Lalith, our nation’s greatest loss: President Sirisena

The late Lalith Athulathmudali, one of Sri Lanka’s greatest statesmen, was assassinated on April 23, 1993. Commemorating the 25th anniversary of his untimely passing, President Maithripala Sirisena issued the following memorial statement:

“A few decades post-Independence, our Motherland felt the loss of intellectual leaders most keenly. A nation is always in need of educated, intelligent leaders who put the nation before the self. Lalith Athulathmudali, who was lost to this country 25 years ago, was an example of such a leader: an erudite, intellectual, and cultured politician.

“Born into a political family, Lalith learned politics from the womb, and crafted his political career with care and skill. His intelligence and learning set him apart, making him one of the most progressive Education Ministers Sri Lanka has ever seen. Schooled at Royal College, Lalith Athulathmudali went on to traverse the celebrated halls of Oxford University, reading for a degree in Law.

“During his time at Oxford, the death of his father found Lalith thrown into financial difficulties, and he applied for a Government scholarship to continue his education. It was the late S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike who facilitated this scholarship, having identified and marked his outstanding talent. Bandaranaike is reported to have told his then-Cabinet that Lalith Athulathmudali would be Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister one day. “Truly, if Lalith had not been taken prematurely, he would have ascended to the zenith of political office in this land.

“Lalith left an enduring legacy in every ministerial portfolio he was assigned. ‘Impossible’ was not in his lexicon. Throughout his political career, Lalith left no stone unturned, as he set about carrying out the tasks entrusted to him with total dedication and to the best of his ability. “His knowledge, intellect and commitment was unparalleled. He would set out to master any subject assigned to him completely before setting about working on that task.

““I don’t have grand concepts. I have little ideas. When they mingle with the ideas of the people, creative concepts are born,” was one of his favourite sayings. Little ideas led to big creations was his philosophy.

“I was elected a Member of Parliament on March 15, 1989. I took oaths as a MP on March 19, 1989. At the time, Lalith Athulathmudali served as Education Minister in President Ranasinghe Premadasa’s Government. At the time, there were several ministers who were outstanding leaders in the Government, including Lalith, Gamini Dissanayake, Ranjan Wijeratne and several others. These Ministers interacted more closely with opposition MPs than with Government members, and even among these exceptional men, Lalith stood out. They were great orators who proved to be brilliant examples for new MPs.

“Lalith served his country in a multitude of ways. His legacy includes the Mahapola Scholarship Scheme for university students, the establishment of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority and a vision for the expansion of the Colombo Port, and the strengthening of national security mechanisms. In all of these matters, Lalith proved to be a visionary. He will always be one of Sri Lanka’s immortal leaders.

“It is said that Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Kwan Yu begged Lalith to migrate to Singapore and serve that country multiple times. But to Lalith, there was no higher calling than serving his own nation. That he was not allowed to live out his full potential for national leadership is not just his loss. It is the greatest misfortune of this country.”