Appreciations

The demise of this gracious lady who was once our First Lady has left a void that can never be filled. She was the epitome of incomparable dignity and impeccable elegance; an inspiration to all wives of politicians. She was a tower of strength to her husband and he never failed to pay her a tribute. She had quiet strength, never failed to give him good advice, but was content to be in the background, backing him to the hilt, but never flaunting herself in a flamboyant fashion.

Born as the only child to extremely wealthy parents, she was educated by governesses and not sent to school. Perhaps this had contributed to her being an extremely private person. Despite her lack of formal schooling, she was well read and could converse on a wide variety of subjects.

I had the privilege of getting to know her when I was very young and so many happy memories of times spent with her are there in the recesses of my mind. I recall being chaperoned to my first dance by the Late President and Mrs. Jayewardene. She was very kind to me. She was there for anyone she was fond of. We shared a love for dogs; to us dogs were pets and not watch dogs. They were to be petted and cuddled and to be part of the family.

I recall an occasion when we attempted to make milk wine together; neither of us had done it before. The efforts were disastrous and her son, Ravi, came into the kitchen and said it smelt like an arrack tavern. Ravi too, has inherited the trait of shunning publicity from his mother and never flaunted or made use of his position as the late President's son.

Later on, after my marriage, there was an attempt spearheaded by an upcountry politician who is no more, to influence President Jayewardene to replace my late husband as an UNP organizer, saying we were Dudley Senanayake loyalists. When my husband went to meet the late President, he told him, "You owe your appointment to Mrs. Jayewardene. She came up to me as I was leaving the house and told me to see that you get the nomination."

A woman of strong principles and values, she had a deeply ingrained sense of justice and hated injustice. She never hesitated to tell her husband what she thought was honest and fair in judgment and was deeply aware of the difference between right and wrong. Again, when attempts were made to try to influence President Jayewardene against Ranasinghe Premadasa, she stood firmly behind the latter and resisted any attempts to dislodge him from becoming the President. This sense of loyalty to those she cared for, to her husband and politically to his party, right through her life was one of her most lovable qualities. She was always fond of the present UNP leader, and being a private person herself, understood him and his natural reserve… She would get very angry when she felt he was unfairly criticized.

Today, the Seva Vanith Movement, is made much of by many. The work still goes on, but with a great deal of publicity. There are few who are aware that this was her brainchild. She was determined to do something for women working in government service and for their children. She worked privately on the late President and he set the wheels in motion.

I was just a Deputy Minister's wife, but she wanted me too, to be on the committee of seven that helped to draft the constitution, choose the motto and the logo. Later on, I was on the working committee too; she headed the committee with dedication, discipline and was always forthright in her decisions. It was a pleasure to work with her and we started crèches, English classes, helped out in hospitals and so on.

The first Ministry of Women's Affairs was started at this time too, and I have no doubt that President Jayewardene did so at her urging. The Peter Weerasekera Home for Children was one of her favorite charities, and I too helped out with raising funds for it at her request - an act for which she never failed to thank me and show me her appreciation in numerous ways.

She is one who is respected by all; from all walks of life and from all sides of the great political divide. Even when her husband was President, one or the other of them would often answer the phone, and always had time to lend an ear when needed. The late President would always come to the door with her to see visitors off. This kind of old world courtesy is lacking now and we are the poorer without these people to whom courtesy and good manners were a way of life.

Elina Jayewardene was one of a kind and there will never be another quite like her. A real lady in every sense of the term. 'A perfect women, nobly planned, to guide, to comfort and command.'

A model to all wives of politicians