Dudley Senanayake: Political Colossus Of His Time

• Never took umbrage or harboured rancour against his political foes
• An enlightened thinker and astute observer of the pendulum of public opinion
• He too, like the present UNP leader, was subjected to unfair false slander
• Never made false promises for political gain or inflicted pain on anyone
• Entire nation mourned for a man believed to be the ‘Knight in Shining Armour’ of SL politics

June 19 is the 109th birth anniversary of the late Dudley Senanayake, one of Sir Lanka’s most noble sons who died on April 13, 1973. He died not as Prime Minister, but was accorded a funeral like that of a much loved monarch. No one ever before or later has had the privilege of so many people flocking to pay their respects to him, from all walks of life. It seemed almost as if they realised his worth only after his death. Another strange coincidence was that the colour astrologers said should be worn that day was white. The entire nation was mourning for a man widely believed to be the ‘Knight in Shining Armour’ of Sri Lankan politics.

He was a reluctant politician, thrust into politics by the will of his father, who was a formidable personality and said to be inordinately proud of his son. At school in S. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia and Cambridge, he excelled at sports. At S. Thomas’ he was awarded the Victoria Gold Medal for the best all-round student, won colours for cricket, boxing, hockey and athletics. At Cambridge too, he played cricket for his college, Corpus  Christi and won the Cambridge Blue for Boxing. The qualities ingrained in him as a sportsman including team spirit stood him in good stead all his life, as he always played the game, was honest to a fault, the genuine article and a gentleman to his fingertips.

I shudder to think what Dudley with his innate integrity, simplicity, hatred of pomp and pageantry and steadfast belief in the rule of law and loyalty to his party would have thought of the situation today – the political jumps from party to party, the shifting of loyalties, the backstabbing. He too, like the present UNP leader, was subjected to unfair false slander, but also took it in the same fashion, never hitting back. He would have hated the inciting of racist mob violence and the depths to which the behaviour of parliamentarians has sunk. I recall him saying when he was asked to reply to some slander: “this will be forgotten next week, don’t worry about it.” He always tried to see the good in people and forget their bad qualities which we as humans, mere mortals and not Gods, all have. He was a firm believer that each one should be honoured, according to his or her own worth, not categorised, penalised or suspected because of race or creed. He was a liberal democrat in his thinking, always spoke the truth, never made false promises for political gain, walked the straight path and never inflicted pain on anyone.

I look on him as a visionary now, as he was totally against the executive presidency. He and the late President Jayewardene differed on that issue. Now, the late Dudley has been proved right, all the ills this country has gone through have been a result of absolute power in the hands of one person. He was an enlightened thinker, an astute observer of the pendulum of public opinion; would never indulge in the ever-changing political alliance of today, and was firmly against the tyranny of a few over the vast majority. He was a man whose sharp humour and clarity of thought could cut through the most persuasive argument. He was famed as a fighter for political freedom and social justice and had the ability to look at things objectively and realistically, never took umbrage or harboured rancour against his political opponents or those who slandered him. He was a fervent idealist.

As a parliamentarian, his verbal repartee was unsurpassed, all the more creditable as it was in a Parliament of Giants, gentlemen of education, and breeding, whatever their political differences may have been, they were not carried further into their personal lives. I have seen him walking across the floor and shaking hands on more than one occasion, with those who had attacked him in Parliament.

"It was this country’s tragedy that he didn’t live longe to prevent the executive presidency"

The spirit then, was so different to what exists today. His contribution to agriculture is well-known, living even now, far beyond his time. His leisure activities were reading, music, photography and his dog. He loved a simple life, driving his little Triumph Herald around even as Prime Minister. Of his nephews, Rukman was his favourite, and he loved his two nieces, Ranjini and Lala. His good appetite is legendary and he loved his food; his cultivated mind made him like the good things of life. He had a golden heart, helped so many but never spoke about it. His grandnephew Ruwan Wijewardenes’s girth and his manner of never pushing himself forward or making demands for positions remind me of him. Dudley will always be my favourite politician, a statesman and a gentleman till the end.

At this particular moment in our history, I feel this quote from a speech he made in Parliament in 1971 on youth revolt seems apt: “Their economic desperation was taken advantage of by certain unscrupulous elements. Is not the root cause for the adoption of terrorist procedures the pernicious philosophies which encourage the abuse of authority, the advocacy of the disintegration of society, the base of which is the family, the training and indoctrination in subversive techniques received in foreign countries, the assiduous use for parochial, political ends of the sensitivity of youth to social and economic want.”
This again is what has happened today. Dudley Senanayake was a visionary far ahead of his time. It was this country’s tragedy that he didn’t live longer to prevent the executive presidency, which has ruined Sri  Lanka.