Anura Bandaranaike: The Crown Prince who was never Crowned King
March 18th, 2008
by D.B.S. Jeyaraj
The saying “Always the bride’smaid never the bride” applied appropriately to Anura Priyadarshi Solomon Dias Bandaranaike who passed away on Sunday March 16th at the age of fifty - nine.
Anura as he was popularly known, was always the “Crown Prince” waiting to be crowned. But coronation never came and now he has departed uncrowned as the prince who never became King.
Greatness,was of three types, said the Bard of Avon. Some are “born great” and some “achieve greatness” while there are also some who have “greatness thrust upon” them.
Degrees of greatness
Anura Bandaranaike was an embodiment in different degrees of this greatness as defined by Shakespeare.
He was born great as the only son of Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike and Sirima Ratwatte - hailing from aristocratic Low - Country and Kandyan Sinhala families - who were both prime ministers of this country.
[SWRD Bandaranaike with his children]
Birth enabled Anura to have greatness thrust upon himself to some extent.
Being elected as a twenty - eight year old member of Parliament in an unfamiliar electorate on his maiden effort was more due to his family background rather than his merits.
So too was the leader of the opposition post at the age of thirty - four.
He also achieved limited greatness. He was both cabinet minister and speaker. He was also in Parliament continuously from 1977 till his death.
Yet he never realised his full potential as a political leader or attained his ambition to be premier and/or President.
While his sisters were left of centre in their political beliefs Anura was firmly to the right.
In terms of ideology and political outlook Anura was closer to Junius Richard Jayewardena than many of his party colleagues.
Chip off the old block
He was class conscious and was for class solidarity cutting across party lines.Anura engaged in talks with JR about an anti - left alliance in the seventies.
When a by - election to Kalawewa was held in 1974, JR announced that the United National Party would not field a candidate if Anura was the SLFP choice. This did not happen as Anura was not the SLFP candidate then.
Pedigree played a crucial part in Anura being an MP, opposition leader, speaker and cabinet minister etc at different times. Yet in his own right Anura Bandaranaike was an impressive orator in both Sinhala and English. He extensively researched facts before his Parliamentary speeches.
His address on the occasion of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s visit was a splendid effort. It was pehaps the best indication of Anura being a chip of the old block as his father had been dubbed “silver - tongued orator”.
Above all, Anura was a decent human being ! A gentleman-gentle and genteel-in the old fashioned way. In that sense he was a misfit in today’s hurly-burly world of cut-throat politics.
Anura had two characteristics that were rarities or oddities among most politicians. He was not corrupt and he was not vindictive.
But he was snooty and a “snob”. Due to this snobbishness Anura always looked down upon his brother in law Vijaya Kumaratunga .
[Vijaya & Chandrika Kumaratunga]
Anura Bandaranaike was to the Manor (or Walauwe) born and the tragedy of his life was that he was always conscious of it. He thought that being a Bandaranaike entitled him to the highest offices of the land. That was not to be.
Birthright
Many persons would have been delighted to have gained at least a part of what Anura Bandaranaike had had in terms of political office. But the man had set his sights on something he thought was his birthright.
Being born with the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth Anura expected everything would be delivered to him on a platter. This never happened and so he was disillusioned and disappointed .
He was the grandson of Maha Mudaliar Bandaranaike and Ratwatte Disawe. The marriage of his father and mother was hailed then as a political union between two prestigious Low Country and Up Country Sinhala families.
The wedding was the beginning of a new political dynasty. With Anura’s demise that dynasty has come to an end.
What a political dynasty that was!
In sixty years of independence there has always been a Bandaranaike in the legislature (Parliament or Senate ) except for 10 months from Sep 1959 to July 1960.Members of the family have been Prime Ministers for 21 years; President for 11 years; leaders of the opposition for 14 years;
Anura was born on Feb 15th 1949. Being the youngest he was the family pet. Unlike his father who studied at St. Thomas’College, Anura went to Royal College and then to University in London where he read for a BA degree.
‘Family-based political succession’
Upon his return to Sri Lanka in 1974 Anura plunged with zest into the family “Vocation” of politics. He was placed in charge of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party’s youth wing.Anura was then the heir apparent to the crown of party and national leadership.
It was expected that he would have his tryst with destiny in due course. But fate had decreed otherwise.
The phenomenon of “family based political succession” in South Asia began not with the Bandaranaikes but the Senanayakes when Dudley Shelton succeeded his father Don Stephen Senanayake as Prime minister in 1951.
Then came the Bandaranaikes’ turn when the widowed Sirima became Prime minister in July 1960. SWRD was assassinated in 1959.
India’s Jawarhalal Nehru who was prime minister for 17 years died in 1964. His daughter Indira Gandhi became premier in 1966.
The Nehrus and Bandaranaikes were regarded as close both politically and personally.
There is a famous photograph of both families where Nehru, Bandaranaike, Indira and Sirima are seen with their children Rajiv, Sanjay, Sunethra, Chandrika and Anura.There is an interesting story about this.
When the picture was taken only Nehru and Bandaranaike were premiers. But soon Sirima and then Indira also became Prime ministers. Who of the children would become prime minister first? was the question.
The elder Rajiv became a pilot and married Sonia from Italy. He did not evince any interest in a political career. It was the younger Sanjay who got engrossed in politics with his wife Maneka.
But Sanjay died in a plane crash soon after he became an MP in 1980. A reluctant Rajiv was forced to fill in as MP and then after his mother’s assassination in 1984 became Prime Minister.
Chandrika’s entry
As for the Bandaranaike siblings both Sunethra and Chandrika were elder to Anura and were in the political limelight to an extent.
Sunethra who played an important role in the Socialist Study circle was co-ordinating secretary to her mother when she was PM. Chandrika after a stint at Sorbonne was director at the Land Reforms Commission.
Yet it was the younger brother Anura who became an MP first in 1977 when he was just 28 years old. Six years later he became Leader of the opposition at 34.
Since his father was leader of the opposition from 1952 till he became Premier in 1956, Anura also was expected to be PM in the same manner. Indeed he may very well have been PM if his mother had won in 1988 and become President.
But that was not to be.
Anura’s sister Chandrika had broken off from the SLFP with her husband Vijaya Kumaratunga and formed a new party the Sri Lanka Mahajana Pakshaya(SLMP). After her husband was assassinated by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) in 1988 Chandrika left for London in a state of self - exile.
Chandrika however returned and re - joined the SLFP. This led to tensions between Anura and Chandrika and also between Mother and son. Accusing his mother of favouring the daughter the son walked out of the party and joined the arch - rival UNP.
When the SLFP now heading the Peoples Alliance came to power in 1994 it was Chandrika who became Prime minister in August. In November she contested the Presidency and won in a landslide. Sirima was made Prime minister.
The Bandaranaikes who made history as the first husband - wife prime ministerial duo had made history again as the first father - mother - daughter premier trio and also as the first daughter President - Mother premier combination. Anura with his record - creating ambition was out in the cold.
Rebel
When Anura first contested elections in 1977 he did not do so in Gampaha district where the Bandaranaike family had much political clout. Instead he went to the Central province and contested in the three - member constituency of Maskeliya -Nuwara Eliya.
It was only a few months before elections in Sri Lanka that parliamentary polls were held in India. Angered by the excesses of emergency rule the Indian voters delivered a resounding blow to the Congress which had been in power for 30 years since Independence.
Both Indira Gandhi in Rae Bareilly and Sanjay Gandhi in Amethi lost. The UNP notably JR Jayewardena and Ranasinghe Premadasa sought for a parallel in SWri Lanka.
Just as the cow(Indira) and calf (Sanjay)lost in India the Cow (Sirima) and calf (Anura) will lose their seats here also, thundered the UNP. The SLFP suffered a disastrous defeat in 1977 winning only eight to the UNP”s 141 in a Parliament of 168. But both Sirima and Anura won.
The SLFP suffered a temporary split in the opposition when Anura along with people like Maitripala Senanayake and Haleem Ishak rebelled against Mrs. Bandaranaike’s leadership. President Jayewardena tried to widen the intra - SLFP chasm further. The crisis was ultimately resolved.
In 1983 the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) lost their seats as they refused to take oaths disavowing separatism under the sixth amendment to the Constitution. Mrs. Bandaranaike had been deprived of her civic rights in 1980 and was out of Parliament.
So Anura became leader of the opposition. He succeeded Appapillai Amirthalingam. Perinbanayagam was the opposition leader’s secretary. When Perinbanayagam appealed to Anura that he be retained as secretary to Bandaranaike also the SLFP leader consented despite the political differences. That was Anura the magnanimous.
In 1988 Anura, Kumar Ponnambalam and Dinesh Gunewardena went up to Vavuniya to meet with former tiger political commissar Naren alias Yogi. But that trek came to naught as the tigers refused to play ball.
Rapprochement
It was in the early nineties of the 20th century that Chandrika returned to SLFP folds again. Mrs. Bandaranaike felt that Chandrika was better equipped to lead the SLFP to victory and favoured her .
Anura resented this and instead of resisting such attempts within the party , crossed over to the UNP in 1993
He became minister of higher education and national reconciliation under Dingiri Banda Wijetunge. In 1994 the UNP was out of office after 17 years. Anura was in the opposition again.
Mrs. Bandaranaike’s declining health and consequent death saw an end to sibling enmity.There was rapprochement among both the sisters and brother. After the 2000 October election Anura was elected unanmiously as speaker in Parliament.
As Speaker Anura distinguished himself by upholding the independence and supremacy of the Legislature during a difficult period.
Anura later broke ranks with the UNP and re - joined the SLFP in 2001. The UNP came to pwer but once again Anura was in the opposition.
It was finally in 2004 that Anura came to be on the winning side. He was instrumental in forging an alliance with the JVP.Anura was made Investment Promotion, Enterprise Development and Industries minister.. He became Foreign Affairs minister after Lakshman Kadirgamar’s death.
Mahinda connection
When SWRD Bandaranaike crossed over from the UNP it was President Mahinda Rajapakse’s father who followed him in the house. Thereafter he remained a loyal deputy to the Bandaranaikes.
In 1970 Mahinda entered Parliament as its youngest MP. Though Anura was not an MP , Mahinda used to play second fiddle to him then.
In fact Mahinda and some of his siblings refer to Anura as “lokka”. It was both a term of respect and endearment.
Fluctuating political fortunes saw Mahinda’s stock rise and Anura’s fall. It was Mahinda who became PM in 2004 and also Presidential candidate in 2005 after Chandrika.
Anura was to be a running mate of sorts. He would be Prime Minister if Rajapakse was elected President.
But then Anura was always star - crossed.
He did not cooperate in the presidential campaign as he ought to have. Thus when Rajapakse won due to the tiger enforced boycott , Ratnasiri Wickremanayake was made PM instead of Anura.
Anura was made Tourism minister and later “demoted” to national heritage minister.
A disgruntled Bandaranaike revolted twice.
First with Mangala Samaraweera and Sripathy Sooriaraachi. Within two weeks he was back with Mahinda.
The second was on Budget voting day when he crossed over rashly to the opposition. Realising that he had been taken for a ride Anura walked out of Parliament.
Once again he mended fences with Rajapakse but restoration of ministerial portfolio was delayed due to his deteriorating health.
And then came the final farewell.
Time and tide waits for no man, they say.
Atrocious timing
In the case of Anura his sense of political timing was atrocious. He frequently made the wrong move at the wrong time and so was always in the wrong place.
He regularly missed the” tide in the affairs of men”.
In that sense he was a tragic figure.
For all his follies and faults and foibles few could be “angry” with him or nurse grudges against him. Neither could he be “angry” for long with others. This personality trait was his greatest asset.
He may not have been very lovable but like Billy Bunter of Greyfriars, was not entirely unlikeable either.
With Rajapakse becoming President the spotlight shifted from Horagolla to Medamulana.
With Anura’s death the era of the Bandaranaike dynasty is over. A new dynasty is emerging.
DBS Jeyaraj can be contacted on: djeyaraj@federalidea.com
Entry Filed under: transCurrents, Tribute
41 Comments Add your own
1. r.veera | March 18th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
he is real poof. thanka god sinhalease never choose him.
2. Rajash | March 18th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
I thought DBS made a mistake in the heading should it have read “Clown Prince….
3. Romesh | March 18th, 2008 at 7:42 pm
“A new dynasty is emerging.” Well said..
4. For Anura | March 18th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
My Friend Anura [AB]
A soul so gentle, yet so regal
A friend so willing, ready and able
In good times and bad alike,
Sincerity was his bible.
I will miss his daily calls,
I will miss the frequent visits,
His intellect and wit,
His thoughtful ways and winsome smile.
In Politics, he stood tall,
Was not afraid, to take a call
He longed for a United Lanka.
Where every race could be equal.
Parliament was his shrine,
Respect it, he did all the time,
When he waxed eloquent in the House,
There was not a murmur anytime.
Although, he never made it to the top,
Remorse and regret, he had not,
No matter what he did, or didn’t do,
He was a star that shone so bright.
Pradeep Amirthanayagam
5. Anura loyalist | March 18th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
Extracts from Anura’s speech in 1999
“The Hon. Lakshman Kadirgamar says that I constantly flash my pedigree something that my distinguished sister never does. My distinguished sister never used the Bandaranaike name till she joined the SLFP in 1992 and Sir, all of you know that. She only used the name Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga when she contested the Chief Ministerial post in 1993 and furthermore she does not need to flash her pedigree because she has attained the highest office in this country thanks to her father, thanks to her mother and thanks to her pedigree.” ……..
“Why did Sonia Gandhi become the leader of the Congress Party? Because of her name. Why did Shiekh Hasina become the leader of the Awami League? Because of her name.
Why did my good friend Benazir Bhutto become the Prime Minister of Pakistan, the first elected woman leader of an Islamic nation? Because of her name. Because of her pedigree.”
“Mr. Deputy Chairman of Committees, yes, I agree with the Hon. Lakshman Kadirgamar that I flash my pedigree. I have a pedigree that is worth flashing and I will flash it with a vengeance at all times.
My father was one of the most respected leaders of this nation, which is universally acclaimed. My mother was the first elected woman Prime Minister of the entire world — six years before Mrs. Indira Gandhi was elected Prime Minister — and who is in office even for the third time today.
She firmly placed Sri Lanka on the world map and became the leader of the Non-aligned Movement, adding glamour and stature to this little island nation. Her name is the only Sri Lankan name that is known in any part of the world. In the Middle East, as the Hon. Alavi Moulana knows, it is her name that is known, nobody else’s.
I have a pedigree that is worth talking about, Sir. I am proud of that. Whatever political disagreements I have with my sister, she is the elected President of this country, elected with a massive majority.”
“Permit me to boast a little about myself because I am answering his questions. I was the youngest leader of the Opposition in the Commonwealth in 1983 serving 22 years in this House continuously. Yes, Sir, I am proud of my pedigree and I can shout about it from Iceland to New Zealand.”
6. Pradeep | March 18th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
Anura was a gentleman to his fingertips. You are spot on DBS
7. Wijesiri | March 18th, 2008 at 8:07 pm
According to papers not even one MP from SLFP has phoned Chandrika to condole over Anura death. Ungreatful wretches
8. Ranmali | March 18th, 2008 at 8:09 pm
very nice artical Mr. Jeyaraj. Bohoma sthuthi!
9. Eelamani | March 18th, 2008 at 8:11 pm
DBS
U may say Anura B was nice man. But did he do anything for Tamil people? No!! So?
10. S.T.P. | March 18th, 2008 at 8:13 pm
Billy Bunter? Quite right.Good comparison.
11. Perera | March 18th, 2008 at 8:15 pm
I am delighted someone remembers the writer Frank Richards nowadays. Billy Bunter of Greyfriars fame is apt prototype of Anura Bandaranaike
12. Jith | March 18th, 2008 at 8:17 pm
Thank You for writing about Anura DBS
13. Kanchana | March 18th, 2008 at 8:19 pm
There is no denying that Anura Bandaranaike died as a hurt party. Much was denied to him. In his demise, the legislature has lost a distinguished product. In oratory, we have lost our jewel in the crown.
None could speak better, with a blend of rare mastery over the queen’s language, idioms, parables, facts and broadsides and a lot of mirth. A man who laughed at death, defied death and often reflected upon death, he often quoted Epicurus. It is apt that I quote Epicurus in this farewell. “Death is nothing to us. Thus, that is the most awful of evils; death, is nothing to us, since when we exist, there is no death, and when there is death, we do not exist.”
Farewell sweet prince.
14. Anonymous | March 18th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
Uncrowned crown prince. touching and sad. Thanks Jeyaraj
15. Shatrugan | March 18th, 2008 at 8:23 pm
Quite different to your usual stuff Mr. Jeyaraj. Good Show
16. Sepalee | March 18th, 2008 at 8:25 pm
A Tamil DBS writing about a Sinhalese Anura! Thank You Jeyaraj
17. R.Nadheem | March 18th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
A man who had the joie de vivre, Anura’s knowledge was diverse and vast. He immersed himself in books on politics, history, geography and culture. And he sipped his wine and read his books. Occasionally, he put pen to paper. He naturally wrote as well as he spoke.
Ill health shadowed his life during the past few months and Anura Bandaranaike began speaking of a topic quite novel to most of us —spiritual politics. A devotee of Sathya Sri Sai Baba, he believed in divinity and mind elevation.
If one caught him in a relaxed mood, he would happily show the photographs taken with Sathya Sri Sai Baba and speak reverentially about some of the blessed people he had met — Sai Baba, the Pope and the Dalai Lama. “They are on earth to generate happiness for others” he would say reflectively.
And sometimes, he would show his many walls adorned with photographs of immense value, some of them images of past political events, and explain them one by one. He would pause near his father’s portrait and say on sigh, “The finest gentleman I ever knew. Thankfully he was my father.” And he would point to a portrait of his mother, young and freshly appointed prime minister: “In her day, no other lady looked prettier.”
18. Somasundaram | March 18th, 2008 at 8:33 pm
Why are you as a Tamil writing nicely about the man whose father, mother and sister brought so much of misery to the Tamil people?
19. Rajeev | March 18th, 2008 at 8:34 pm
One of the most defining moments in Anura Bandaranaike’s chequered career was his appointment as Speaker of the Fourth Parliament. He adorned parliament with his exemplary running of parliamentary business and his ability to maintain discipline in a House that often tends to slide to the most ridiculous. He was unbiased and witty and had mastery over the rules of conduct, the Standing Orders.
20. Palitha | March 18th, 2008 at 8:47 pm
My tributes to the late AB & family.
Thanks for all the details
21. Ram the 2nd | March 18th, 2008 at 11:09 pm
Quote”He frequently made the wrong move at the wrong time and so was always in the wrong place.”
Thank god this man didn’t hold any responsible position.
Otherwise not just sinhalas, even tamils would be in trouble…
22. Sri | March 19th, 2008 at 12:06 am
DBS Thanks for another excellent, well written article on Anura. But I believe that you have made a mistake about how Anura became the Leader of Opposition in 1983.
I will briefly provide some background information.
Mr Amirthalingam lost his membership in Parliament along with other TULF members by being absent from parliament continuously for three months without obtaining leave.TULF did this as a protest against extending Parliament by a referendum in 1982. TULF claimed that they were elected in the year 1977 for six years and their mandate expired in 1983.
JR deprived Mr Amirthalingam from the Post of the Leader of the Opposition and installed Anura Bandaranaike by some unethical maneuvering.
JR claimed at that time that MrAmirthalingam had become Leader of Opposition due to an aberration in the first past post system that was adopted for the 1977 General election and the post should have gone to SLFP based on the number of votes polled by SLFP in the 1977 General election.
DBS I shall be thankful if you correct this mistake and provide factual position.
DBSJ RESPONDS: The UNP with about 3 million votes got 141 seats while the SLFP with 1.7 million votes got only 8 seats. Likewise in 1970 the UNP with about 39 % got 17 seats while the UNF with around 49% got 116 seats. This distortion was one of the reasons adduced in support of proportionate representation.
Whatever JR may have felt there was no way he could have deprived the TULF of the opposition leader post. Amir offered it to Thondaman who declined
The TULF opposed the extension of Parliament and campaigned to that effect in the referendum of 1982. The six year term was to expire on July 21st 1983. The TULF convention scheduled for July 23rd & 24th 1983 in Mannar was to decide on TULF future course of action. But Chavakachcheri MP Mr. VN Navaratnam who was quietly opposing Amirthalingam within the party on some matters jumped the gun and announced his resignation before that.
At the Mannar TULF convention that I covered for “The Island” then Amirthalingam criticised Navaratnam openly for this unilateral action and a sheepish Navaratnam explained his position. It was on July 23rd night that the Tirunelvely landmine killing 13 soldiers went off and the July 1983 anti - Tamil violence began
It was a changed atmosphere on July 24th and the TULF decided that the future course of TULF MP”s be decided by the Parliamentary group on a later date. Meanwhile Island wide violence erupted.
The UNP passed the 6th amendment to the Constitution disavowing separatism on August 4th 1983. This made it mandatory that the TULF take an oath to retain their seats. The TULF central committee met in Vavuniya and resolved that they would not take their oaths under the 6th amendment and that they would refrain from attending Parliament.Thus they would forfeit seats for not attending Parliament for three months at a stretch
Originally the TULF wanted to nominate MP”s as vacancies occurred and continue Parliament boycott. But the Govt passed another amendment preventing that. Thus the TULF followed through with its principled position on it. The TULF then said that they could not take an oath disavowing separatism without getting an approval from the people who gave them a mandate for Tamil Eelam in 1977 elections
So the TULF lost their seats in Parliament. First to lose was R. Sambandan (Trinco) and the next was T. Sivasithamparam(Vavuniya). The rest lost their seats together.
Now in a depleted opposition the SLFP was the single largest party. Mrs. Bandaranaike was out of Parliament. The senior Maithripala Senanayake declined. So young Anura became opposition leader.That’s all that happened.No mistake here
23. Navin | March 19th, 2008 at 12:14 am
may he rest in peace
24. JB | March 19th, 2008 at 12:51 am
This is a very sad moment in our country but not many people realised it. We lost the last remaning true, democratic and uncorrupted politician in Sri Lanka. A true human being who excerciesed the freedom of speech and valued the human lives irrespective of party or ethnic lines.
Many misunderstood him ,and many misled the people who like to understand him.
He never missused the star power he had or for that matter his mother or sister had. We will never ever see a politician of this calibre again in sri lankan soil. Great Loss to motherland.
My dear freind, May you attain Nirvana.
25. nspirabu | March 19th, 2008 at 2:30 am
Mr and Mrs.B+CBK+AB(whole family)=Reason for huge sufferings of Tamil speaking people
26. Anandan Kumaran | March 19th, 2008 at 4:44 am
I think he has done everything in the frame of democracy. He has never stolen anything from public property and never harmed tamil people as our own tamil people have done to us.
For example if i have to choose a person to govern my tamil people i choose Anura not Piripaharan. Because Piripaharan is the leading man who has brought dead to tamil people than others and he is still putting my tamil people to graves and hiding in a deep bunker to protect.
as my point of view Tamil nation needs people like Anura not devils like piripaharan
27. anon | March 19th, 2008 at 5:04 am
Thanks DBSJ for your enlightening article. It might be worthwhile collating the speeches and writings of AB and other SL notables in a book or website. I haven’t found any website that does this.
28. cedric | March 19th, 2008 at 5:55 am
Theres no doubt about Anuras skills as a parliamentarian especially is knack of oration. But one has to ask the question after 30 odd years in parliament what was his contribution to the country? Did he serve his electorate well? The simple answer is no. Instead he was too busy focusing on his own ego and embroiled in party politics. What a shame .Anyway this is a common scenario among politicians in our country. Well thats another story.
29. jay | March 19th, 2008 at 6:10 am
anura had the pedigree of respectable parents. he was blessed to be educated in a prestigious college in the country. a college which taught to treat evey human with respect
in this college we had so many friends. we did not have “thamil” friends. we did not have “muslim” friends. we all were true friends and still are.
who poisoned this country, only god knows
30. Dingiri | March 19th, 2008 at 6:11 am
Pradeep,
“Anura was a gentleman to his fingertips.” ????
Just read his speech in Parliament by Anura Loyalist above your comment. Would he ever get away with a speech like that in a civilised parliament?
Its only in Sri Lanka where a pompous, class obsessed lay-about like him can be mistaken for a Gentleman.
Call hime “Well Read” or “Articulate” - both qualities sadly lacking in SL politics today.
But a Gentleman by definition should be fair minded. Not someone who believes he has a right to be president just because his parents were heads of state.
I’ve read a Foreword by his grandfather to a book on the Sri Lankan Aristocracy by some colonial brit. And thought grandpa Banda sounded pompous and arrogant too. So obviously this trait ran in the family.
31. j.muthu | March 19th, 2008 at 8:03 am
COME ON DBS,
YOU LOST YOUR POINT, LOOK BACK ALL ANURAS SPEECHES. YOU WILL REALISE WHAT AN IDIOT HE USED TO BE. I REMEBER TWO DIFFERENT MEETING ANURA GAVE TWO DIFFERENT SPEECHES FOR SAME TOPIC. HE GOT REAL SINHALA BRAIN. THANK BUDDHA HE NEVER MADE IT TOP.
32. Suresh M | March 19th, 2008 at 9:01 am
Goodbye Anura!.
Thanks for the nice eulogy DBSJ.
33. Naga UK | March 19th, 2008 at 9:24 am
Yes, Anura was an exceptionally different politician under the present setup. He was increasingly becoming a misfit in the evolving political games because he expressed honestly what he thought of many and diverse things in politics that looked strange to those who came to politics only to serve their agendas even at the expense of the welfare of the country.
It is sad to see that many who commented in this column did not perceive the good and valuable side of him which is almost, if not completely absent in the current set of politicians! You did well Jeyaraj.
34. Winston Martin | March 19th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
I believe MR has visited him at the hospital and offered to send him to any hospital out side the country for medical treatment. Also, on record that he has told him that he is willing to offer him any ministry of his choice, once he is out of his hospital bed. This shrewd man knew very well that poor Anura is in his last stage and that the possibility is that he will not recover for his ailment. So he goes and offers him a job. This is the very same man in charge of our country. All that he is now promising the Eastern Tamils are not real. He has his ulterior motive behind actions. He is now shedding his crocodile tear for the Tamils of North and East. Karuna has learned his mistake and now languishing in the British Jail and Pillan is an idiot, he will have his turn very soon. What I am saying is, do not believe this Sinhalese politicians. Sinhalese people are very good, but the Sinhalese politicians are the one brought misery and destructions to our beautiful country.
35. Kannan | March 19th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
Dear DBS,
Thank you for this article.
The info regarding courtesy to Mr. Perinbanayagam however small, seems very interesting. This is from the son of ‘SWRD’, who brought Sinhala policy to SL. Had the ‘Crown Prince’ been ‘crowned as King’ may be Sri Lanka would have been a different and more peaceful country than the sister at the helm.
36. Vasa | March 19th, 2008 at 10:49 pm
Hats off to you sir, you were a very honorable politician indeed
37. ilaya seran senguttuvan | March 20th, 2008 at 4:58 am
It is not in the Lankan cultural tradition to be critical of the dead - more so the recent dead. But there has been a flood of comments here - some accurate, some hearsay while others incorrect I am tempted to join in.
The first question that comes to my mind is Anura, coming from the influential family and circles he did, could have done much to narrow the ethnic differences. Or better still, he could have done much more in his public postures to unite the country. He had great influence with the Mahanayake Theros of Kandy, the other politically inclined high-profile priests-who actually wield real political power in the country since 1956 (save the few years JR was in control i.e.1977-1983) But he (AB) did very little here.
As suggested here and elsewhere - like Hillary Clinton, he probably thought he was “inevitable” to the throne. But fate seems to operate often in strange and unpredictable ways.
He was comparatively clean in public affairs and his name was rarely involved in pecuniary controversies. Yet one of the biggest tycoons of the day and a Post-1970 success sory owes his all to Anura. If Anura was in real political power
we would have had an MRT like Singapore solving much of our transport problem-thanks to an Anura buddy in LA/Calif.
Yes! He spoke well in Parliament; was a good orator and miles ahead of the poor quality of his current Cabinet colleagues.
Veera (1) Forgive me. But your comments in a matter of the personal domain is in poor taste, unfortunate and not quite true.
Soma (18) Your views coincide with that of many Tamils. But about 4 million Tamils in the country must live in the country in the present and the future. Unless we engage in some give-and-take, we will get nowhere. Here I appreciate DBSJ opening his columns to diverse views and with future unity and peace in view. I am happy many of our Sinhala brothers and sisters have sent encouraging comments. As to Anandan Kumaran (26) I think many Tamils think like you do about what
VP has done to Tamils. As to AB as leader of Lankan Tamils???
38. Naga UK | March 20th, 2008 at 10:53 am
Yes #35, A few more politicians of his calbre around would have made all the difference to the country. He is one man who had been cheated, played around with, taken advantage of simply because he was doing innocent politics and refused to believe that he was encircled by cut-throats.
39. Gayan | March 21st, 2008 at 6:32 am
Family Dynasty…the curse of Asian people !
40. samuel | March 21st, 2008 at 9:29 am
“As speaker Anura distinguished himself………….”
He wanted to build a “speaker’s mansion” along with the “president’s mansion” planned on a grand scale by sister Chandrika.
He even tailored ’speaker’s robes’ abroad at great cost.
But both building plans did not materialise.
41. Duminda | March 21st, 2008 at 12:04 pm
DBS, great piece.
You were right in identifying Anura’s speech in welcoming the Iron Lady to Parliament as one of his finest moments. Referring to the protest by several leftist parties against the Thatcher visit, Anura recalled how he himself had marched in London to protest the Thatcher govt’s hike in fees for overseas students. He, however, pointed that this was a moment to warmly welcome the British Prime Minister to the House as the Leader of the Opposition.
While Anura seized the moment with a well-delivered prepared speech, the Leader of the House, Montague Jayawickrema badly mangled his. Trying to speak extemporaneously, Mr Jayawickrema repeatedly stumbled, both in content and delivery.
To many of us listening in, it was an abject lesson in public speaking - it is far better to read from a prepared speech than to stumble into the unknown.
Anura never lived to the promise he showed on that day but I will always remember him as a man without malice.
Cheers.
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