Anyone who reads post-Independence Sri Lankan political history will undoubtedly notice very few eminent leaders, leaders in the truest sense of the word. Looking at the past, our kingdoms were enriched by great Kings such as Abhaya, Dutugemunu, Valagamba, etc. In modern history, two main political dynasties, the Senanayakes and the Bandaranaikes, played a significant role in shaping the country’s journey for decades to come. Even though the Senanayakes' early politics have become obscured with time, the Bandaranaike family is still in the forefront of Sri Lankan politics as an indelible mark.
Born on 29 June 1945, to a well known political dynasty in Asia, Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga was brought up by two giants in the Sri Lankan political arena, the slain Prime Minister S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike, and Sirima Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike who went on to become the world’s first female Premier, making her an heir to the family business – politics. Little Chandrika Bandaranaike went to St. Bridget’s Convent, Colombo 7, with her elder sister Sunethra Bandaranaike and time passed happily until everything changed drastically in a second when she was 14 years old. Little Chandrika Bandaranaike had to experience the assassination of her father, one of the most tragic incidents for a child to witness. After her mother’s rush into politics, the atmosphere was calm, yet, being the middle child, the responsibility was on her hands to manage the tranquillity of the family which was seriously affected by many reasons.
Later, she went to France for her higher studies where she was a leading figure of the Marxist students’ movement which was an unofficial school for her in learning active politics. Chandrika Bandaranaike who came back from France was given the tremendous opportunity to serve as the Chairperson of the brand new Land Reforms Commission established under her mother’s Government.
When we look at her personal life, we can see that even her marriage to the slain actor turned politician Vijaya Kumaratunga was a bridge that connected the society together, and was a good example to the willingness that she had to lead her life on the path shown by her father many years ago.
The arrival of Chandrika Kumaratunga into active politics after the assassination of her beloved husband brought comfort to a land that was burning with various problems. Continuing the legacy that her parents left behind, she marked the turning point in the political journey of that generation. One may have a question as to why the political arrival of Chandrika Kumaratunga is so important. I hope to provide a fair answer to that question as well.
After the political revolution that took place in 1977, the socio-political and socio-cultural aspects of Sri Lanka were drastically changed. The economic policies that existed until then were changed. Policies which were unfamiliar to Sri Lankans were introduced. A period of political revenge was established and opponents were suppressed with the extraordinary power that they received, and the civil rights of the Opposition Party Leader were revoked. The misbehaviour of the Government, especially events like Black July, called the Tamil youth such as slain Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Leader Velupillai Prabhakaran to take up arms, and created the stage for Marxist groups to mislead the youth of the south and intoxicate them with their terroristic ideas. Youths who were to take the mantle of the country were burnt on “tyre pyres” and thousands of young lives were buried in mass graves like Suriyakanda and Batalanda. I would like to ask why the political presence of Chandrika Kumaratunga, who gave a fresh hope to the Sri Lankan society at such a turbulent time, is not an important one.
After the landslide political victory in 1994, she was lucky enough to occupy the office of the President of Sri Lanka for two consecutive terms, making her the longest serving leader of Sri Lanka after Independence until 2005.
In my point of view, her greatest service was her extremely successful efforts to unite the north and the south, which had been divided due to the decisions taken by some of her predecessors. Her sincere desire to not only save the land but to heal the broken hearts should be appreciated. She believed that real peace cannot be acquired by war but only through a mechanism which could address the issues faced by ethnic minorities. The peace process based on that noble concept succeeded in changing the “Bedouin” attitude rooted in the society for decades that peace can only be acquired by war.
The concept of peace which was nurtured under her Presidency, was enhanced by programmes such as the “Sudu Neluma”, the “Thavalama” and the “Pothayi Gadolayi” were highly praised all across the world. However, when the LTTE organisation broke its peace promises, she fought against it fearlessly and worked to win the important strongholds like the Jaffna Peninsula to the Government. Deadly attacks were launched on several institutions like the Central Bank and eventually she had to sacrifice one of her eyes for peace. She strengthened the military of Sri Lanka by importing weapons with the help of countries like Israel. But, she never wanted to be a warrior. She had no military mania. If she had an irremediable madness, it was for the sincere and noble intention of bringing peace to Sri Lanka.
The foreign policy under her Government which was led by the slain Foreign Affairs Minister, President’s Counsel Lakshman Kadirgamar, set an example for the whole world. As a developing country, her Government was able to maintain a balanced foreign policy in between the two camps amidst the new trends in global politics. She continued the Sri Lankan identity in the world by associating giants in her eras in both the Right and the Left and it was clearly seen through the foreign support that we received during the 2004 tsunami disaster. She closely dealt with her contemporary counterparts such as United States (US) Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, South African President Nelson Mandela, Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, United Kingdom Premier Tony Blair, Indian politician Sonia Gandhi, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, US Secretary of State Colin Powell, etc. The performance is clear for what it is. Her charm and strength raised Sri Lanka’s recognition as a developing country.
I would say that Chandrika Kumaratunga’s economic policy was very unique. Her success was in building an economy suitable for the new millennium by absorbing the socialist values that she inherited from her mother and the liberal policies that were spreading all over the world. The economy turned negative for the first time. But, her attitudes were not negative. She built the economy and handed over to her successor a strong economy which made him comfortable in doing a war.
So, we all wish a very happy birthday to former President Chandrika Kumaratunga who lost an eye, a father and a husband to politics but not her conscience at all.
(The writer is a former Parliamentarian representing the Kalutara District, and a Deputy Minister)
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The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect those of this publication.