentleman in politics, Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka said.

The Prime Minister in a condolence message said, he was shocked and saddened when he heard of the death of President Wijetunga.

President Wijetunga was a politician who was a real gentleman. His unique social service should be appreciated. His modest attitude is exemplary to all. He acted in a friendly manner with all political

parties, the Prime Minister said. President Wijetunga made a clear voice against the terrorism since he strongly believed that the LTTE terrorism had to be abolished from the country.

When the country was facing a difficult situation President Wijetunga rendered a yeoman service to get-rid of that situation, Prime Minister Wickramanayaka said.

Prime Minister Wickramanayaka wished President Wijetunga the eternal bliss of Nibbana.

He set about his work in his own simplistic and inimitable fashion

D.B. Wijetunga was born to a middle class Sinhala Buddhist family living on the outskirts of the then Udunuwara Parliamentary seat in the Kandy District. On completion of his secondary education he joined the Co-operative Department as an Inspector. He closely associated with veteran politicians like George E. de Silva and A. Ratnayake, who was then Minister of Food and Co-operatives in the D.S. Senanayake Cabinet later took him as his Private Secretary.

He joined the United National Party in 1946 and entered Parliament for the first time when he successfully contested the Udunuwara electorate at the 1965 general election.

He lost the Udunuwara electorate in 1970 but was returned to Parliament in the 1977 UNP landslide, being appointed Cabinet Minister of Information and Broadcasting in the J.R. Jayewardene administration.

During this regime Wijetunga functioned in various ministerial capacities holding the portfolios of Posts and Telecommunication, Power, Highways and Agricultural Development.

He served briefly as the Governor of North Western province in 1988 before returning to Parliamentary politics a few months later. In the last general election, he contested he secured the largest number of votes in the Central Province.

Wijetunga was appointed Prime Minister in 1989 by President Ranasinghe Premadasa. He also held the Ministries of Finance and Labour and Vocational Training in addition to being the State Minister of Defence in the Premadasa administration.

After President Premadasa’s assassination by a LTTE suicide bomber in Colombo on May Day 1993, Wijetunga became acting President till Parliament convened to elect a successor to the slain President in terms of the Constitution.

The amiable Wijetunga was elected unanimously by Parliament to complete the remainder of Premadasa’s term. The humble Kandyan farmer was sworn in as the fourth Executive President of the country on May 7, 1993.

Although President Wijetunga took up the mantle of leadership at a time of catastrophe, he brought about a peaceful transition of power and returned stability to the nation. During his short tenure as President, he oversaw the removal of several irritants that had earlier divided various sections of the people.

During his first six months in office, President Wijetunga instituted measures to consolidate and carry forward the economic development programmes that had re-oriented the country towards a market economy since 1977. He also moved to modify certain programmes so as to make them more productive and cost effective.

President Wijetunga gave priority to programmes for poverty alleviation, education, employment generation, and a new impetus to agricultural development. He also took measures to attract foreign investment and advance technology with the goal of making Sri Lanka a Newly Industrialised Nation by the turn of the 21st Century.

In a moving farewell speech to Parliament Wijetunga cited Shakespeare’s oft-quoted line “Do not be afraid of greatness, Some men are born great, Some achieve greatness, And some have greatness thrust upon them.”

As President, Wijetunga set about his work in his own simplistic, inimitable fashion.

After UNP was defeated in the Southern Provincial Council Election in 1994, he dissolved Parliament in August that year. However the UNP lost the ensuing election and Wijetunga appointed Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga as Prime Minister.

Even though under the constitution, Wijetunga was bestowed with wide powers, he chose not to exercise much authority, letting the Prime Minister manage the affairs of the country.

He relinquished office in November 1994 after Kumaratunga was elected President.

The former President after relinquishing his duties led a low profile life at his ancestral home in Pilimatalawa, Kandy.

In his latter days, Wijetunge was plagued by illnesses and at the time of his demise was seeking treatment at the Kandy General hospital. He is the father of one.