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First Birth Centenary of President D. B. Wijetunge - The Peasant and pleasant President

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15 February 2016 12:20 am - 0     - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

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Sri Lanka’s third Executive President Dingiri Banda Wijetunge, was born in a village near by our last kingdom, on February 15, 1916.

As a fitting tribute to this grand politician and pleasant peasant Leader, President Maithripala Sirisena unveiled his portrait at the Parliamentary complex this week, while a commemorative ceremony took place under the patronage of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in Kandy yesterday.

Dingiri Banda Wijetunge was born and bred at Polgaha Anga, a hamlet close to the Gampola town adjoining Geli Oya and Weligalle. He had his early education at St. Andrew’s College and Jinaraja College Gampola. He also briefly attended Dharmaraja College Kandy during late 1930s.

As destined the young Wijetunge first joined the Ceylon Police Department and, later the Co-operative Department in 1942.

His immaculate white dress, duty consciousness, and beyond all his frankness and gentle qualities soon qualified him to be the Private Secretary to the then Minister of Home Affairs A  Ratnayake, who was a great Kandyan Statesman and a political stalwart of the first cabinet of Rt. D.S. Senanayake, in 1947. 

Having acquainted with UNP’s political stalwarts of the day and Minister George E. de Silva, D.B. obtained UNP membership.

From there onwards D.B. Wijetunge, cut his political teeth.

During the long years he gained untold political experience and realised the needs and problems faced by the down trodden masses. 
His earnestness to listen to them and find them whatever relief he could, became his prime motive.

Thus, he won the goodwill of many thousand people with whom he freely moved becoming their ‘faithful friend in need’ and also their trusted mentor.
D.B. started his political journey from ‘Denuwara’ by contesting the Udunuwara and Yatinuwara electorates. As a Cooperative Inspector he came, he saw and he conquered the goodwill and faith of everyone he came across in the late 1940s and made Pilimatalawa, his permanent dwelling unto death.

 

"Robert Knox wrote ...“once the mud is washed out the farmer became fit for the throne”..Dingiri Banda Wijetunge, epitomised Knox’s words as a wonderful reality"

 

When D.B. contested the Yatinuwara electorate, he won the seat by a majority of 3059 votes in 1965. His majority at the 1977 General Elections, was 10,750 votes. He quit the post of Governor at the instance of President Ranasinghe Premadasa, to contest the 1989 Parliamentary Elections. 

He was polled the highest number of votes in the Central Province and was appointed the 8th Prime Minister of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka in 1989.

He was indeed a farmer and had his own dairy maintained under his personal care. He loved orderliness and cleanliness and was seen sweeping the home yard, himself. As he progressed in his career as a Parliamentarian, Minister, Governor Prime Minster and the Executive President of the country, he maintained his cool and gentleness and widened his scope to serve the people, whom he always treated as his family members. 


If not for him, there wouldn’t have been such a network of roads, communication facilities, employment opportunities for the youth, or large scale and all round community development, and facilities in general, for the people of Up-Country districts. 

When he became the power and Highways Minister in J.R. Jayewardene Government, he took keen interest to expand rural electrification schemes with the aid and loans obtained from the Asian Development Bank as well as the World Bank. 

He also held the portfolios as Minister of Posts and Telecommunication. Following the resignation of Minister G.M. Premachandra, the Labour Ministry too, was entrusted to him and following the sudden demise of Ranjan Wijeratne, D.B. became the State Minister of Defence. In 1989 when he was holding the premiership, he also served as the Minister of Finance.

Robert Knox, had written that, “once the mud is washed out, the farmer became fit for the throne”, Dingiri Banda Wijetunge, epitomised Knox’s words as a wonderful reality.
With his unshaken Buddhist faith he conducted his affairs and discharged his duties gently and honestly with fatherly firmness.

When on a mournful May Day, President Premadasa was assassinated by an LTTE terrorist suicide bomber, his replacement by the appointment of a simple Kandyan peasant to the high office as the 3rd Executive President from Denuwara, was somewhat a recent “Tale of two Cities”. 


The occasion brought about a shy of relief and tears of joy to many thousand democratic loving people nationwide.

This was a radiant instance where the nature seems to have rewarded a human being, and the House of Parliament unanimously endorsed his appointment as the 3rd Executive President. 

The elite class ridiculously treated D.B. Wijetunge’s appointment as Deaf & Blind but soon they were compelled to change their slogan as “Doing Bloody Well”. 

Throughout his political career he had no allegations, black-marks or an iota of political corruption. All his achievements were based on honesty, and ability. 

Though not much of an academic, as an ardent supporter and a loyal member of the United National Party, he had the opportunity to closely observe the transition of power from the colonial rule.

Living through the D.S. Senanayake policies, Kotalawela era, and Dudley Senanayake’s leadership, he acquired great experience and political maturity blended with genuine aspirations.

During the tenure of his office as President of Sri Lanka, due to his humane nature, even the blood thirsty LTTE terrorists, observed a degree of calmness.

When Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga (opponent candidate of the UNP), was sworn in before him as Prime Minister, he expressed his gentle manners and presented her with a souvenir to congratulate her.

In comparison, this decade saw political rowdyism and exploitation of people’s rights that was thrashed out in January 2015. 

Though a simple man, D.B. was highly reckoned as a man with divine qualities amidst a society infested with inhuman, beastly characters. History will record how exemplary the political ideologies of President D.B. were. 

His name and fame will remain carved in the heart of the Mother Lanka, as a benevolent son and a democratic leader not second to any other elsewhere.

This year marks the first birth centenary  of a political leader, whose greatness was achieved with humbleness, and human equalities.

As the, member of Parliament for Udunuwara seat or as the Executive President of Sri Lanka, this silver haired gentleman always maintained a cordial relationship with the members of the 4th estate.
As our senior colleague D.B.S. Jeyaraj once wrote, with his ever ready smile Mr. Wijetunge used to move around inviting the press to have refreshments, repeating “Ganda, ganda - Kanda, Kanda” at the end of media conferences. No one would be happy to say good bye to such a friendly man. At the age of 92 years, after a brief illness President Wijetunge, passed away on September 21, 2008.
May he attain the Supreme Bliss Nibbana! 


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