From a surviving colleague of 1970:

‘Tirelessly he strolls: The leader of the people’

Dulshani Gunawardena

SLFP veteran Athauda Seneviratne speaks to Daily News

“The Security Personnel would not let him pass. They forcefully removed each and every sign of incriminating evidence; whole stacks of photography. Finally, they let him pass. Had they known of the scraps of photography he had stashed away in various nooks of his person and luggage, it would have been death.”

Thus does Athauda Seneviratne describe Mahinda Rajapaksa’s flight to Geneva’s Human Rights Commission in 1989.

Athauda Seneviratne is an old hand, a very old hand; In fact one who has seen it all from his ring sided view in the 1970-1977 Parliament, borne the brunt, one who has stood through both thick and thin. He is one of the ‘survivors’ of that Parliament to carry the torch to date, the others being former Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka, Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne and MP Vasudeva Nanayakkara. President Mahinda Rajapaksa was the youngest MP in that Parliament!

Currently Minister of Justice and former Minister of Labour, Seneviratne spoke to Daily News about his compatriot, the President as his sojourn in politics completes four decades.

“I first met him, many years ago, in 1970. We both had been newly elected to Parliament. He was from a illustrious family, but the novelty lay ion the fact that this young and eager youth was brimming with ‘the common touch’. Even then, he was a progressive thinker.”

The late seventies and the full length of the eighties saw Seneviratne working closely with Rajapaksa as members of the Opposition.

This era saw Mahinda Rajapaksa’ develop into a fully fledged and somewhat revolutionary politician.

“Both the Government and JVP were carrying out a war of terror. The country was in chaos. Law and order were unheard of. Innocent civilians were pressured on both sides:on one side was the bloodthirsty JVP, on the other a zealous but unpractical government. They had no one to turn to. Rajapaksa organized ‘paa gaman’ from Colombo to Kataragama and another from Colombo to Kandy braving dire circumstances.”

Seneviratne goes on to reminisce the period that would follow, when Mahinda Rajapaksa was appointed Labour Minister in 1994 under the Government of Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga.

Afterwards in her second term, he was appointed Fisheries Minister.

“He proved himself as much of a policymaker as a rebel. Neither post were a much coveted position, yet it was a field in which his ‘common touch’ proved exceptional. He understood the minds of the people, and brought out reforms that worked for their best interest.”

Seneviratne wound up stating that he had much hope for the future, under the capable hands of the President.

“The 30 year war, one of the darkest chapters of our history has drawn to an end. Now is the time for a Revolution of Development. I have a strong belief in the President and his capabilities. He has my full co-operation and warmest wishes.”