Dr. A.C.S. Hameed - A politician with great vision

Dr. A.C.S Hameed was a member of the Parliament from 1960 June to 1999 representing the Harispattuwa constituency, predominantly a Buddhist majority electorate. He passed away on September 3, 1999 after a brief illness. During his term in Parliament for 39 years he enjoyed his political career taking an active part in practically most subjects that were taken up in the House of Representative. In 1977 he was appointed as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, a portfolio held by the Head of State from 1948 to 1977.   

During his term from 1977 to 1999 he held the Portfolios such as Foreign Minister, Higher Education Minister and Minister of Justice.   

There was no ethnicity in the late Dr. Hameed’s politics. He built a Bauddha Bala Mandalaya at Alawatugoda, and another one at Ranawana road, Katugastota. He also built the second Seemamalakaya in Sri Lanka at Waratenna, Harispattuwa overlooking the Mahaweli river.   He made substantial donations to most of the Buddhist Temples in Harispattuwa, and mosques in the Kandy District and also renovated a Hindu Templel in Alawatugoda.   

In his tenure as Foreign Minister and as the Chairman of the Ministerial Conference of the Non Aligned Movement, he became known to Marshal Tito of Yugoslavia, Fidel Castro of Cuba and Yasser Arafat of the PLO.   

He was accorded a doctorate in Political Science by the Hankun University of the Republic of Korea in 1978 and an Honorary Doctorate of letters by the Sri Jayawardenepura University in 1990. He made a great effort to find a peaceful negotiated settlement to the ethnic issue in Sri Lanka. He firmly believed that peace was the most appropriate solution to the ethnic issue.   
He authored and published some books which include The Pursuit of Peace, Disarmament-Multilateral Approach, Foreign Policy Perspective of Sri Lanka, The Owl and the Lotus, and Spring of Love and Mercy.   

May Almighty Allah grant him an eternal place in the Jannathul Firdous.   

Ameen!