The Hon. Thanura Dissanayake

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, today we express condolences on the passing of former MPs Hon. Maavai S. Senathirajah, Hon. Donald Dissanayake, Hon. J.R.P. Suriya Peruma, and Hon. Kosala Nuwan Jayawira, and extend our heartfelt sympathies to their beloved families.

¶ 02 I was closest to Hon. Kosala Nuwan Jayawira. With recent political transformations, many youth entered political activism, raising public awareness. For a long time, Sri Lanka has grappled with deep-seated problems, and many youngsters began dreaming of leaving the country. Yet, amidst that, there were those who chose to sacrifice their youth to build a better future here. I believe we have started the journey of creating a better country for generations that did not witness earlier political-cultural changes.

¶ 03 Within that youth movement, Kosala served as the Kegalle District Organizer of the Socialist Youth Union; he then represented the broader public as a local authority member, and later as an MP—rendering significant service and setting an example. Some get long lives; some are cut short. Kosala showed how even within a short life one can contribute meaningfully through collective responsibility and effort.

¶ 04 Although that chapter has closed, the collective effort he began has not. Too often we see an individualistic society. It is not surprising, given the political and economic decline that youth have endured, their hopes and dreams constrained. At 38, an age when one restarts life with experience and perspective, Kosala left us. Yet his mission does not end here. His message to youth remains: improve your own lives, and with equal dedication work for known and unknown fellow citizens—devote your youth for the people.

¶ 05 He was a public representative who experienced a singular political transformation at close range, and he acted decisively to move the country forward. For the example he set to us and to future generations, we remain indebted. To his parents who raised so devoted a son, and to his family who bear the grief with pride at his contribution, we express our condolences. I now remain silent.