Passing the 60th milestone in politics

Athauda Seneviratne:

Ishara Mudugamuwa

A prominent character in Sri Lankan politics Senior Minister Athauda Seneviratne recently passed the 60th year milestone of his political journey. He started his political career in the Lanka Sama Samaja Party in 1952. As a minister, deputy minister, provincial council opposition leader and as a village council representative, he has done a great service for the betterment of Sri Lankans.

Rural Development Senior Minister, Seneviratne spoke to Daily News about his political life. “I never had a greed to become a minister when I decided to be a politician. I just wanted to help the poor and to create a completely independent Sri Lanka.” said the Minister. It is not easy for him to work in a field like politics for such a long period if he has not had good qualities such as dedication and patience. He had spent more than 60 years from his life for social service.

The arrival of Arhant Mihindu Thera marked the advent of Buddhism in Sri Lanka and it paved the way for a cultural revolution in the country.”

Talking of Sama Samaja Party he said that it was a powerful movement which could create a new era in Sri Lanka.

He was born to an aristocratic family in Gasnava, Tholangamuwa in the Kegalle District. His father is B.A. Athauda and mother is Dingirimahaththaya Weerasuriya.

Minister Seneviratne has two brothers and three sisters. He studied at Tholangamuwa Maha Vidyalaya and at St. Joseph's School, Gampola. He was a student when Sri Lanka received freedom in 1948. Athauda Seneviratne being a great patriotic leader always wanted to bring complete independence to the country.

Throughout his childhood he experienced labour struggles and because of that reason he always helped them win their rights as well as eradicate poverty.

He started his social community life by starting a dhamma school at his village. He was an active member of village development committees and farmer committees.

Later he married a teacher Podi Menika and had five children. Athauda Seneviratne is an old hand, in politics and he is one of the ‘survivors’ of our 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 the Parliament during that period.

Minister Seneviratne has done a great service for the betterment of estate labourers.

When he was the Labour Relations and Manpower Minister Athauda Seneviratne had increased estate sector wages which was the most attractive wage increase in the plantation sector at that time. For the first time in history Minister Athauda introduced a housing system for the estate workers.

He had taken measures to build 25 houses in every estate with the support of the Indian government. It was a landmark change because estate workers did not have a fixed abode at that time.