Lakshman Sirisena:

Distinguished legal career

Jagath C Savanadasa

The legal fraternity in this country has been in the forefront of all key professions and an integral part of the nation's leadership for long years.

Our country has been fortunate enough in that we have throughout the pre and post independent history has leaders steeped in the Law. They applied their legal acumen in taking this country towards the goal of Independence. But what is most reassuring from a layman's point of view is that our system of governance provides for redress through Courts in the event an individual suffers injustice. And to take up the case of anyone harmed, there are the defenders of justice namely the qualified lawyers.

The kind of protection and safeguards that the law provides makes the citizen confident of his freedom and also conscious that any infringement of his rights as a citizen could be taken up in a court of law.

This is a fundamental tenet of a free society of having a time tested legal system in place.

Epicentre of the Law and Lawyers

Given this rich tradition and faith in the law it is appropriate to look at some of the key locations of its practice. Hulftsdorp has been for long the epicentre of the legal structure and most of the outstanding lawyers are the products of this leading centre in Colombo. But this does not mean that the rest of the country has not produced lawyers of distinction.

Kandy and Galle in particular have had long legal traditions and the profession could boast of many practitioners who have carved a niche for themselves over the years. On the other hand some of them have crossed swords with the best in Colombo in legal battles that have attracted wide public attention.

It is also good to remind ourselves of the fact that some of those who have occupied the highest position in the judiciary namely that of Chief Justice have been products of schools in Kandy. Victor Tennekoon, Sarath Nanda Silva and the incumbent Chief Justice have all passed through the portals of two leading schools in Kandy.

Similarly the Southern Province too has produced many a legal luminary. To cite an outstanding example, the first Ceylonese Chief Justice of this country Edward Jayatilleka was a product of the Southern Province.

At this point of time our focus is on a lawyer also from the South who will complete half a century of legal practice this month.

Lakshman Sirisena is undoubtedly one of the leading civil and criminal lawyers from this Province. His name may not be familiar to Colombo folk but is widely known from Bentota to Galle, a thirty mile stretch of the dynamic South which has its own share of great leaders.

Induruwa the home base

Lakshman Sirisena's life, work and his family background and their contribution to the community form an absorbing study. He was born seventy-four years ago in Induruwa-a lush verdant land, sandwiched between Bentota and Kosgoda.

The sprawling Sirisena residence is located parallel to the Galle-Colombo rail track. If one were to view the surroundings from his garden, the blue Indian Ocean and the golden beach will be a delight to the eye.

Lakshman Sirisena's father the late W A C Sirisena J P U M was Crown Proctor of Balapitiya from 1956-1961. The position of Crown Proctor was then usually occupied by the leader of the Unofficial Bar.

Sirisena lived in a placid period of our history when individuals in key positions had high moral values and Sirisena was a man of integrity. Sirisena's mother hailed from Kandy. Wilfred Kohoban Wickrema originally from Baddegama had relocated in Kandy during colonial times in the manner of many an irrepressible Southerner possessed of the spirit of adventure and enterprise.

Over the years he became a civil contractor who acquired considerable wealth and at one time owned several houses in Piachaud Gardens-Kandy. The senior Kohoban Wickrema had three sons, all Trinitians - the elder Austin (Freddie) Silva Kohoban Wickrema, a brilliant scholar at Trinity, later secured first Class Honours in English at the University of London. Subsequently, he entered the coveted Civil Service and capped his career as a Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Cabinet.

He was awarded the Commander of the Victorian Order (CVO) by Her Majesty the Queen. Austin Kohoban Wickrema's brother was also a University scholar who unfortunately died young. Sirisena's mother's sister married Andrew Abeywickrema, Factory Engineer, Government Factory who hailed from a family in Baddegama, which had a rich political history.

Family

His two brothers - Henry Abeywickrema was a former Minister of Labour while Simon Abeywickrema, State Councillor under the Donoughmore Constitution was a Parliamentary Secretary later in the 1950s.

The distinguished patriach of the Sirisena family, his paternal grandfather Piyadasa Sirisena - was a national hero who played an important role in the freedom struggle against the British.

Now in their fifth generation the Sirisena family comprises many professionals in fields such as medicine, engineering and also corporate men of distinct ability.

Sirisena's career

Lakshman Sirisena was educated at Kalutara Vidyalaya.

Sirisena entered the Law College in 1956. He demonstrated his talents by winning the first scholarship in the preliminary examination. In the final examination Sirisena secured first class Honours and commenced practice in 1961 in the District Court of Balapitiya.

Balapitiya has acquired a rightful reputation for legal luminaries who adorned the profession. Some of the greatest lawyers of the caliber of Colvin R de Silva who was also a towering political figure, H Sri Nissanka QC a founder of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, N T de S Amerasekera QC, Sir Cyril de Zoysa and V T de Zoysa were all nurtured in the soil of Balapitiya. The last two named were also outstanding business leaders. Balapitiya later produced other leading lawyers like E M M Wijerama, K T P de Silva. A H de Silva (brother of the more famous C P de Silva), Asoka Weerasinghe former MP and Chairman of Sri Lanka Telecom and Senerath Mendis.

Though Sirisena now dislikes to dabble in politics, as a promising young lawyer he was nominated by no less a person than the former Prime Minister, the late Dudley Senanayake to contest the Bentara-Elpitiya seat. But he was unable do so due to personal reasons.

Many years later the DUNF leader the late Lalith Athulathmudali, asked him to contest the Galle District under the DUNF banner.

Lakshman Sirisena, the writer learns, has throughout his career, adopted a dedicated approach to the practice of Law. His success was built on a foundation of credibility and reliability. He has appeared in some of the most important civil and criminal cases in Balapitiya and his practice today has extended to the newly established Appeal Court in Galle.

He exudes an aura of dependability and his clients seeking solace through litigation have always felt that they were in safe and good hands. It is a feeling akin to that of a good and effective Doctor who attracts the confidence of a patient. These sterling attributes have contributed to his notable success.

Legal career

Sirisena is also well versed and steeped in the classic and has a perennial love for English Literature-a trait that runs in his family.

His only regret in life is that none of his children took to law. But he is proud of the fact that his eldest son-in-law old Richmondite-Bandula Hirimburegama is a High Court Judge.

The Balapitiya Bar in recognition of the completion of a notable fifty-year career in the profession, will honour him later this month.

His photograph will be unveiled in the Library of the Bar alongside those of four other Lawyers who have already completed half a century in practice. This event will be followed by a dinner in his honour at a leading hotel in the South.

All this seems highly appropriate for an outstanding legal personality not only from Balapitiya but the entirety of the Southern Province.