A new MP from the South

Special correspondent

A new Member of Parliament Chandima Weerakkody took oaths on June 9, 2009 from the district of Galle. He is no stranger to the people of South but some people might not know him for the very simple reason that he never cared to boost his image during campaigning. He is a prime example of “sincere dedication to public service”.

Weerakkody’s decision to continue in the family’s tradition of unselfish service to the masses of the underprivileged is an honourable one indeed. He represents the new generation that would take the South to new development.

With legal knowledge and wisdom, he could find his way through the image of political deals and bureaucratic red tape to carry the people of the South to embark on the journey envisioned by the President under the Mahinda Chinthanaya.

Weerakkody hails from a family that has given leadership to people of South and the people of Galle for many decades, a family of born leaders with inherent talents, his family has strongly stood up for innocent, underprivileged and marginalized people of Galle during harder times, when almost the entire country was left without alternative political leadership, specially during cruel and extremely dictatorial regimes of 1980s and early 1990s.

The likes of the late Minister Amarasiri Dodangoda, Richard Pathirana and Weerakkody’s family line are fondly remembered and lovingly embraced even today by old and young, rich and poor, all alike in the Galle District for their untiring efforts in serving down trodden masses.

They served people of Galle when no one else stood up for them. Amarasiri Dodangoda is known for his humane conduct, prudent approach and very gentlemanly politics and he had a strong and determined will to serve people of Galle irrespective of personal gains. Richard Pathirana is still remembered for unfailing and ever trustworthy leadership for strong character and rock solid determination qualities that people yearned for at extremely difficult times.

His character is a fine blend of both these mould. He is a man with a strong will, unfailing leadership and passion to serve people in their most critical hours of need. Disregarding all other aspects, he is a man of prudence, rational thinking with a clear eye to distinguish right from the wrong. Weerakkody is a character moulded in lawful thinking, through years of illustrative legal career.

He has gained political maturity in two decades. He was an active participant at the time when enormous political changes took place with the change of Government in 1994, a process that remains irreversible to date.

The change was driven by Southerners through the Provincial Council.

He gave up his solid career at the Attorney General’s Department to enter full time politics, to serve masses of this country.

Weerakkody has a unique characteristic of persevering to serve those in need, when all others take flight! It is customary and generally felt that when people fall into opposition they fall in to wilderness. But he single handedly made a significant change by standing up for the rights of people while in political opposition.

Most of the time, he defended the rights of the people who were affected by political victimization.

The people of Galle elected Weerakkody to the Southern Provincial Council in 1999. His conduct as an elected Councillor at the Provincial Council was extremely exemplary. A high sense of political maturity and common touch was amply displayed when he declined to contest a second stint of the Southern Provincial Council in 2004 giving way for others to emerge, without blocking their path.

Weerakkody was entrusted the mammoth task of developing the entire South by the then President through the Southern Development Authority (SDA). Once unknown, money draining SDA was transferred to a power house that delivered unprecedented development to the South, enhancing rural economy, generating employment, uplifting moral and cultural values.

Many projects were initiated throughout South leading to infrastructural development ushering development in all spheres.

Many Southerners were provided financial and other assistance to develop their small and medium scale enterprises.

What is noteworthy is that all this was done with no discrimination over caste, creed or political alliance.

Help was extended, assistance was provided to community, individual solely based on needs, while disregarding all other factors. People who were neglected over caste had no restrictions in approaching him to get whatever assistance they needed. Even the most biased and vicious critics who sat across the political divide were confident that Weerakkody won’t let them down in their hour of need.

He had a way of ‘getting things done’. When other regional leaders found no resources to deliver, he was enterprising and highly motivated to “discover this own resources” and get the job done. He had maturity to approach relevant parties in most relevant pathways to ensure timely delivery of services to people of the entire South.

This element of his character was well demonstrated during the tsunami. The courageous vision of Weerakkody saw many Southerners being served in their most critical hour of need in all possible ways, before any other form of assistance was made available.

His political maturity, wisdom and far reaching vision saw the people of South being served by many local and international NGOs and friendly donors, well before the State institutions stepped in.

Weerakkody has mastered these arts with a fine blend of Sri Lankan touch, an approach of his own that has ably convinced many international leaders to extend many a kind of assistance to people of this country, specially of the South. Many international leaders have found him to be a person with whom they can easily move, communicate effectively and as a man with a vision for future and passion for service.

He was nominated for the International Visitor Leadership program of the USA which provided opportunities to associate with emerging world leaders and gain invaluable insight and experience to the economy, politics and international arena.

His tenure as Chairman of Sri Lanka’s one of the oldest State owned financial institutions, the SMIB, is another example of courageous leadership. Within a short period, Weerakkody has been capable of effecting unprecedented change within such an old, dying, little recognized and underdeveloped organisation.

The organisation that was not known to many ordinary Sri Lankans other than State employees, was brought to limelight with a new vision and made a recognized name among all Sri Lankans.

Most importantly, his contribution was the attitudal change among State employees that usually harbour strong dislike and anathema to any type of change. His leadership achieved a change for the better with no objections from the staff to ‘serve people of this country’ with a vision and dedicated passion.

The result was a tremendous turn-round that uplifted the entire SMIB together with its stagnated group of employees over and above many years of neglect, leading to emergence of a hitherto almost unknown financial power house.

Weerakkody is well versed with the world of media as well. He served as a Director of the SLRC during many refreshing changes were brought about.

The exposures in the two worlds of mass media, regional infrastructural development and finance have no doubt added to political maturity and development of his leadership qualities.

Those represent fields widely apart. At all these institutions he has been a leader that worked with a clear vision. Such visionary conduct facilitated many changes that were effected successfully for the betterment of the public of this country.

The realize that all that had been achieved at all these institutions with no accusation or misconduct is an achievement of Weerakkody. To date, no one has complained over any act of misdeed by this resourceful and visionary leader. It is a rare occurrence these days. That depicts a clear picture of a man with a dedicated passion for work.

Yet, he remains a simple man from Galle who can still enjoy minimum benefits with no luxuries. He is happy, just by serving the people.

Hence, how the Southerners and the rest of the Sri Lankan population can rejoice the fact that they have an energetic and charismatic leader of national calibre.