The Hon. Amirthanathan Adaikkalanathan

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, in this condolence debate for four former MPs, I extend heartfelt sympathies to their families and pray their souls may rest in peace.

¶ 02 I particularly wish to speak on our elder brother, the late Mavai S. Senathirajah. From youth to his last days, he lived not for himself or his family, but for the people. The difficult, rugged path he walked to become the leader we speak of today was forged by his sacrifices for the liberation of the suffering.

¶ 03 He was a guide to us all. He endured imprisonment not for corruption or crime, but because he voiced the sufferings of our people in the North and East and their struggle for liberation. He loved Ampara District deeply. As a youth leader of ITAK, he walked long distances across the district, opening paths and settling people—sacrificial work for the marginalized.

¶ 04 I journeyed with him both within ITAK and after the formation of the TNA. Seeing his life of ideals for the people, we followed him. In truth, he loved the people and the land even more than his own family. In later years, he faced actions that pained him deeply. Yet he remained the youth who sacrificed for the people—the detainee who went to prison, the leader who supported and advanced liberation struggles, embracing and encouraging those who took up arms while upholding an idealistic, people-centred vision.

¶ 05 Whenever I visited his home, he and his wife treated me like family; I could not leave without sharing a meal. Today that loving family has lost a husband and father. Even so, someone from his family should continue the noble task he undertook for the people and the land. We too must carry forward the sacred political life he modelled, so that the ideals of his sacrifice are fulfilled and his soul finds peace.