No way to treat a national hero

Today is the second death anniversary of a National Hero of modern Lanka - Lakshman Kadirgamar's, and trust a government - his own, to make a mockery to his memory. Two years after a grateful nation paid tribute to the man, who as Foreign Minister from 1994-2001 and 2004-2005 skilfully turned the tide of world opinion that was heavily stacked against Sri Lanka, crazy goings-on are taking place in the very Ministry over which he presided not so long ago.

The climax of this was Friday's hush-hush and rush-rush 'ceremony' to lay the foundation stone for the erection of the Government-financed statue behind the bushes of Vihara Maha Devi Park.

Handling the proceedings was incumbent Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama together with his cohorts who are running amok at the Ministry when they are out of the country i.e. when they are not out of the country.Letters inviting dignitaries were being distributed even after the 5 p.m. scheduled time for the ceremony.

The Minister's widow received her invitation at 3.40 p.m., a little over an hour before the event. None of the Cabinet appointed members of the Lakshman Kadirgamar Memorial Statue Committee - Ferial Ashraff and Dinesh Gunawardena were aware of the 'ceremony'.

Mr. Gunawardena told The Sunday Times that the decision to erect the statue near the public library was against what has been agreed to at the Cabinet as the agreement was to put up the statue at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International relations and Strategic Studies (LKIIRSS).

"We had even drawn the plan to put up the statue at the Institute with the consent of the family. I was not consulted on the change of the plan or informed about Friday's event," Mr. Gunawardena said. He said that the committee should have been consulted on this matter.

Mr. Gunawardena said since it was a cabinet decision he hopes to take up the issue at the cabinet about the previous decision to erect the statue at the Institute. Ms. Ashraff told The Sunday Times, "I did not know about this event. I was not invited for the event."

Where to erect the larger than life statue sculptured by the world reknowned Russian sculptors Avtandil Antadze and Davis Chilaidze and manufactured at the Monumentskulptura factory at St. Petersburg has long been a bone of contention . By the time the completed statue arrived in Sri Lanka, a statue was erected by the grateful public and opened by the Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva at the Liberty Plaza junction at Kollupitiya last August.

The Government financed statue remains in a big crate at the LKIIRSS as where to erect it became a major issue. The LKIIRSS was suggested as the appropriate venue eventually by the Cabinet.

The meant to be autonomous Institute has now been turned into an annex of the Foreign Ministry, and a place to rest, recuperate and recreate . Minister Bogollagama had been adamant that the statue has no place therein. A site near the Taj Hotel, the Presidential Secretariat and Parliament House at Sri Jayawardenapura were considered alternative sites.

Three weeks ago, UDA Minister Dinesh Gunewardena had agreed to lend his Ministry's support to house the statue erected at the LKIIRSS.

And then this - the secret ceremony at Vihara Maha Devi park on Friday attended by less than 25 persons, almost all from the Foreign Ministry. Mr. Bogollagama had made a hurried request from the Municipal Council for a location to erect the statue and the Municipal Commissioner Dr. Jayantha Liyanage had given approval on Friday.

Foreign Ministry Secretary Palitha Kohona who attended the 'ceremony' declined to answer any questions about organising the event. The last minute letter inviting guests was signed on behalf of the Secretary despite the fact that that the Secretary was in the office, now a regular feature at the Ministry. The Media was also not informed of this secret foundation-stone laying ceremony.

At the low-key and hurried event none of the traditional ceremonies usually associated with an auspicious event of this nature were observed. Minister Bogollagama made no speech. The entire ceremony took less than ten minutes. Cajoled by a Sunday Times reporter at the event Mr. Bogollagama claimed that he had invited members of the memorial statue committee.

Asked about the delay in sending out the last minute invitation to Ms. Kadirgamar, he said, "the family was informed. She should have come." He added that it was done in a hurry because the second death anniversary of the late Foreign Minister was coming up . He selected the location as "this was the best suitable place," he said. And then, the Minister left for Libya. Mr. Kadirgamar was assassinated by the LTTE. But it is his Cabinet colleagues who are doing a darn good job at insulting his memory.