Sunday Times 2
Social worker and sports promoter remembered
The 86th birth anniversary of M.S.M. Salley falls today. Mr. Salley had been a social worker and soccer lover since his youth. He began his social service work as an honorary teacher in the night school run by the late President Ranasinghe Prmeadasa’s Sucharita movement for the poor.
Having received his education at Zahira College, Colombo, he served in the St John’ Ambulance Service. He was commended for his service during the funeral of the then Prime Minister S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike.
During the Dudley Senanayake Government in the early 1950s, he took part in protest march led by Mr. Bandaranaike over the rising cost of living and was remanded for 14 days.
Though he was a member of the Communist Party and its Central Committee, he was politically close with the Bandaranaikes. This was evident when he stood against the party decision to leave the United Front coalition in 1976.
Popularly known as “Communist Salley”, he dedicated his time, talents, and interests for the wellbeing of his countrymen. He never failed to raise his voice against social inequality and called for progressive changes in social and political conditions.
A devout Sufi Muslim, he had been in the forefront of a campaign to inclucte in the Muslim society the need to live harmoniously as Sri Lankans without giving into bigotry, intolerance and racism.
Mr. Salley was also an ardent soccer lover. He was a guest of honour at the World Cup qualifying round match between Germany and Wales played in Dresden — a major city in then East Germany — in 1969. He was known in football circles as Mr. Ranpandu for conducting the Ranpandu Gold Cup Soccer Carnival
in 1972.
Among the other sports bodies he was associated with were: The Sri Lanka Gymnastic Association (President); the Sri Lanka Football Association (Council Member); the Colombo Football League (General Secretary) and the Colombo Football League (Treasurer). During his time in office, he invited several foreign teams to visit Sri Lanka and in appreciation of his services he was invited to the Soviet Union in 1963 and 1969.
He was also the chairman of the Kamkarupura (Workers’ Town), Samagipura (Unity Town) and Sirimapura, which was a project to honour the late Sirima Bandaranaike. He was appointed a Justice of the Peace by the then Justice Minister in 1970.
From 1970 to 1977 he served on the director board of the Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society. During that time the Cooperative Society was a profit-generating public spirited organisation.
He was also keen on uplifting the education standards in the country. He helped Hameed Al Hussenie School and the Fathima Girls’ School to obtain new buildings. He also extended his support to Al Nassar Maha Vidyalaya. At D.S. Senanayake College, he was a pillar
of strength.
Mr. Salley had the opportunity to meet world Muslim religious leaders. He was invited to the World Muslim Unity Conference held in Washington in 1997, under the spiritual guidance of Sheikh Nazim Haqqani, the Supreme Leader of the Naqshabandi Thariqa. During the visit, Mr. Salley appealed to Sheikh Nazim to pray for Sri Lanka.
Mr. Salley also held office in several Muslim organisations in Sri Lanka. He was one of the architects who formed the National Council of the YMMA. It would be no exaggeration to state that it was the single-mindedness of his purpose coupled with his organisational abilities that saw the birth of this council. His pioneering zeal has borne fruit to such an extent that now there are other organisations with similar aims and ideas affiliated to this council.
The Islamic Socialist Front was another organisation he was instrumental in forming.
Mr. Salley dedicated his life for the wellbeing of the poor people and spent many a sleepless night thinking about what he could do for them. A man who did not believe in caste, creed or race, Mr. Salley’s advice to his children was to respect every human being. ‘Country before self’ was his motto.
Riyaz Salley