Autobiography of Imtiaz: A classic handbook for aspiring politicians

Muslims in Sri Lanka contributed to the betterment of the country’s socio-economic fabric in many aspects. Mostly they were the initial traders who migrated to Sri Lanka from the Gulf region but later became an influential and important social segment of the society of Sri Lanka.

I started reading the manuscript of this autobiography in a context where the country was facing numerous challenges in political and economic terms. 
Sri Lanka announced its bankruptcy in April 2022 and the politico-economic  turmoil resulted in changing the country’s leadership. 

A country that flourished with high socio – economic indicators when it became independent from its colonial rulers ‘celebrated’ its 76th year of independence as a bankrupt nation. 
In this backdrop, this autobiography shed light not only on a life of one of the most respected politicians in Sri Lanka but also on the colorful life of Sri Lankans that they enjoyed before several decades ago. It was full of joy, empathy, humanity and love – less frustration as we see among Sri Lankans today. 

Reading an autobiography of a politician would always not be an interesting exercise as we mostly expect boasting, boosting and self-admirations. But here the story is different. Though Imtiaz is narrating his life story, for me it was a story of happy life of the then Sri Lanka, its rural life, the education system, socio-political dynamics and of course of its happy people. It indirectly elaborates how the happiness of Sri Lankans gradually deteriorated at the hands of opportunistic politicians and their wrong policies. I would personally wish if his childhood days which I presume the golden era of Sri Lanka  remained intact even today. We all miss those beautiful days. 

Muslims in Sri Lanka contributed to the betterment of the country’s socio-economic fabric in many aspects. Mostly they were the initial traders who migrated to Sri Lanka from the Gulf region but later became an influential and important social segment of the society of Sri Lanka. From the initial days, they not only became dynamic traders but also effectual emissaries of the Sinhala kings to the Gulf and to the rest of the world. Thus came the title especially for Muslims in Sri Lanka ‘Thanapathigedaralage,’ according to Dr. Lona Devarajah. This ambassadorial title still continues as a Muslim surname in several parts of the country. 

At a time when the country’s political fabric is extensively tainted with corruption, nepotism and numerous mischief, Imtiaz still maintains his unblemished career even after completing almost five decades in the game.

When an ambassador from the then Omani Sultan called on King Buwanekabahu the first of Dambadeniya

Kingdom in the early 15th century with a proposal for a free trade pact between the two countries with a special focus on cinnamon and pepper, the King politely, without hurting the feelings of the Omani Ambassador, turned down the request, mainly because Sri Lanka by that time already had a similar pact with Egypt. According to the understanding between Egypt and Sri Lanka, according to Prof. Raj Somadeva, Sri Lanka could not enter into a similar pact with another Gulf State. Hence was the decision by the Sinhala king to politely turn down the Omani request but he did not stop there. Honoring the basic norms of diplomacy, the King sent a special envoy, who again happened to be a Muslim, to explain the matters to the Sultan of Egypt. This Gulf – Sri Lanka diplomatic relations continued even up to the present context where our former leaders such as Mrs Bandaranaike and Gamal Abdel Nasser maintained a close friendship. This story came to my mind when I read the chapter on the marriage of Imtiaz and his family members where Nasser’s family members also took the trouble to travel all the way from Cairo to Colombo to attend these weddings. The main climax of bilateral relations between two countries is people to-people contact and these incidents could be the litmus tests for such relations. Unfortunately these people-to-people bonds among political leaders of the then friendly countries are not be seen today. 

The book is full of examples on the rich culture and traditions of Sri Lanka through which young Imtiaz sailed his journey from childhood. These rich culture and traditions were not predominantly confined to the rural but even were visible in urban areas until recent times. Probably the new socio economic order of Sri Lanka has contributed to the down fall of these rich traditions, but remnants of these dynamics are still visible mostly in the remote areas of the country. Among these rich traditions was the practice of indigenous medicine which is entirely different from Indian Ayurveda system. I am convinced of the fact that such rich traditions have contributed to the strong humane qualities of Imtiaz since his childhood mainly due to the fact that he, from his early days, got acquainted to a typical traditional Wedagedara where qualities such as empathy, humanity and compassion were being practiced to their maximum levels. 

He grew up at his grandfather’s house of indigenous medicine where the Unani tradition was practiced as a social service. It was extremely interesting to read how the then Maldivians travelled all the way by boats called Bagala with sweet gifts such as Boondi Aluwa and Diyakuru to receive treatment from his grandfather. In an era where one doesn’t need visa when crossing international borders, Beruwala was the landing port for many Maldivian health care seekers at the Wedagedara. Not only one, but several members of this renowned family practiced Unani tradition of treatment but unfortunately none in the second or third generation continued the dying medical tradition. In contrast they opted for politics which transformed the house of medicine to politics. 

Nevertheless, politics was not an easy path for Imtiaz from the very beginning. He was subjected to discrimination from the beginning of his political career, as per my own reading. Even his debut to electoral politics was a struggle during the 1981 District Development Council elections. 

He was promised by the then minister and UNP stalwart Lalith Athulathmudali the district leadership but when the lists were prepared his name was in the fifth place. Disappointed young Imtiaz wrote to the party leadership to remove his name from the list, but the quick intervention by the party leader JR Jayewardene moved his name up to the second position. This incident reminds me of several such instances where his name was either sidelined or removed to make way for parachuters to the party, which included the general election of 2015. 

He grew up at his grandfather’s house of indigenous medicine where the Unani tradition was practiced as a social service. It was extremely interesting to read how the then Maldivians travelled all the way by boats called Bagala with sweet gifts such as Bondi Aluwa and Diyakuru to receive treatment from his grandfather.

Starting his political career from Ananda during school days in the early 70s, Imtiaz was always a critique of JRJ. According to my mind, that could be the reason for him to be more loyal to Ranasinghe Premadasa where he was entrusted with the latter’s pet project Gam Udawa as the State Minister for Housing. This loyalty remained intact even up to President Premadasa’s second generation. 

This book could certainly be a classic handbook for any aspiring politician. The simple language, storytelling narratives and the smooth flow of thought would glue any reader to the book. Its rich content elaborates the life of a politician who still struggles for public good and the betterment of humanity. In fact, these are the rarest qualities of politicians of the day. Imtiaz is a tireless fighter mainly for the due place of youth in Sri Lanka’s political landscape and this book would certainly add value to that struggle of budding politicians in the country. 

At a time when the country’s political fabric is extensively tainted with corruption, nepotism and numerous mischief, Imtiaz still maintains his unblemished career even after completing almost five decades in the game. His clean record is a living case study for any aspiring politician. His level of patience, tolerance and perseverance is better explained by himself in this book where he attributes it to his dedication to religion. He explains how he controls his emotions through a rigorous process of self-reflection when disturbing events occur. In his own words: “As a result of such acts, sudden anger triggers as the first impulse which is natural. That first emotional thought, can be defeated by the second thought through self -reflection and self-consciousness. This is because of the inspiration of religion, I believe. Keeping such thoughts for long as hatred, my mind never permitted me to do so. In the beginning, many who were opposed to me later became significant persons who assisted me in my politics.” 
I am sure the religion he refers here includes Buddhism since, for me, Imtiaz is a true practitioner of Buddhism and Islam both.