A patriot and an illustrious son of Sri Lanka - Lakshman Kadirgamar PC

Satharathilaka Banda Atugoda

Sir, you left our shores seven long years ago, when we really needed your presence for a plethora of reasons, foremost among them is the fact that, you would have been the happiest, ‘Statesman of Sri Lanka’ to see the scourge of terrorism defeated, for which you sacrificed your life. At, all world fora where you were dignified for this proud land of ours, your clarion call was to assist us in defeating terrorism; your voice was heard by the Sri Lankan audience, Regional, INGOs, bi-lateral fora, multi-lateral fora, and Think Tanks; the voice was most forceful, sentimental and logical that major powers listed the LTTE, as a terrorist organization.

At the Sri Lankan Parliament, and Think Tanks and public meetings you outlined the ‘modus-operandi’ for defeating terrorism. You were given a free hand to tackle this menace, by the government, Opposition, and also the people. At SAARC, ASEAN and other regional bodies, your appeal was heeded. You called on almost all the leaders, in the region to explain to them that Sri Lanka was for peaceful negotiations but if that failed the friendly neighbours, should come to our aid.

At UN and other multilateral fora your appeals for stopping fund-collections by LTTE, and drug-trafficking succeeded to a very great extent. A few reminiscences, Sir, of your speeches reveal the sophistication and brilliance demonstrated in the service of this beloved land of ours. Since 1995 until you left us in 2005, you addressed the UN on this theme.

Humanitarian operation

Your approach was to unite all communities in Sri Lanka, so that there will be a common front against terrorism. In this endeavour you had the courage to declare in the UNGA for the first time, that you being a Sri Lankan and a Tamil, could boldly say that the Sinhala people were not racist.

This turned the tide to make the world body realise that Sri Lanka was fighting a ‘Separatist Terrorist War’. After September 11th, devastation by terrorism of the US, in your October 2nd address at the UNGA, you expressed our unqualified condemnation, of terror-attacks and our support to apprehend the organizations responsible, and said, ‘that those responsible should not go unpunished and emphasised ‘that terrorism threatened the very foundations of human society.’ The reminding that you gave to the world body, that, sadly terrorism was no stranger to Sri Lanka, but there was only lukewarm words of sympathy, and called for at least, their support for UN Conventions on Financing of Terrorism, and Ad Hoc Committee on the Elimination of Terrorism, established in 2001.

At, the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London, in your address on April 15, 1998, was mixed with sarcasm and heart-piercing words, when you said, ‘Sri Lanka has been a victim of terrorism for a long time, and after a terror attack friendly countries run out of adjectives, in their condolence messages’, and went on to say, but finances come from terror outfit offices abroad, including, 211 Catherine Road Office in London.' The finesse with you used the words, made these countries to touch their conscience; both the US and UK and European Union later, proscribed the LTTE, which facilitated even the humanitarian operation of 2009.

It made British leaders to ask Sri Lankan parties to unite in their fight against terrorism, building a bi-partisan, common approach to terrorism. Your emotional appeal at the First Ministerial Meeting of the Community of Democracies, in Warsaw, Poland June 26 - 27, 2000, reverberated that august assembly with sympathy and support from all countries present.

It was not a prepared text but a lucid pouring of feelings and emotions from a true patriot, fighting for a cause. You said, “Our precious democracy is in grave peril. We are under siege, we are under sustained assault, by a fascist terrorist group, that is bent on carving out in the North and East of our country a separate State.”

“A democracy standing alone, cannot possibly survive an onslaught of this kind, because Democracy is vulnerable, it is fundamentally constrained, limited by the demands of democratic practice and tradition. Democracy even at a time of war has to remember the Rule of Law, the freedom of the press and all those requirements of a practising democracy, that we speak of in the Warsaw Declaration.”

World community

“How do we fight, how then do we survive? My plea is a very simple one. My plea today, in this historic city of Warsaw, we are about to launch what would surely become a famous declaration spelling out the fundamental principles of democracy - my plea is do not forget that unless the democracies of the world stand together and fight together and always come to the aid of a member in peril, democracy will not survive.”

“The great liberal democracies must wake up to the fact it is their duty to come to the aid of a democracy in peril in practical ways, with moral support yes, words and declarations, but also by a demonstration of political will that sends a message to the terrorists of the world that the birth of the Warsaw Declaration will see the end of terrorism.

Therefore, there will be no succour, no solace, no safe haven, no place to hide, no place to run for the terrorists of the world because all of us the democratic states will stand together and fight together.”

How prophetic and inspiring were these words of yours. We fought terrorism and defeated it; we expected great liberal democracies to come to our aid, at world fora to congratulate us and learn from us.

Instead what we are experiencing is, an arduous task, of convincing the world community ourselves, that we successfully defeated terror while preserving democracy; no international commendation. Where have we gone wrong! I am no expert to analyse it.

Having done the difficult part of defeating terrorism, we are mired in achieving the relatively easier target of post-conflict reconciliation, good-governance, rule of law, and international acceptance!

As repeated in my earlier essays, when Lakshman Kadirgamar came back to the seat after delivering this historic speech, in Warsaw, there was standing ovation, and I congratulated him most warmly, as I was proud to have been his representative in Poland and also a fellow-Sri Lankan.

His most emotional response was, “Atu. I have walked a few more steps towards the LTTE bullet.” I was lost for words. In my wildest dreams I never thought that it would be so. I still feel that warmth in your hands Sir. I bow my head in respect for the sacrifice of your ‘Today’, Sir, for the sake of the ‘Tomorrow’ of millions of our Motherland, born and unborn.

His mission

From the day that he was sworn in as the Foreign Minister, there was one mission prioritised among others, and that was to bring Sri Lanka back to her former glorious tranquil state, when he held the Independence flame in February 4, 1948, as a schoolboy on behalf of that prestigious academic citadel, Trinity Kandy. He had vast picturesque memories of Sri Lanka, as a child, student, and as a professional; he was a keen sportsman and an athlete.

He was a Sri Lankan record holder in athletics. A cricketer of world standards, playing for Oxford itself was a national pride to Sri Lanka. A cricketer of world standards, who was an ‘Oxford Blue’ was honoured by the University when he was the Foreign Minister, by unveiling his portrait as a distinguished student, by Chris Patten the Chancellor of the Oxford University, on 2005. Kadirgamar grew-up in such environs of camaraderie and friendship wherever, he went, that he abhorred violence to say the least. He stood for justice but not through terror. The early upbringing of Kadirgamar made him to look beyond ethnic, linguistic and divisive stigmas, as seen from his family background.

An illustrious family

His family made him look beyond narrow parochial, artificial, confines of ethnicity, religion and language. Son of an eminent lawyer, Sam J.C. Kadirgamar, Snr. J.P. UM, from the distinguished family hailing from Manipay, Jaffna, who founded the Ceylon Legal Society, who pioneered many social programmes, and the mother of equal distinction, Edith Rosemand Parimalai Mather, was brought up in a liberal environment.

He had four distinguished brothers who served motherland, Sam.J.C. Kadirgamar, as an eminent lawyer, Rajanathan. K. Kadirgamar, as the Sri Lankan Navy Commander and Selvanathan Kadirgamar, as a Major in the Ceylon Army, Thirumalan Kadirgamar, a planter, and an elder sister Eeswary Kadirgamar, who too dedicated herself to social work. Lakshman Kadirgamar had nothing to look over his shoulders, but only dedicate himself to the vocation which he took up at different stages in his life. Unfortunately, of course, his mother passed away when he was eight years, and he was brought up by the sister Eeswary in a motherly fashion.

Lakshman was born on April 12, 1932 when the Independence Movement, along with party politics, especially, left-wing politics was emerging, in Sri Lanka, but, there was relative peace among the populace. The well-to-do families received opportunities in all spheres of life, including children’s education. So was it with Kadirgamars’.

He was in the category of ‘the super first’ children, excelling others in whichever field or vocation he was in. He was the best student at Trinity in academics, during his years, best cricketer, and ruggerite, and the best athlete, having several records to his credit. He won the Andreas Nell Memorial Prize for history, and Napier Clavering Prize for English.

International figure

He was selected as the Senior Prefect and won the Ryde Gold Medal awarded to the best student. Entering the University of Ceylon, he continued the same record, that he was proud to say that he was a product of the University of Ceylon, and everything else came subsequently.

He held the All India University record in Ahamadabad, and Allahabad, in Hurdles. Passing out from the University of Ceylon, with first class honours in Law, topping the batch, he entered the legal profession, as an Advocate, and those examinations too he did with extra-distinction. He won a scholarship to Oxford University, where he excelled in academics and extra-curricular activities’ as stated earlier.

His family backgrounds are widely known to be reiterated, but it is relevant to demonstrate that Lakshman Kadirgamar did not enter politics for personal aggrandisement, as his was a life spent on lap of luxury; it is recorded that he was invited to enter politics in the 1960s by political leaders in the North. He visited his home-turf as Secretary to the Chief Justice E.F.N. Graetien, and during these visits he was convinced that what was being followed was sectarian politics, with which he could not agree. He had highly placed personalities, as relatives and friends in Jaffna, including the religious dignitaries, who preferred him to lead the Jaffna populace politically.

Even from South Sri Lanka there were overtures by leading politicians and friends like late Lalith Athulathmudali, in 1977, to join them to give the best of his academic attainments for leadership of the country. He politely declined these offers as policies pursued in the country were not to his liking.

When in 1971 the Southern insurrection came, Lakshman Kadirgamar pondered deeply that the peaceful politics that he yearned for, was not existing in this country of his. It was quite ironic, that it was the same youth groups who were his ardent supporters in the 1990s, when he entered the fray. However, in those early years, the international figure that he was, was more bent on accepting offers from abroad. That is how he was called to the bar in the United Kingdom.

To be continued