Gamini Jayawickrama Perera, the last of his breed

Appreciation

I cannot write much as I interacted with him only for a short period and did not keep in touch lately, yet I was saddened to read the news of him passing away. This is because during this short period I knew him, he left a lasting impression as someone who really cared for his country.

I had to meet him without fail since we failed to get the invitation for the opening ceremony of our brand-new state-of-the-art factory in Kuliyapitiya, when Jayawickrema Perera was the Chief Minister of Wayamba. I learned about this lapse around 9.00 pm, two days prior, and called him. He answered the phone himself and when I asked for an appointment the next day, he could not meet my expectations. Then I queried ‘can I meet you at 6.00 am’? I knew that President Premadasa was famous for meeting people at 4.30 am and I hoped that the Chief Minister probably has taken a lesson. Possibly disbelieving that somebody from Colombo would make it to Kurunegala at 6.00 am, he agreed. I was there at 5.50 am and we sat, and I explained, assuring him that our failure to send him an invitation was an unintended and unpardonable act. We had a pleasant chat as he invited me for breakfast, and he accepted our invitation.

Thereafter, I kept in close touch with him, and he asked me ‘how do you plan to recruit people for the factory’. I told him ‘Majority of the people we need are with particular skills that can be found only in this coconut triangle and the others would be based on the qualifications we specify from the area and based on an open examination and not on political party basis’. He did not say ‘I am the Chief Minister, and I will send a list’, like many other politicians that I met in my life, and said, ‘as long as you recruit from the area that is fine with me’ and I made a lifelong friend. I was much intrigued by this person who was instrumental in initiating the 200 Garment Factory Programme with President Premadasa.

Kumar Devapura, of Tri Star fame, was introduced to him during the period Jayawickrama Perera was the Chief Minister for Wayamba Province, when he was searching for land to establish a garment factory and when Devapura explained to him what he is looking for, he took him to an abandoned Paddy Marketing Board rice mill. Devapura was pleased with the outlay and then had much help in establishing the factory and during the process Devapura broached the possibility of opening more factories. Realising the value of this concept, Jayawickrama Perera took him to meet the President and the rest is history.

I take refuge in Wikipedia to add more on Jayawickrama Perera

Gamini Jayawickrama Perera was born in 1941 and received his primary and secondary education at Nalanda College in Colombo.

An ardent cricket enthusiast, Perera actively participated in the sport during his school years. He was a member of the college’s first XI team and eventually became its captain. He led the team in the Battle of the Maroons big match against Ananda College in 1960, which ended in a draw.

Gamini Jayawickrama Perera’s political career began in 1968, when as a member of the United National Party he began to participate in local government politics. He quickly rose through the ranks of the party, attracting the attention of party leader  J. R. Jayewardene, who enlisted him into national politics in 1973.

In the 1977 elections, which saw a resounding victory for the UNP, he secured his initial parliamentary seat, representing  the Katugampola  constituency.

Subsequently, in 1982, President Jayawardene appointed Perera to the position of District Minister of Colombo in his Cabinet.

Jayawickrama Perera served many Cabinet positions in various Sri Lankan governments, including being the Minister of Buddha Sasana, Minister of Wayamba Development, Minister of Sustainable Development and Wildlife, Minister of Food Security and the Minister of Irrigation and Water Management. Perera also briefly left national politics to become the Chief Minister of the North Western Province and serve in the North Western Provincial Council admirably. He  helped represent Sri Lanka’s interests internationally as the Chairman of United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, a position he was elected to in April 2016. Furthermore, he held the position of Chairman of the United National Party during a significant period of his career.

My experience in dealing with him was he never ever worried about ‘what is in this for me’, he only wanted the country to benefit. Probably the last of his breed, may he attain Nibbana!

Ananda S. Wijesuriya

Wattala