Remembering a Minister, poet and inspiring Muslim leader 12th death anniversary of SLMC leader, M. H. M. Ashraff Leaders are born everywhere and the services they render are for the good of the community. It seems like only yesterday that the late leader M. H. M. Ashraff, whose 12th year remembrance falls today, left Aman [...]

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Remembering a Minister, poet and inspiring Muslim leader

12th death anniversary of SLMC leader, M. H. M. Ashraff

Leaders are born everywhere and the services they render are for the good of the community. It seems like only yesterday that the late leader M. H. M. Ashraff, whose 12th year remembrance falls today, left Aman Ashraff, his only son, and his wife, Ferial Ashraff.

Ashraff was kind and sensitive, always with a smile and a kind word for his staff and people. At the same time, he was a leader who wanted things done correctly; he was a stickler for accuracy and correct procedure.

Ashraff was a deeply religious man, and would commence nothing without remembering the Almighty and seeking His guidance and blessings.

The late M.H.M. Ashraff, one-time Cabinet Minister, Member of Parliament and Sri Lanka Muslim Congress and National Unity Alliance founder and leader, died on September 16, 2000 under tragic circumstances. He was on his way to his native Amparai district in a Sri Lanka Air Force helicopter, which crashed in a blaze of flames in Aranayake.

Ashraff, the man with the golden heart, was the only son of Mohamed Hussain, a highly respected village headman and Matheena Ummah, whom he loved dearly. Being a son of the Eastern soil, Ashraff was in some respect an heir to a political legacy, having been a member of the influential Kariapper family of Kalmunai. He had his primary education at Wesley College, Kalmunai, and left his home region to pursue further studies in the metropolis.

In 1970, Ashraff entered the Law College, where he excelled in constitutional law. He wrote the first book on constitutional law in Tamil, with particular reference to the 1972 Republican Constitution of Sri Lanka.

At the Ceylon Law College, nursery to many a political leader, he was president of the Law Students Muslim Majlis and of the Tamil Mantram. He was an influential member of the student community, narrowly missing the coveted position of President of the Law Students’ Union.

In 1974, he joined the Attorney-General’s Department as a state counsel, and went on to become an eminent lawyer. He practised in Kalmunai.

He completed his master’s degree in law before becoming a senior minister. He was honoured with the title President’s Counsel.
The declaration of the SLMC on November 19, 1986 as a national political party was a milestone in Ashraff’s political career, as well as the history of Sri Lanka Muslim community. The symbol of his party was the tree. The tree was planted and nurtured in the Eastern and Northern and other parts of Muslim areas in Sri Lanka.

In 1989, Ashraff entered Parliament as an MP. In the 1994 general election he was returned to Parliament with seven MPs from the North East. Two SLMC MPs from the East were appointed Deputy Ministers and one MP, the party general secretary and present SLMC leader Rauff Hakeem, as Deputy Chairman of Committees. The SLMC played a constructive role in installing the Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga government in a hung Parliament. Ashraff became Minister of Ports, Shipping, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction.

Ashraff fulfilled his responsibilities as a minister with dedication and efficiency. He had a broad, liberal and enlightened perspective. He had a very clear understanding of his role as a minister. He spelt out the policy and strategy of his Ministry and left it to the Ministry officials to translate these into action to produce the desired results.

He was an excellent writer in both Tamil and English. His anthology of poems was hailed by the former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, who himself is a respected Tamil scholar. M. Karunanidhi was enthralled by the poems, saying “this title by itself is a matter for contemplation, enlightenment and ultimate enjoyment.”

Ashraff wished above all that his literary output would outlive him.

“Leaders never die
Haven’t I told you this?
Pardon me if I haven’t
“We have walked
Along the path of God,
Now you too have to go
On the same route
In this struggle
Whether we are burnt or cut to death
The joy is the same.
“None of our fighters will ever die
March forward, oh! Fighters –
There is no time to rest and watch
Waste no time
In washing this corpse
Neither water nor rose water is needed.
“Has your Leader’s body been
coated with the sandalwood of blood
should the smell of the same fragrance
smell in the womb of his tomb as well
“Then take this body away
Pray and bury without
Any further delay.
“By washing this body
At the last moment
Defy not the directives of your Leadership.
“Weep not and waste not your time
Lift this body up
And pray and bury soon.”
“ I and You” – Tamil poetry by M. H. M. Ashraff

He succeeded in installing his long-standing dream of a roof to shelter the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress. He named it Dharussalam – the house of peace, and dedicated it to Sri Lanka. He worked hard for peace.

May Allah grant his soul Jennath Firdouse.

Ashraff A. Samad

Upright teacher who groomed a generation of docs

Prof. M. T. M. Jiffry 

The second death anniversary of Professor M. T. M. Jiffry falls tomorrow, September 17. The unexpected and untimely departure of Prof. M. T. M. Jiffry two years ago has left a great void in the family. Even after two years, we feel his loss deeply, because he was accessible to all who needed his services.

Prof. Jiffry was a shining example to the younger generation of doctors. He was someone who pursued the cause of medicine above and beyond comfort zones and personal gain.

He hailed from the southern coastal city of Matara. He was attached to the Medical Faculty of Sri Jayawardenapura University, where he excelled. He did not chase fame or fortune. In fact, his enthusiasm and efforts in the field of medicine brought him fame and fortune.

He was a towering influence on many students in their formative years. Doctors who were his students owe him a debt of gratitude for all he taught them and the values he inculcated in them.

He won the hearts and respect of the student fraternity. He was respected not only for his medical knowledge and skills but also his humanitarian ways.

Those near and dear to him never expected his departure to be so sudden. We still feel that the cruel hands of Fate snatched him away from our midst too soon, but we feel that he continues to be with us.

At the Faculty of Medicine at Sri Jayawardenepura, Prof. Jiffry stood for what was right. He was loved and looked up to for his advice and suggestions in the UGC.

I happened to be among the UGC crowd during Prof. Jiffry’s funeral. From the chit-chat, I gathered that he was the livewire behind the UGC. The present Chairman, Prof. Gamini Samaranayake, was very close to him. He even accompanied the funeral to the Dehiwela Mosque.

Prof. Jiffry’s kindness and compassion knew no bounds. He never abused power nor privilege. Truth and justice were the hallmarks of his existence. In all his dealings, he maintained the highest ethical standards.

It is no exaggeration to say that these qualities earned him a place on the LLRC. It was most unfortunate that he could not attend even one sitting of the LLRC. His sudden illness prevented him from attending the LLRC sessions.

He was a gentleman of absolute honesty and integrity.Fowzi Jiffry was proud of her husband’s achievements, although she never bragged that she had played an important role as the Professor’s partner in life. The Jiffrys were devoted to each other. Fowzi was a source of support and strength to her husband. Everywhere the Professor went, Fowzi was sure to accompany her husband.
Prof. Jiffry’s departure from this world was as he wanted it to be – free of suffering. May Allah grant him Jennathul Firdouse, and may his wife Fowzia Jiffry be blessed with the strength and courage to face life’s realities.

M. I. Mohamed Ansar

Humility and dedication were the virtues that marked this journalist and trusted President’s aide

Evans Cooray 

Evans Cooray passed away in London on August 16, 2012. He and I were students at Holy Cross College, Kalutara. After the SSC (O/L), he moved to De Mazenod College, Kandana, for higher studies. As a student he was keenly interested in journalism and wrote for the Sinhala Roman Catholic newspaper, Gnanartha Pradeepaya. He later joined the Lake House and the Lankadeepa newspaper.

Some time in the ’60s, Evans Cooray joined the Government Information Department as a Press Officer. With the change of government in 1977, he was posted to the Ministry of Local Government, Housing and Construction, when the late Mr. Ranasinghe Premadasa was the Minister. Mr. Premadasa appreciated his good work, and Evans was invited to work for Mr. Premadasa when he became Prime Minister and later President.

I used to meet Evans quite often, as I was attached to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the time. It is a known fact that the late President Premadasa started his day’s work at the Sucharitha at 4 a.m. Evans was present almost daily.
He had no fixed office hours or fixed time of arrival or departure. His sheer dedication and readiness to work long hours brought him in close contact with the late President.

Evans became one of Mr. Premadasa’s most trusted colleagues, and was duly rewarded when he was made Senior Assistant Secretary – Information to the late President in the early Nineties.

On that fateful day, May 1, 1993, Evans stepped a few metres away from the crowd surrounding the President to answer a telephone call when the blast occurred. He escaped hurt. Indeed, it was a miraculous escape.

When the late Mr. D. B. Wijetunga took office as the next President, Evans was posted as the First Secretary – Information to the Sri Lanka High Commission in London.

He continued to live in London with his family. He was a practising Catholic and led a simple life. His humility and friendly disposition brought him a large circle of devoted friends, here and abroad.

May he rest in peace.

Vivian Fernando

A great father figure and a remarkable Christian witness

Alston Perera 

Alston Perera, or Ally as we called him, has earned handsome tributes from his friends, and justifiably so. He and I, with some others, joined the Department of Income Tax, Estate Duty and Stamps on the same day, way back in 1956. At the time he was a professionally qualified chartered accountant. It was clear that he was not intent on a permanent career in the department. So it was not surprising that after a short stint to gain some tax experience, he left to practise in partnership with the late Cecil Arsecularatne until he retired from the firm.

Though work-wise our ways parted, my friendship and highest regard for him, his late wife Leonie and their four sons have endured through the years. His humility and warm personality attracted me from the beginning. I recall with nostalgia the quiet evenings I spent with him on my way home at his flat. Nachito ( Jehan, the eldest) child would perform somersaults on the carpeted floor, much to my delight. Alston and his wife were great and caring parents who nurtured their children in Christ’s way of love and humility.

Alston’s insights into who and what Christ was were deep and original. His son Hiran also partook of his father’s deep sense of religion. I have stuck to the Living Jesus in the parables and the letters of St. Paul, and that is sufficient for the believer who yearns for salvation. To close this tribute to the memory of Alston, I cannot do better than quote the concluding lines of T. S. Eliot’s “What Is A Classic.” Ally was a rare, classic and unforgettable Christian friend: Son, the temporal fire and the eternal, hast thou seen, and art come to a place where I, of myself, discern no further.

Tilaka Samaratunga




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