Rukman launches book on Dudley on his 100th birthday

By Cheranka Mendis

Celebrating the 100th birthday of a much loved political leader of Sri Lanka, a bibliography titled ‘Dudley Senanayake - the most loved leader of our times’ was launched yesterday evening at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute. The book was written by his nephew Rukman Senanayake.

The second prime minister of Sri Lanka Dudley Senanayake was portrayed as a leader of honesty and integrity, a politician par excellence and a man truly missed in a woe ridden country.  Deputy Leader of the UNP Karu Jayasuriya who was among the many politicians who attended the launch stated that Senanayake named as ‘the father who fed the nation’ (bath dun piya) was a unique politician who should be reborn in the country once again to steer it in the right direction.

“He was not a racist. More than a politician he was a statesman. He did not go behind positions or power. The best example was when he rejected the power bestowed on him by the British Governor and wanted to come to power with the mandate of the people.  In 1953 due to the hartal, Senanayake stepped down. He acted according to his conscience and took responsibility,” Jayasuriya said. He asserted that Senanayake had the distinctive talent in bridging gaps and uniting people and that he never sought revenge even if the other took a different political stand or spoke against his principles. “He treated them with compassion and understanding and accepted them as friends. He did not have foes. He was a great man, a man of character.”

He was humane, had compassion, kindness, and was understanding, Jayasuriya added. He was a well disciplined person, honest, was a man of integrity and adhered to a transparent ruling structure. “He was a leader that the country needed, and still needs.”

A former Civil Servant Bradman Weerakoon who was Secretary to Dudley Senanayake during his term of office as Prime Minister, illustrated Senanayake as “no ordinary leader” and went on to describe the qualities of distinction in the man. “The ability to feel deeply and inclusively about others was one of the many superior traits of Senanayake,” Weerakoon said. “He had no narrow markings. Most of us are made to go with the flow. But Senanayake was different. His love of people reached across every citizen. His nobility transcended petty emotions. He was able to defend people who were not his own.”

Senanayake also never showed off or pretended to be something he was not, he said. “He would have been ashamed if someone were to offer him a doctorate,” Weerakoon said, “And he truly loved to learn. He was one of the very few leaders I knew who actually read a book cover to cover.” He also had the courage of a lion, Weerakoon said. Senanayake also had the gift to get into the heart of a problem and he listened carefully to the voices below — the small people. He mixed the scientific knowledge he learnt at Cambridge with the homely advice of the farmers.”

A former Administrative Service officer Amara Hewamadduma stated that Senanayake’s entrance to the politics was an accident and that he was not a political leader but someone who was equivalent to a Bodhi sathva. He stated that the crucial point in the Lankan disarray or start of conflict was when Sinhala was made the national language and that instead all three languages should have been made official languages. Putting Sinhala on top has resulted in years of conflict between the two ethnicities and the loss of English language for generations of students. While the likes of Senanayake bridged ethnicities others tried to divide them, he said.

Hewamadduma also asserted that for a democratic country, a strong opposition was needed. “Do we have a strong opposition today? All leaders must stand in a line and drink Folidol today. We want national leaders and national parties.”

Quoting from Shakespeare he stated that the lines “age cannot wither her, nor custom stale” from the play Anthony and Cleopatra, best described Senanayake. “He is the finest politician I have ever met,” Amara Hewamadduma concluded.