Administrator par excellence of the century
International
Monetary Cooperation Senior Minister and Finance and Planning Deputy
Minister Dr Sarath Amunugama celebrates birthday today
The name Sarath Leelananda Bandara Amunugama may be a little
unfamiliar to many. But the name Dr. Sarath Amunugama is very popular
among all and sundry. A deep insight into his life is very startling as
he is a unique and rare intellectual and a man of wisdom who can take
decisions which have a deep impact on the lives of the people here and
abroad.
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Dr. Sarath
Amunugama |
His father and mother were educated at Panadura St Johns Vidyalaya
and the Colombo Buddhist Theosophical Society's Museaus College, two
elitist educational institutions during the colonial era.
They were Walter Muthubanda Amunugama and Somawathie Kumari
Nilmalgoda of Kegalle whose marriage took place in 1938. Their eldest
son Sarath Leelananda Bandara Amunugama was born in Kandy on July 10,
1939. Little Amunugama, the eldest in a family of three including a
brother and sister received his kindergarten education at Kandy Girls
High School.
Gaining a double promotion in class, he qualified to enter Trinity
College, Kandy true to the adage "Coming events cast their shadows."
After a bright school career, young Amunugama gained admission to the
Peradeniya University in 1957 with many other colleagues who later made
a great contribution to uplift community life in this country.
University education received by Amunugama did not restrict him to a
single professional field. In the 1950 decade, social science had a
novel experience for Sri Lanka. Social Science had a high international
value and recognition as a window of opportunity to unravel social
economic cultural and scientific information about the entire human
race.
As such Amunugama opted to study social science at the university
through a desire to gain an insight to the world rather than to share
its benefits. This made him popular figure at the university. His close
association with the Samasamaja Party student group helped him to become
the Secretary of Economic Association and later President of the
Students Council. Dr Doric De Sousa who was a lecturer in English at the
time was a close associate and a Samasamaja advisor to him.
Although university politics helped Amunugama to strike a close
friendship with Dr. N.M. Perera, Dr. Colvin R de Silva, Leslie
Goonewardena, Bernard Soysa and Anil Moonesinghe, a teacher who was most
dear to his heart was Professor Ediriweera Sarachchandra.
It was due to his love for fine arts that endeared Amunugama to
Professor Sarachchandra.
Due to his association with Prof. Sarachchandra, Amunugama was able
to establish a friendship with renowned artistes. Among them were Martin
Wickremasinghe, K. Jayathilleke, Madawala S. Ratnayake, Gunasena
Galappaththy, P. Nissanka, W.D. Amaradeva, Dunston de Silva and P.
Welikala.
Amunugama also received an opportunity to play the role of Kachjapu
in Sarachchandra's drama Kada Walalu and Act in Hemamali Gunasekera's
Ratnavalee. Amunugama notched a first class Honours degree in Social
Science in 1961 due to the grounding he received from his team of
lecturers including Ralph Pieris, Stanley Thambiah, Ganantha Obeysekera
and Laksiri Jayasuriya.
After completing undergraduate studies, Amunugama briefly held a
lecturer post in Social Science at the same university from 1961 to
1962. During this time, he conducted a series of social research in
league with his teachers at Matale and Hiniduma , Medagama in the Galle
district. These research work gave him vital experience which was of
great assistance to him in his later life.
A turning point in his life came in 1962 when he passed the Civil
Service examination with fine colours to enter the Administrative
Service. When he bade good bye to the Department of Social Studies at
the Peradeniya University to join the Civil Service he never dreamt that
he would be playing a great role in charting the future welfare of his
motherland.
When Amunugama was serving as GA of Matale, he had to implement Prime
Minister Dudley Senanayake's agricultural campaign (Cultivation War) or
the green revolution. Thereafter, he was appointed Director of
Government Information in 1968. Following the setting up of the
coalition government led by Sirimavo Bandaranaike in 1970, the country
experienced internal strife due to the JVP insurrection of 1971.
Since publicity given by newspapers and other communication media
tended to compound the situation , the government was compelled to
introduce a press censorship. As such the Prime Minister appointed a
Censor Board comprising Minister George Rajapaksa, Leslie Gunawardena,
Pieter Keunamen. T.B. Subasinghe and T.B. Illangartne.
Amunugama was appointed Secretary of the Censor Board. Since there
was a controversy in the Board which met twice daily, the Prime Minister
in consultation with Minister T.B. Illangaratne and Amunugama prepared a
handbill which was air dropped throughout the country.
Amunugama later opined that there was a good response towards the
appeal (hand bill) from a majority of radical youth. In the meantime,
Amunugama who had held various administrative posts with great skill
went on a scholarship to Canada to complete his M.A in social Science.
Returning to Sri Lanka in 1973, started work as Senior Assistant
Secretary to the Public Administration Ministry.
With the change over of government in 1977, Amunugama took up duties
as Secretary to the Ministry of State on the invitation of D.B.
Wijetunga and functioned in this capacity till 1982. Thereafter,
Amunugama had to contribute towards realising President J.R.
Jayewardene's dream of setting up a state television service.
Thereafter, he had to serve as the Secretary of Communication and
Information Centre of the UN educational, scientific and cultural
organization based in Singapore from 1982.
After a brief stint there, Amunugama took up duties as UN
International Programme Director of Communication (IPDC) in Paris.
Thereafter the UNDP called upon him to cooperate with Chile's former
Foreign Affairs Minister Herman Saththa Cruz to organize the UN news
network of Development news.
During his stay in Paris , Amunugama made a great contribution
towards maintaining international co existence and preventing the Cold
War between the US and USSR escalating into a third world war.
He did this by summoning the UN annual summit on Communication
exchange in Tashkent in Soviet Uzbekistan. G. Parathasarathy was the
Indian representative in the IPDC appointed by Indian Prime Minister
Indira Gandhi. At this time Gamini Dissanayake who was a close friend of
Amunugama had disclosed this secret to President Jayewardene. He had
told the President that Parthasarathy was a very close personal friend
of Amunugama. President Jayewardene who thought of making use of
Amunugama to solve the Indo-Lanka problem which had cropped up, then
invited Amunugama to return to Sri Lanka to start negotiations with
India. R Premadasa was the Prime Minister then and A.C.S. Hameed the
Foreign Affairs Minister.
Amunugama who returned to Sri Lanka was appointed Additional
Secretary of World View International which was a non-governmental
organisation.
He was also appointed a Presidential advisor to enable him to devote
attention towards the Indo-Lanka problem.
Although the problem could not be fully settled, he was able to
create a situation which could safeguard the reputation and self-respect
of both parties to the problem. Once again destiny forced Amunugama to
go abroad to take up duties as a visiting lecturer in Social Science at
the Harvard university, USA at the invitation of his former lecturer
Prof. Stanley Thambiah.
The doctorate in social science obtained from the University of Paris
and many research papers done by him enabled Amunugama to strike up the
Harvard job. By this time Amunugama had published 15 research papers and
three books in English and two in Sinhala based on these research
papers.
Thereafter Amunugama who returned to Sri Lanka held a series of talks
with then Indian High Commissioner J.N. Dixit and obtained several
favourable decisions to help President J.R. Jayewardene to defuse the
volatile situation which arose due to the Indo-Lanka dispute.
President Jayewardene had identified the diplomatic skills shown by
Amunugama during these negotiations.
The political crisis which engulfed the UNP after the retirement of
J.R. Jayewardene from politics ended in a catastrophe due to the passing
over of the party leadership to individuals without clear ideology or
vision. The lives of Lalith Athulathmudali and Gamini Dissanayake were
suddenly snatched away. Amunugama who had a farsighted vision in his
political and personal life, took the very important and remarkable
decision of crossing over to the SLFP and obtaining party membership.
There were no barriers for this decision as he was social democrat from
his university days.
Elected as a Member of Parliament for Kandy district representing the
Galagedara electorate in 1994, he remained as a parliamentarian to date
uninterrupted. Appointed a Minister in 1999, he has so far held the
portfolios of Rehabilitation, Irrigation and Water Management, Education
and Higher Education, Finance and Planning, Industries and Investment
Promotion, Public Administration and Home Affairs and Enterprise
Development and Investment Promotion at various times.
He has also functioned as Senior Presidential Advisor on Economic
Affairs. Currently he is International Monetary Cooperation Senior
Minister and Finance and Planning Deputy Minister. All these high
positions is a testament for Dr. Sarath Amunugama's exceptional talents
as a veteran politician, diplomat, social scientist and an artiste.
Bandupala Guruge
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