The first death anniversary of W. Jayamaha fell on June 28. He passed away on June 28, 2021 after a brief illness, at the age of 84.
He was a scholar who passed the university entrance examination and entered the University of Peradeniya. He was the first student of the Madampe Central College to enter a university. After his education at the Madampe Central College and the University of Peradeniya, Jayamaha had a short spell at the Kegalle Vidyalaya as a sub teacher in 1961. Even though having necessary attributes to become a successful teacher, he decided to step on a career in the public service which was considered more prestigious at that time.
In 1962, he passed the Administrative Service Competitive Examination. He obtained the Master’s Degree in Administration from the Monash University, Australia.
With the establishment of the Ceylon Administrative Service in 1962, he was absorbed to it and in due course served in a number of senior positions such as Assistant Commissioner Elections (Colombo, Trincomalee, Kegalle, Matara and Hambantota), Director of Land Reform Commission, Director of the Academy of Administrative Studies; at present known as the Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration (SLIDA), Government Agent (Puttalam District), Deputy Commissioner of Election, Additional Secretary of Ministry of Public Administration, Additional Secretary of Ministry of Education, Secretary of State Ministry of Home Affairs, Secretary of State Ministry of Textiles and the Secretary of Ministry of Textile and Industry Development. In addition to the position of Secretary, during the period 1993-1997, Jayamaha held the position of Chairman of Sri Lanka Institute of Textile and Apparel, National Textile Quota Board and Ceylon Fabrics Limited simultaneously.
Jayamaha was appointed as the Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Education in 1984. Ranil Wickremasinghe, the present Prime-Minister was the then Minister of Education. He was full of new ideas to revamp the education system of the country. The greater part of the burden of formulating a plan for this stupendous task fell on Jayamaha who had won the confidence of the Minister with his forthright views and a firm grasp of the process of educational administration.
Jayamaha reached the height of his career when he was appointed to the position of Secretary to the Ministry of Textile and Industrial Development in 1993. His contribution to the process of industrial development in this country such as establishing of industrial estates, launching of a national campaign for the improvement of technological advancement and so on have been highlighted by many.
Jayamaha was very keen to streamline the textile quota administration which came under his ministry. He was also keenly aware of the critical role of the export apparel industry which accounted for more than half the total export earnings of the country and the dependence of exports on the availability of quotas, especially to the lucrative US market.
He retired from the public service in 1997. He was reappointed to the Consultant of Ministry of Textile and Industrial Development by the Cabinet for the period of 1997 to 2000.
Jayamaha was a person endowed with a sharp intellect and excellent communicative abilities. He possessed with a clear thinking ability and justify persuasively. Embedded with his fine human qualities, he was the epitome of old-world public service values such as loyalty, honesty, integrity, and simplicity. He was ever ready to give a helping hand to anyone who sought his help. Jayamaha had the courage to stand up for what he believed to be right. As a Senior Public Servant, Jayamaha served the people with sincerity, faithfulness and dedication towards the country for well over three decades.
May his journey through Samsara be short and may he attain the supreme bliss of Nibbana.
– Dr. Harindu Korala
Monash University, Australia