Appreciations
View(s):He was not just a politician but a man of intellect and wit
- A.C.S. Hameed
My late brother Abdul Cader Shahul Hameed’s 99th birth anniversary fell on April 10 and I would like to give a brief snapshot of this exemplary gentleman.
My brother was educated at St. Anthony’s College, Katugastota, Vijaya College and Zahira College Matale. He showed a flair for English writing and started with the Children’s Corner in the Sunday Observer, to which he was a regular contributor from the age of 15.
I suppose politics was in his blood. While in school in Standard VII, he launched a magazine called the “New Broom” for Matale schools. This enabled him to gain a following and he used this recognition to run for the head prefectship when he was just in the Ordinary Level class. But then my brother was rare jewel.
To say that someone is a politician is a maligned term today. But in yesteryear, only the best aspired for political office, in that it required someone who principally wanted to help others and their communities irrespective of class, creed or race. In this respect, my brother organized the Matale Student Union of which he was elected its first president.
Being interested in adult education and teaching English, he was responsible for establishing a number of educational institutions in Matale and the Kandy District. He was the Director and Principal of Winchester College, Matale (named after the famous public school in England).
In 1956, he joined the United National Party and contested the general election in March 1960. He was returned consecutively in eight elections and counted 39 unbroken years in the Legislature. This is one of the longest unbroken Parliamentary records for any member.
My brother was principally a pluralist at heart and had an abiding belief that we were Sri Lankans first and foremost. The fact that he successfully represented Harispattuwa, an 80 percent Sinhalese electorate in the Kandy District and developed it into a first-class electorate is testament to that belief in pluralism.
He also did great things for the Muslim community. In 1955, he was elected president of the Central Ceylon Muslim Assembly and it was through this organization that the Kandy Muslim Teacher Training College was inaugurated. At that time, there was a big shortage of trained Muslim teachers, and the organization went a long way towards alleviating this need.
Another significant achievement was the amendment of the Finance Act, No.11 of 1963. Due to this Act Muslims were deprived of their rights to buy or sell land without proving their citizenship. As a consequence, thousands of deeds were stagnating in land registries island- wide without being registered. Although this problem was not faced by Muslims from the Kandy District as they had a Ge name in their certificate of birth, it was a problem acutely felt by Muslims in other parts of the country. My brother took it up with President J.R. Jayewardene and the Cabinet. Later this Act was amended, enabling Sri Lankan Muslims to buy and sell land like any other citizen in this country.
In 1977, when the UNP returned to power, my brother became the first Foreign Minister of this country. Since independence the Ministries of Defence and Foreign Affairs were held by the Head of the Government. In 1977, J.R.created the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a separate ministry and appointed my brother as its first Foreign Minister.
J.R. rarely intervened on foreign policy matters, seeking to act through his Foreign Minister. That was because he had implicit faith in my brother to do what was right in furthering the interests of the country.
This was due to their friendship. At one time there was a rift between J.R. and Dudley Senanayake. Things came to a head in 1972 when Dudley moved to have J.R expelled from the UNP. A young Parliamentarian by the name of A.C.S.Hameed challenged the legality of the procedure for expulsion, thereby thwarting the move. J.R. realized a true friend in my brother. I can personally state that my brother was given the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the ministry of his choice, in return for his assistance to J.R, during those tumultuous years from 1972 to 1977.
With Sri Lanka holding the chairmanship of the Non- Aligned Movement (NAM) during the 1976-1979 period, my brother was constantly called upon to deal with some of the thorniest international issues of the 1970s.
For example, which of the two Cambodian factions had a rightful claim to the seat at the UN (the General Assembly session that day was held up for over four hours as he negotiated behind closed doors trying to resolve the dispute with the backing of the UN’s Legal Advisors) or should Egypt, which had signed the Camp David peace agreement with Israel in 1978, be driven out of NAM.
There was also sharp division in the NAM over the disputed territory of Western Sahara in the Maghreb region of North Africa and the split in the NAM over the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan (1979-1989).
In many ways Sri Lanka could wrestle about its weight class by making a viable contribution to foreign affairs and this returned many benefits to the country. This dovetailed neatly with J.R.’s policy of the open economy in that many countries, to which Sri Lanka had lent its assistance, were happy to help in the form of economic aid to Sri Lanka.
One of his greatest contributions was when he played an active role in projecting Sri Lanka’s national interests at the third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea. He was closely associated in formulating Sri Lanka’s case for special treatment in the delimitation of its continental shelf, given the special geological features present in the southern part of the Bay of Bengal. He coordinated with the Sri Lanka delegation to the conference and engaged in intensive consultation with key delegations during his visits to New York and Geneva.
These efforts resulted in a Statement of Understanding being incorporated in the Law of the Sea Convention, which accommodates Sri Lanka’s concerns. This has brought about extensive economic benefits to the country, through the exploitation of resources in the extended areas of maritime jurisdiction.
My brother also actively encouraged the formation of the Indian Ocean Marine Affairs Cooperation (IOMAC) to serve as a consultative body of India Ocean States, in promoting their interests in the use of marine resources of the India Ocean.
One of his first ministerial directives was to remove all restrictions on issuing of passports for employment in West Asia. He also opened embassies in the West Asian countries. Today millions of Sri Lankans are employed in West Asia and it was he who laid the foundation for this opportunity to grow.
To know my brother was to know tremendous intellect and wit in equal measure. My good friend Thalif Deen recollects an incident that is the stuff of United Nations legend. My brother was to deliver an address at the United Nations General Assembly on behalf of President Jayawardene and Deen recollects it as follows:
One of his memorable moments was when an Eelam activist/lawyer from London, Krishna Vaikunthavsan, surreptitiously gate-crashed into the UN, took his place in the speaker’s roster, and tried to upstage him by walking onto the podium of the General Assembly and unleashing a diatribe against the government.
When the President of the Assembly realized he had an interloper on his hands, he cut off the mike within minutes and summoned security guards to bodily eject the intruder from the hall. And as he walked up to the podium, there was pin drop silence and the unflappable Hameed, unprompted by any of his delegates, produced a riveting punchline.
“I want to thank the previous speaker for keeping his speech short,” he said, as the Assembly, known to tolerate longwinded and boring speeches, broke into peals of laughter.
I want to conclude with a prayer for my good friend and brother:
O! Allah, make his grave a garden of bliss and also make the grave not a place of hell fire.
Allahummaj al Kabrahu Rawlathan min Riyalul Jinan Wala Thaj al Kabrahul Huffrathan min Hufrin Niran.
-Ameen,
May Allah Almighty grant the highest felicity to this departed soul in Jennathul Firdous.
- A.C.A.M. Nuhuman
Always willing to give professional advice and help
Parakrama de Alwis
Parakrama de Alwis, known to his close friends as Para and to his family members as Anta, was a prominent lawyer at Hulftsdorp and a gentleman in every sense of the word.
He received his early education at St. Joseph’s College, Colombo 10 and joined Royal College, Colombo 07, for his Advanced Level studies.
He entered the Sri Lanka Law College in 1975 and passed out as an Attorney-at-Law in 1979.
Para was a good sportsman and was involved in the annual Law-Medical activities. Having practised briefly in his own office at Hulftsdorp, he proceeded to Britain and qualified as a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England.
After he returned to Sri Lanka, he was engaged in private practice again and had a large clientele.
He was always willing to give a helping hand to those in need of professional advice and to the less fortunate.
He will be deeply missed by his beloved wife, daughter, son and all his close associates.
-Rohini de Silva
In good times and bad I knew I had a friend in Uncle Dougie
Rtd. Major Douglas Wijesinha
As I write this tribute to Rtd. Major Douglas Wijesinha whom I called Uncle Dougie for his first death anniversary on April 14th, I remember a truly wonderful person whom I was privileged and honoured to know for over four decades. His second daughter Ramani is one of my oldest and dearest friends whom I have known for over 45 years.
He was well-known as an entrepreneur, a leading personality in the Bible Society and in the Rotary….the list goes on. However I prefer to write about the Uncle Dougie I knew and the lasting impression he had on my life.
When I was very young I used to go for ‘spend the days’ to their home in Nugegoda . When it was time for lunch Uncle Dougie would tell us to eat where we were comfortable and not necessarily at the dining table. We also played ‘French Cricket’ in their garden.
When the schools were closed in the late 1980s, Uncle Dougie and Aunty Gita were very worried about the education of their four children. Therefore besides Dilani their elder daughter, Kamil, Ramani and Gayan also went to Wycherly International School for the latter part of their school years.
Thereafter Uncle Dougie ensured that all of them pursued their tertiary education and Kamil, Ramani and Gayan went to universities in the UK. Their achievements undoubtedly made Uncle Dougie very proud.
I also recall going for Uncle Dougie and Aunty Gita’s silver wedding anniversary in 1992 at the former Holiday Inn. Uncle Dougie loved to dance and it was wonderful to see both him and Aunty Gita dancing at the party.
As I became a journalist, he would read my articles and give me every encouragement to follow my chosen career.
Uncle Dougie was a happy and proud father when Ramani married Andrea in 1999. All her close friends and even my parents were excited as she was the first to marry from our group of friends. Three of us who were Ramani’s classmates — Diko (Indika), Surangi and I walked behind Ramani as bridesmaids.
When their eldest grandchild Angela was born in the UK two years after, they were doting grandparents. Ramani and Andrea would come to Sri Lanka often on holiday. I recall Uncle Dougie coming early from work one day to babysit Angela.
When I lived in the UK over two decades ago briefly and went through a tough time Uncle Dougie was very concerned about me. When I returned to Sri Lanka he would ask me how I was whenever I went to their home. He was someone who rejoiced with me during my good times and was there for me during the tough ones.
When my dad passed away suddenly in May 2013 Uncle Dougie came to the funeral parlour and the cemetery. He was concerned about my mum and me.
When his health deteriorated he was looked after even better than a king by Aunty Gita, Dilani, Kamil, Ramani, Gayan and their families. Dilani and Uncle Dougie shared a very special bond – she was totally dedicated towards caring for him.
The bond between Angela and Uncle Dougie was amazing. I recall how she would hold his hand very gently saying ‘Seeya’. It was very touching. In fact during his latter stages he responded only to her.
Despite the fact that he passed away during the Sinhala New Year holidays the large number of people who were present at the funeral showed that Uncle Dougie was someone who was loved and respected by all who knew him.
He was a wonderful husband, devoted father and doting grandfather.
And to me, someone I looked upto and respected .
He is now at rest with his Heavenly Father.
-Kshalini Nonis
With love and wisdom, you filled the pages of our lives
DORIS VIVIENNE ESTHER DE SILVA
Where do we begin?
How do we honour a life like yours?
You were a wife, a mother, and to us, our grandmother— and there will never be another like you.
You lived many roles in one lifetime,
welcoming both joy and hardship.
At your core was a simple, steady faith.
You trusted your Maker right to the very end.
You faced more than we ever knew,
yet you were never tired or defeated—
your smile only grew.
You always made time for others—
to wipe a tear, hold a hand, or simply be near.
You were always a teacher, and a student too.
From life’s hardships, you drew lasting lessons.
You left an impression on every life you touched.
No book could teach what your life did.
Generations passed through your care,
yet none found a teacher like you.
To us, you will always be
our darling grandmother—
joining in our childish games,
silly and full of laughter.
Your jokes could never be matched.
Making us smile and laugh
was what made you happiest.
To sit beside you and talk
made even ordinary days feel bright.
You played the piano and taught us to sing,
always reminding us to praise God.
When the home was untidy,
we would hear your voice—
“boys will be boys.”
And when you knew your time would come,
you reminded us:
“Raise your children close to God.”
Your parting words were simple—
stay close, love one another,
and stand together as a family.
With love and wisdom,
you filled the pages of our lives,
and we know you watch over us still.
There is so much of you we miss –
your guidance, your love, your presence.
Though quieter with age,
your grace only grew stronger.
Seated in your saree,
you carried a quiet strength.
You were loved by all –
for your patience, your kindness, your smile.
We miss preparing your Christmas cake.
This is our “thank you”—
for everything you meant to us,
for the grandmother we cherished.
For joyful birthdays and Christmases,
for thoughtful gifts and lessons,
but most of all, for your letters.
No gift could ever be more precious.
-Ravin, Priyan and Harin Fernando (Grandsons)
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