Parliament on Friday (August 4) moved a Vote of Felicitation to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to mark the completion of his 40 years in Parliament and appreciate the selfless and dedicated service he rendered to the country in general and Parliament in particular, during his four decades of longstanding political career.
The Party leaders during their congratulatory speeches described Premier Wickremesinghe as the sharpest intellect in the contemporary political scene and appreciated his quintessential quality of steadfast loyalty to his party and the consistency of his policies. They said, the Premier is endowed with essential qualities of patience and perseverance necessary to surmount all difficulties and steer the ship of Government.
The notable absence of the Joint Opposition and JVP members was witnessed during the debate. Some Party Leaders told the House that the decency they observe on solemn occasions like this has sunk to the lowest level as the Joint Opposition and the JVP members boycotted the felicitation debate. They said, this is a sorry state of affairs where parliamentary decency has sunk to the lowest level. They said, some of the members in the Opposition have compromised their principles for the sake of political expediency.
The Premier told the House that the need of the hour is to take the country forward with the participation of all. He said, the consensus reached between two major political parties, the UNP and the SLFP is clear testimony that all can work together irrespective of their political differences. This National Government was formed to realise that goal, he said.
The Premier said a political solution to the national question should be evolved within the tenure of the current Parliament to ensure that people of all communities enjoy equal rights. Initiatives should also be taken to increase economic growth by moving towards an advanced economy. When making all these comprehensive changes, Parliament should be the key base.
The Government will take steps to further strengthen Parliament while its financial powers will also be increased. He said, there are so many instructions that can be given from his experience to realise these objectives.
He said, it was the late President J.R.Jayewardene who took him to mainstream politics and added that his vast political experience was a great boost for young parliamentarians like him, Gamini Dissanayake and Lalith Athulathmudali. I also had the opportunity to closely work with the late President Ranasinghe Premadasa.
I thank both, Presidents Jayewardene and Premadasa for their guidance given to groom me as a seasoned politician. As politicians, we should always seek advice from our seniors and learn lessons from them.
During my 40 year political career in Parliament, I have acted as a Deputy Minister, Cabinet Minister, Member of Parliament, Leader of the House, Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader. Opposition Leader R. Sampanthan and Minister Gamini Jayawickrema Perera were my contemporaries who entered Parliament with me in 1977.
The Premier also thanked the decision taken at the Party Leaders meeting to mark his 40 year Parliamentary career.
Opposition Leader R. Sampanthan
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is a very senior and seasoned politician. He entered Parliament in 1977 and I too first entered Parliament the same year. The Premier has continuously served 40 years in Parliament.
The outstanding and significant achievement of the Premier’s political career is that he served as a Deputy Minister, Minister, Opposition Leader and the Prime Minister. After the National Unity Government was formed, he became the Premier for the fourth consecutive time.
The Prime Minister is a very calm, stable and formidable politician. He has a wide knowledge on political matters and great influence in the work he has engaged in.
As an outstanding political leader, he has gained recognition locally and internationally. He always takes decisions in the best interest of the country irrespective of other factors. At the last Presidential Election, he fielded Maithripala Sirisena as the Common Opposition candidate.
He sacrificed his Presidential candidacy and decided that Maithripala Sirisena should be the Common Opposition Presidential candidate. He took this significant decision for the future wellbeing of the country. The economy needs to be redeemed and the national question needs to be resolved.
Both, President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Wickremesinghe are capable leaders who have the potential to develop the economy and find a solution to the national question.
The Premier has a progressive and pragmatic view on the national question. He is vastly enhanced to increase domestic and foreign investment. His ultimate goal is to develop Sri Lanka as an economic hub in the region.
The President and the Prime Minister need to work together. Today, Sri Lanka commands the goodwill of the world.
Transport and Civil Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva
There are various differences between the SLFP and the UNP regarding their policies. However, talking about a political leader who has completed 40 years of outstanding political career is not a betrayal of the SLFP. We should set an example that we are not engaged in hatred politics.
The country needs experienced politicians in the calibre of Premier Wickremesinghe. Even though, we are political opponents of the UNP, we are not in the stance whatsoever that we should not congratulate the Prime Minister for his 40 years political career in Parliament. There are only a few politicians who have completed 40 years in Parliament. The Premier has rendered a yeoman service to the country. We are honestly happy about the significant contribution made by him to Sri Lankan politics during his 40 year political career. When I first entered Parliament as a new MP, I vehemently criticised the Prime Minister, but he always accepted those criticisms with pleasure and a smile. On each occasion we met the Premier at the Parliament lobby, he always exchanged pleasantries with us in a very friendly manner.
There is no other politician like him who faced criticism and scathing attacks from the media.
The Premier in his exemplary political career has set an example to upcoming young politicians to conduct themselves as successful politicians. The Premier possesses a vast knowledge of history, economy, foreign affairs, Parliamentary democracy and world politics. He is a liberal democrat. He made an immense contribution to introduce the Right to Information Act and the 19th Amendment to the Constitution. He sacrificed his Presidential candidature and allowed Maithripala Sirisena to contest the 2015 Presidential Election as the Common Opposition candidate and his farsighted vision became successful in paving the way for Maithripala Sirisena to become President
SLMC Leader and City Planning and Water Supply Minister Rauff Hakeem
Unshackling a fully-insulated, centrally directed socialist economy and introducing a market-driven open economy while having to retain the essential features of a welfare state is a very difficult balancing act for any Head of State or Prime Minister.
In our Prime Minister, we have someone endowed with those essential qualities of patience and perseverance necessary to surmount all these difficulties and steer the ship of Government. Coming into politics with President J.R.Jayewardene who believed in market reform and free enterprise as the key driving forces to achieve economic growth and social advancement, our Prime Minister today is following the social market economic principles which are the guiding principles of our Government.
His political trajectory is intrinsically embedded in the 1977 economic revolution. I would dare say, arguably, he is the sharpest intellect in our contemporary political scene. Though some may say or some may see his human chemistry as somewhat wanting at times which is unavoidable for any leader at the helm of power with all the stress of day-to-day political pressures, even his worst enemies would notice one special trait in him.
That is, whenever he speaks in Parliament, even in his most aggressive presentations, he is rarely seen intimidating.
This is an essential quality of a mature political leader which is quite unique to Ranil Wickremesinghe. He is undoubtedly one of our most gifted leaders.
Leader of the House and Higher Education and Highways Minister Lakshman Kiriella
The Premier belongs to the category of the few veteran and illustrious politicians in the Asian continent. He has gained world recognition as a veteran political leader who has played a significant role in Sri Lankan politics over the past four decades. He gained the rare opportunity to hold the Opposition Leader and Prime Minister post on four consecutive occasions.
He first contested the 1977 General Election from the Biyagama electorate from the UNP ticket and took oaths as a new MP on August 4, 1977 at the old Parliament at Galle Face (now the Presidential Secretariat). He was the Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister of the UNP Government formed in 1977. He was appointed as the Youth Affairs and Employment Minister of the new Cabinet formed under the 1978 Constitution and was the youngest Minister of that Cabinet at that time.
During his tenure as the Youth Affairs Minister, he was instrumental in establishing the National Youth Services Council (NYSC) to improve the talents of the youth. After he became the Education Minister in 1980, steps were taken to set up Colleges of Education and provide free text books, uniforms and meals to students. The historic victory achieved by President Maithripala Sirisena at the January 8 Presidential Election paved the way for Ranil Wickremesinghe to become the Prime Minister for the third consecutive time.
Under the leadership of Premier Wickremesinghe, the UNP could secure the majority of seats at the General Election held on August 17, 2015. Subsequently, the UNP in collaboration with the SLFP formed a National Government and Wickremesinghe took oaths as the Premier for the fourth consecutive time. He has placed utmost confidence in Parliamentary democracy and is trying his level best to create a prosperous Sri Lanka which safeguards the fundamental rights of all communities.
The Premier through his actions has proven that he is an illustrious political figure with a lot of patience.
Speaker Karu Jayasuriya
The Premier’s patience and acceptance of victory and defeat with an open mind has set an example to the new generation in politics. There were so many occasions where the Premier jointly worked with us and gave his leadership to make several political reforms for the future well being of the country.
He extended his fullest cooperation to set up a Parliamentary Select Committee to introduce a new electoral system and change the preferential voting system in 2002. We should appreciate the leadership given by the Premier to introduce a new Right to Information Act. He also played a pivotal role in introducing new democratic features to the 8th Parliament with the intention of forming an exemplary legislature. This includes the Premier directly responding to the queries raised by Parliamentarians and the setting up of new Sectoral Committees.
He played the role of a veteran politician and encouraged everybody to turn the functions of the Constitutional Council and independent commissions into a reality.
These are clear examples of the significant contribution made by the Premier to strengthen democracy. Sometimes, if we held different opinions on certain issues, the Prime Minister always respected those opinions as well. I remember the influence made by Premier Wickremesinghe to bring me into active politics by first fielding me as the Mayoral candidate of the Colombo Municipal Council.
Lands and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Gayantha Karunatilleka
The late President J.R. Jayewardene introduced two salient features to the country. One is the open economic policy and the other one was grooming an outstanding leader like Ranil Wickremesinghe.
During the past 40 years, the Premier faced so many challenges but he was unshaken.
His governance is a clear reflection of an advanced political culture.
The characteristic feature of an advanced political culture is that it should have logical leaders. Premier Wickremesinghe was the most logical leader in the recent Sri Lankan politics.