5th Column

We mourn your passing and salute your courage
My Dear Kadir,
I am writing this to you both in hope and horror-in the hope that these sentiments and those expressed throughout the country in the past few days will reach you wherever in heaven you are, but also horrified that a man such as you can be murdered by the Tigers and then be shrugged off with a simple denial!

People such as you are a rare commodity in the dirty world of politics and it doesn't take much to shine among an array of petty parliamentarians and intellectual nincompoops. But what set you apart was your unwavering commitment to the cause that you believed was right, knowing that in so doing you were flirting with death every day, every hour, every minute.
In hindsight, you were to this President what Lalith Athulathmudali was to a former President- and that is not merely because both of you were Presidents of the Oxford Union but because you were men who could command respect because of your intellect and your ability to convey your thinking through elegant oratory.

But, in the final analysis, your contribution was perhaps even more significant because being a moderate Tamil you were able to use your skills to convince the powers that be-America, Britain, Australia to mention a few-that the Tigers were indeed terrorists and not glorified freedom fighters. And this was before the terrorist attacks on New York after which calling anyone a terrorist became so fashionable in the West! For this achievement alone, Sri Lanka owes you her eternal gratitude.

You were not afraid to speak your mind to these powers either, ticking off the Australian cricketers for being "sissies" and refusing to play in Sri Lanka, asking British Minister Mike O'Brien to mind his own business without interfering in our elections and saying after the tsunami that we don't need teddy bears as gifts!

Just how much of an impact you have had in Sri Lankan politics is reflected by the fact that the JVP suggested that you become the Prime Minister because even in their chauvinist eyes, you transcended communal and minority barriers. Even when the UNP came in to power, they treated you with respect and allowed you your privileges because of the risks involved. Indeed for many, you were the only intellectual, the only moderate and perhaps the only gentleman in a House so full of unscrupulous scoundrels.

We do know that in your final days you were not too pleased with the path the peace process was taking, imposed upon us by certain nations but being hopelessly one sided in its implementation. But you soldiered on, believing that you could make a contribution.

Any ambitions that you may have had in opting for a career in politics pale into insignificance when weighed against the risks involved. Why an immensely successful lawyer chose not to spend his retirement in peace, quiet and luxury and chose instead to serve his country, risking his life in the process is a question that only you could answer.

Perhaps it was the good old Trinitian in you that convinced you that you could make a difference by following its motto, 'Respice Finem': 'Look to the End'. That end has now come. But Kadir, you can rest assured that you did make a difference.

We salute you for that and cannot help but mourn your passing. But we also thank God that a man such as you passed by during our time…

Yours truly,
Punchi Putha

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