The Hon. Kabir Hashim

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees, today, I would like to speak about these Hon. Members who had served this country and passed away. I would consider all of them giants in the political field, as compared to us; they had left their mark. If I speak thoroughly about them, it would take more than a few minutes, but within the limited time I have, I need to say something about each of them.

¶ 02 The late Hon. P. Dayaratna was a rural leader picked up by late President J. R. Jayewardena into his team—one of the best teams made in 1977. He was part of that group which made major changes in this country. He was a Chartered Electrical Engineer and from the 1970s had been involved in politics with the UNP. He worked in the Gal Oya Development Project. For the first time, the UNP won the Ampara District and Electorate under him. I worked closely with him and respected his hard work and commitment to Ampara and to the country. I extend my sympathies to his family.

¶ 03 About the late Hon. Gamini Lokuge: I know his two daughters and family. I was not in Sri Lanka when he passed away. He, too, was part of President J. R. Jayewardene’s 1977 group. When the UNP was transitioning from right-wing to centre-right under President Jayewardene, for the first time the UNP formed a trade union, the Jathika Sevaka Sangamaya. Hon. Gamini Lokuge was one of the key people with President Jayewardene in forming it. He spent a lot of time for workers, was a fighter, and later held many portfolios. He had been a UNP member since 1960 and a very senior Working Committee member. My sympathies to his family.

¶ 04 On the late Hon. Indradasa Hettiarachchi: I recall as a schoolboy listening to the 1977 results and hearing his name winning Horana in Kalutara. He rose from the grassroots—from the Village Council to Parliament—and served with President Jayewardene’s group after 1977. As a young person, he served capably and was later honoured with “Deshabandu”.

¶ 05 On the late Hon. W. B. Ranatunga of Kotmale: He entered Parliament in 1989 under President R. Premadasa. He worked with me when I was UNP Chairman and later General Secretary. We worked together quite a while. An amiable, kind, quiet person—perhaps too good for politics—but he served and did his job. My sympathies to his family.

¶ 06 Finally, the late Hon. M. H. Cegu Isadean: He and I entered Parliament in the same year, 1994, as backbenchers. Though he looked tough, he was kind and humorous. He served Muslims, Tamils, and Sinhalese in the East equally and was loved by all. He did yeoman service, held many ministerial positions and worked hard, fearlessly. His death is a loss to the Muslim community. I extend my condolences to his family. Thank you.