A 'different' politician

By Nilika de Silva

Polio may have been a reality in his life, but it has in no way, deterred him from achieving his goals. The youngest Provincial Council Minister in Sri Lanka today, and the only disabled minister, Senarath Attanayake was also the very first person to go up in a wheelchair to take his oaths.

Struck by polio as a baby of one and a half years, Senarath's is a success story which, true to his style, he attributes largely to his family and friends.

An amazing mix of dynamism and simplicity, Senarath proves beyond all doubt that attitude has more to do with winning than assets.

"I started my schooling in Grade 4. Until then I spent my life in hospitals. Someone came in to teach me to read and count but that was it," he said.

"My parents tried everything possible to get me cured, western medicine, ayurveda and even 'bali thovil'," he said, adding, "but then at one point they finally decided that the best was to educate me and I started school at Royal. It was then that life really started changing."

"When I first joined Royal, things were not too easy," he reminisced. "I would remain in the classroom even during the interval. The other kids would look at me from a distance. But later, they realised I was just like everybody else."

"Sympathy was never part of the equation. At the beginning I was not an outgoing person. Actually, it would make me angry if someone indicated they felt sorry for me or even if someone tried to help me. And it took me a hell of a long time to realise that it was not meant badly," Senarath said.

Senarath was put in the hostel in Grade 6. "And then I thought I must start studying, when I saw the scholars and how hard they worked," he said, explaining his change of heart. "Everybody in the hostel and school was helpful and supportive, especially the teachers."

"With a lot of difficulty I passed the O/L well. I guess I felt that people would look at me differently if I failed. They'd probably have thought he can't study, he can't walk, he can't do anything, so I was determined to prove myself," he said.

"When I entered the A/Ls there was a big change. Because in the first term I came 12th, and in the next term I came third."

He acknowledges the help of many inspiring teachers. "My first teacher was Ms. Handunetti. Then I can remember my A/L class teacher, Ms. Ranasinghe. I used to sit in the front row, but she would never come up to me to correct my work. She made me walk up like everybody else. They never showed me excessive sympathy. They never made me feel that I was somebody who needed help," he said.

"And even though I knew there was a one percent exemption for disabled students to enter university as there was for national sportsmen and sportswomen, I was determined to enter university on merit. And I did," he says contentedly.

"I didn't do politics when I was at campus but I did everything else. Societies, strikes, every match, every 'Night', I'd be there. And then university was shut down. So I did the Law Entrance exam and got into Law College, and did both together."

"My friends were with me always. When there were rugger matches, the team would come to get me, because I was so much a part of it all," he said.

Senarath has a printing press and a small advertising firm which he started while studying. "I wanted to be independent from that time," he says.

"I designed that clock," he said pointing to a clock with a slice of a tree trunk as the dial. "It was a prototype. And I was the first person in Sri Lanka to make a twig pencil."

His entry into politics was perhaps to be expected. His father was a politician, so he gained experience managing his campaign at the 1993 Provincial Council elections.

Senarath took over the work when his father died two years ago and won the very first election he contested.

Senarath's political philosophy though, is different from that practised by most contemporary politicos. In campaigning he rejects the idea of criticising one's opponents. "I never criticise anybody in my campaign. It is important to work remembering that we as humans are going to die one day. You must incorporate this reality into your work," he says seriously.

"Only if I give you due respect will you respect me." His reciprocal politics is noteworthy in an era where respect for others is given little, if any consideration.

Senarath who always welcomes the new year at a temple, concluded simply, "If I am happy today, it is mainly because of my parents, wife Shikanthini and my friends."

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