PARLIAMENT

Parliament condoles Chandrasekeran:

Chandrasekeran a great statesman

Parliament corrs

Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa presided when Parliament met at 1 pm yesterday.

After the presentation of papers and oral questions, the House took up the Vote of Condolence on Minister P Chandrasekaran.

Irrigation and Water Resources Management Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva: As a Urban Councillor, Provincial Councillor, Deputy Minister and Minister, P Chandrasekeran rendered yeoman service to the Tamil community. Late Minister P Chandrasekeran was elected to Parliament from the Nuwara Eliya district.

As a Public Utilities and Estate Housing Minister, he contributed immensely to the plantation sector, the people of Indian origin. He was appointed Estate Sector Infrastructure Development Minister in 1997. He studied at Sumana Demala Maha Vidyalaya in Talawakele.

He was later admitted to St Patrick Vidyalaya in Thalawakele and Highland College in Hatton for higher studies. He married Shanthini Devi and was the father of two children. He entered politics by being elected to the Lindula Urban Council in 1979. He was the leader of the Youth Front of the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) in 1977.

He was removed from the CWC and set up his new party the Upcountry Peoples Party.

He provided a yeoman service to the country as an MP. He represented the estate sector and dedicated himself to serve them.

The late Chandrasekeran served the people without any ethnic difference and was always ready to help the people.

He contributed much to protect democracy and fulfill the needs of the people. I wish to convey my condolences to his bereaved family.

Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe: Late Minister P Chandrasekeran represented the people of Indian origin. He did a great service for the uplift of their livelihood.

The underprivileged people were well looked after. I first met him when I was the Education Minister. He discussed the estate school teachers' problems with me.

He actively involved himself in social and community development of the Tamil community in the estate sector.

As a Deputy Minister of Irrigation, he took measures to repair minor irrigation projects in the North and East. He was committed to protect the trade unions rights of the workers in the plantation sector.

National Languages and Social Integration Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara: Late Minister P Chandrasekeran represented the working class of the upcountry people. He provided a great service to the youth as Chairman of the Youth Wing. He represented the aspirations of the Tamil speaking people and fulfilled their needs. He stood for the common identity of the Tamils. His support became a great help to consolidate the power of the UPFA.

His party always stood for democratic reforms.

Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa: P Chandrasekaran was a politician who rendered a good service to the up country people. He supported the UPFA from its outset to secure its seats in Parliament.

He remained as a Minister of the Government until his demise. But with the consent of the Government, he always abstained from casting his vote during the motion to extend the State of Emergency.

He also contributed immensely for passing the Labour Ordinance.

Chandrakumar Murugesu (UPFA): He initiated the Up Country People's Front in 1989 which was very popular among the up country people. He was also a popular leader among the up country youth. He worked very hard to end the people living in estate line room.

Mavei Senadirajah (TNA):

Deputy Chairman of Committees Chandrakumar Murugesu takes the Chair.

I knew late Minister P Chandrasekaran for 40 years. He always stood for the identity of the Tamil community.

Chandrasekaran from his young age attempted to save the rights of the Tamil people and the up country people.

P Rajathurei (UPFA): The late Chandrasekaran was engaged in trade union activities. He was always of the opinion that the up country youth should join politics going beyond the trade union activities. Later on, he founded the Up Country People's Front.

He was once jailed while contesting an election. He exploited his experiences for his success.

P Digambaran (UPFA): My teacher in politics was late P Chandrasekaran. He was a cog in the wheel to those who thought politics was a property of their families.

When the UPFA lacked a seat to form the Government, P Chandrasekaran took an important decision by supporting the UPFA.

Science and Technology Minister Tissa Vitharana: On behalf of the Lanka Samasamaja Party, I speak on the Condolence Vote of late Minister P Chandrasekaran.

He was born in Talawakele and became evolved his politics from the Ceylon Workers' Congress. Later on, he formed the Up Country People's Front and played a crucial part at the forming of the UPFA Government in 1994.

Prabha Ganeshan (UPFA): Late Minister P Chandrasekaran had a good understanding about the socio and economic problems of the up country estate workers. He did his best to uplift the livelihood of the up country people and also attempted to render his services to the entire country.

He initiated a project to provide 50,000 houses for the people of the Estate Sector.

Education Deputy Minister Vijith Vijayamuni Zoysa: The late P Chandrasekeran was a revolutionary politician with unique features in his political policies. His decisions were very important to uplift my political career.

If he did not form a Government in 1994, I would not be able to be the Chief Minister of the Uva Province. Later he had certain problems with the Government, but he supported me irrespective of those problems.

J Sri Ranga (UPFA): The late P Chandrasekaran stood not only for the rights of the Up Country people but he also raised his voice against the terrorist activities in Jaffna as well.

While many other politicians were silent, P Chandrasekaran, spoke against terrorist activities bravely.

S P Radakrishnan (UPFA): He founded the Up Country People's Front. He never was a politician who went after Ministerial portfolios. He always wanted to revise the life standards of the Up Country people.

R Yogarajan (UNP): Late P Chandrasekeran was a revolutionary leader. He was a trade union activist and a friend to all. He rendered his services to all communities.

A H M Azwer (UPFA): In the book titled Thirukural it is noted that if a man is born, he should be born as a good person or he should not have been born. He was a popular person among all communities, Sinhala, Tamil and Muslims. Specially he was a friend of the ordinary people.

Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa takes the Chair

Late P Chandrasekaran married Shanthini Chandrasekaran and was the father of two daughters. He followed in the footsteps of late Arumugam Thondaman and joined politics. He had a vision and he fought hard to get the salaries of the estate worker increased and save their rights.

Human Resources Senior Minister DEW Gunasekara:

He was a great politician, social worker and trade unionist. I closely associated with him for the last 24 years. He was a young leader who emerged from the plantation sector. He started the Upcountry People's Front and gave a new lease of life to the upcountry people.

He always gave ear to the grievances of the Tamil community. His demise was a great loss to society as well as the Tamil speaking people.

Private Transport Service Minister C B Ratnayake:

Late Minister P Chandrasekaran, represented the plantation community. He raised his voice on behalf of them. He believed that the plantation sector were a part of the main contributers to the national economy.

He solved many problems related to the workers of the estate sector as a trade union leader.

Karu Jayasuriya (UNP):

He involved himself in his family business during his young age after the demise of his father.

He was a great politician and provided a great service to the Tamil community.

A. Vinayagamoorthy (TNA): I was closely associated with the late P Chandrasekeran for the last 18 years.

He was taken into custody on two occasions and I appeared on behalf of him and got him released.

He did a lot for the upcountry people, and was in the position of winning any election representing the up country. He was a great leader.

Water Supply and Drainage Minister Dinesh Gunawardena: His demise is a great loss to the estate working sector.

He acted bravely to win the rights of the working class. He committed himself to provide better living standards to the Tamil community.

Justice Minister Rauff Hakeem: The late P Chandrasekeran was one of the greatest leaders who represented the plantation sector. Many plantation workers gathered around him. He believed that all Tamil speaking people should be united.

He was a great political leader who served the Tamil community immensely in Sri Lanka. He had great humane qualities and always thought the interests of the people.

Dayasiri Jayasekera (UNP):

The late Minister P Chandrasekera, rendered yeomen service to the Tamil community. We always had a great respect for him.

He served the people irrespective of cast, creed or race. He had a strong feeling for the Tamil speaking people. This humble politician, did not go after material goods. His primary concept was protecting the Tamils.

The House was adjourned until February 23.

Speaker warns Ministers and Deputy Ministers

Parliamentary Corrs

Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa yesterday instructed the Chief Government Whip and Water Supply and Drainage Minister Dinesh Gunawardena to inform the Ministers to be present in Parliament to answer the questions for oral answers raised by the members.

The Speaker made this directive in Parliament, when the members of the House brought to the notice of the Speaker that there were no Ministers to responde to the question for oral answers.

In response to the observations by the Speaker, Dinesh Gunawardena stated that he had instructed the Ministers, their Deputies as well the Senior Ministers to do so. He also questioned as to what could be done if they did not abide by those instructions.