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No place left to take a stand
By L.B. Senaratne
British Governor Sir Henry Ward, whose statue stood for many years on Dalada Veediya in Kandy, was not an official popular with the British government. But as an administrator, his concern for the people of this island was well known.

In his first speech before the Legislative Council Ward indicated his thoughts on helping the peasants of the country. He told the Assembly, "Had there been a railway to afford a regular connection, rice might have been delivered in Kandy and Gampola at one shilling a bushel." In the present context this may seem that he was trying to open up roads for the British. But, in reality, his own countrymen did not approve of his work.

Ward, who came from a liberal political background, tried to improve Ceylon despite his masters' opposition. According to British Parliamentary history, Ward was associated with the creation of the 'appropriation clause' by which a portion of the revenue of the Irish Church establishment was diverted for the educational needs of the public.

Ward was also the Editor of the Weekly Chronicle before he began serving the British Empire. It was this Sir Henry Ward who occupied a pedestal in Kandy on old Ward Street, now Dalada Veediya, this statue having been put up by the citizens of Ceylon. The British arranged a ceremony for its unveiling. During the famous Patrice Lumumba demonstrations, University students forgetting what was done for the people of this country tried to bring this statue down, but failed. The undergraduates with strong ropes in hand could not pull down Ward's statue. It was later removed with a crane.

A resolution was passed by the Kandy Municipal Council to remove Ward's statue and replace it with that of Wariyapola Sumangala Thera. And so the statue of Ward was removed, but when the statue of Ven. Sumangala Thera was finally made, it was relegated to a corner of the Maha Maluwa.

Ward changed the Kandyan marriage laws and built Galle Face walk. He unearthed the blueprint of the present Chatham Street clock tower from the commissariat cellars and built it on the plans drawn by Lady Ward. Many of the iron latticework bridges found around the country are based on his ideas that went into the creation of a transport network. Bridges were built on his orders, including the one at Katugastota.

Sir Henry Ward's statue was not erected by the European community but by the citizens of this country. One place suggested to re-install the statue was the plot of land opposite the Kandy Railway Station but today it has been thrown into the backyard of the Kandyan National Museum. It will not be long when due to the inclement weather in Kandy, Ward's statue may topple breaking the wall it is resting against.

Whatever may be said of Ward, he should have a better place in the history of this country, which he sought to serve rather than rule. This historical monument weighing three tons should be preserved in recognition of his service and an appropriate place should be found in Kandy for its relocation. The statue is a work of art. Sir Ward bid good-bye to Sri Lanka on July 30,1860 and died of cholera in Madras on August 2, 1860.

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