An unassuming man, Edwin Hurulle did not have any political ambitions. He wanted to become a public servant. He learnt to read and write Tamil. Those were the days when racial divisions rarely existed.
Edwin Loku Bandara Hurulle, bespectacled, hair thinning and a smile playing on his lips, is that rare politician-the gentleman politician. At 77 with four decade of politics behind him, he still retain the civilians and courtly manners of politicians of a past era. The United National Party is celebrating next month, I believe on the 6th, fifty years in the politics of this country. It is, therefore, only fitting to write about this charming gentleman who counts 40 of those 50 years in politics. Hurulle also holds a coveted record for his political party. In 1956 when what seemed like the unbeatable United National Party suffered its most ignoble defeat with a political roll call of only eight Members of Parliament, Mr. Hurulle who was contested a seat for the first time was one of those eight members. He cold be justifiably happy that he scored 43 percent of the votes 6,307 as against the popular rival, P.M.K. Tennekone, will known for his Kavi Kola, who polled only 4,749 votes contesting as an LSSper. An unassuming man, Edwin Hurulle did not have any political ambitions he wanted to become a public servant. He studies at Trinity and then left to join St. Patricks College, Jaffna considered one of the best school in the country, in order to become a D.R.O. He learnt to read and write Tamil and even sat a appear in Tamil. Those were the happy days when racial divisions were never seen. He first served at Vavuniya in the Sinhala division. "I was always agitated by the fact that for instance the place I came from Horow patana electorate was very backward. It boasted of only primitive roads, medical facilities, education and social welfare amenities. T.B. Poholiyadde Dissawa was the M.P. for the area. "I concentrated on my job as a public servant and just after the 1956 dissolution and just before the nominations T.B. Photoliyadde died . "Many of the people from Horowpatana wanted me to come forward as the U.N.P. candidate against P.M.K. Tennekoone. But I refused. I felt my tastes wee not for politics but for serving the public as a public servant . "Even my uncle P.B. Bulankulama Disswa who was a Minister himself did not want me to contest," Mr. Hurulle said. "Finally my choice was narrow down when the then Prime Minister Sir John Kotelawaela called me to his home and told me that I had to contests he felt that I would be the only man with my roots there who could win against Tennekoone. Also remember by now a strong S.L.F.P. under S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike had come into the election scene." "I had no option but to contest and won the seat when UNP was almost totally routed with only eight seats in Parliament. For me, a novice, it was a challenging experience being attacked from all sides. There was the SLFP, Tamil Congress, LSSP, Communist Party and the Federal Party. But it caught me to meet the challenge in politics with equanimity. T.M.D. Banda and to me fell the main task of keeping the UNP voice heard in this of anti, UNP voices. "But I must say we managed", said this gentleman with a smile. "Plenty of public servant gave us a lot of information we needed to attack our opponents. "S.W.R.D. came to my electorate in 1959 and took me around with him in his Cadillac. That was the sort of politicians we had in those days. SWRD said at a meeting in Galenbidunuwera. 'You have got a very good M.P. Hi only fault is that he is not with us, but I think he will join us soon. In 1958 R.G. Senanayake of the famous Rice Rubber Paci invited Mr Hurulle to become a minister. This was certainly the era of clean politics compared with today. Men such as Hurulle had an undeviating aim of not seeking portfolio but being loyal to the Party when it was down. He believed in loyalty and political salvation by work. Mr. Hurulle had no political enemies. C.P.de Silva and Stanley de Zoysa among others of offered to help him. In 1959, he was chosen to visit the Conference the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association in Australia with Thomas Amarasuriya, R.E. Jayatilleke and Coloned Dharmapala among others. This quiet gentleman of politics was active when his truncated party was unjustifiably attacked. SWRD went on needing them saying they had left a near empty treasury. Mr Hurulle got MDH Jayewardene the former Finance Minister to give all the document and papers which showed that the Treasury far from being depleted was having a large credit balance. This was tabled in Parliament and helped to stop criticism on finances. In 1965, Mr. Hurulle became the Minister of Transport and it was he who introduced diesel replacing steam locomotives. He also the record for ordering the country's first jet plane the Trident. He was appointed Minister of Cultural Affairs in 1977. Mr. Hurulle has been Governor of the Central Province. Governor of the North Central Province and High Commissioner to Australia. In the 1958 communal riots he kept the Members of his electorates from harassing the Tamils. "I told them that there were many Tamil administrators, doctors, teachers and the like and there was no need to harass them." In fact he shifted their families to Vavuniya for safety. It has been this kind of positive, practical leadership that give Hurulle a strong hold on his electorate and kept the loyalty and affection of those he chose to represent in the country's legislature. There are many memories that come back to him. Their was the time he recalled when an M.P. who forgot his clothes wore sheet wrapped around him from Sravasti and a banian and appeared in Parliament where he was given his marching orders. Also the M.P. who sported a natty bush shirt and cloth who was also ordered out. The Boralugoda Lion the Inimitable Robert Gunewardene had to be carried out of Parliament. The most Poignant of the memories which has left its mark on this simple man was when during the Parliament blast he had turned to a talk to Ronnie de Mel when a sharpnel four inches long struck his reading glasses price of Another sharpnel struck his neck just below his ear partially damaging his hearing. "I never felt pain until D Ranjith Atappattu saw me bleeding and made me sit. I was taken to the General Hospital." It was ironic that this should happen to a man who had warned his Cabinet of reviving J.V.P. activity, through his electoral grapevine Mr. Hurulle might well be proud of his political career which he began at the age of thirty seven. His wife Malinee, a soft spoken woman has been his loyal companion throughout and during this he very often with his son now in politics Themiya refered to her for facts and incidents. Mr. Hurulle can be proud of being that rare person a soft spoken Politician. "I don't like shouting and I don't like the Party system which creates enemies and divisions especially at Village level. I like the Donoughmore Executive Committee system where all had a say, belonging as they did to Committees. It is only natural the present day politics, shouting epithets across the floor of the House is not to the taste of a man who in his manner remains the charming gentleman, not with standing politics.
His friends seeing the train approaching had tried to stop him, but it was too late.
Accidents on unprotected railway crossings take place so often causing untold grief to so many families, yet the tragedies seem to go unheeded by the authorities who seem not to realise the need to erect warning notices or barriers. Last week, the victim was a 14-year old schoolboy Shamindra Piyatissa who was hit by a train while crossing the rail track at the popular Kinross beach in Wellawatte. What was particularly horrifying was that Shamindra's father saw the accident. Today, both his parents still bowed down by grief, appealed to the authorities to put up warning signs on either side of the track, especially at places such as Kinross where hundreds cross daily. Shamindra Piyatissa, a student of Royal College, Colombo was a keen sportsman, who rowed for his College. That Saturday morning, he had asked his father to take him to the Kinross beach so that he could do some fitness training. Mr. Piyatissa, Shamindras father explained, "It was around 7.00am that I took my son to the beach. He along with some other boys practised for about two hours. All along I kept an eye on them from the club. Once they finished, I went ahead of them to the vehicle which was parked on the other side across the track.Ó While Mr Piyatissa waited for them at the vehicle, the group of boys had started moving toward the crossing. "It all happened so suddenly. One moment he was standing on the track and the next, I heard people screaming. Immediately I knew something was wrong and started running towards the train, only to find my son under a carriage." From what Mr. Piyatissa saw, his son had begun crossing alone. His friends seeing the train approaching had tried to stop him, but it was too late. "Perhaps he did not hear them or thought they were just waving at him. Perhaps he was tired after his exercise. But it all happened so fast." Shamindra was rushed to hospital but his life could not be saved. "When you are hit by a train, there is little hope," Mr. Piyatissa said sadly. According to Mr. Piyatissa, there was no warning , no sounding of the horn of the oncoming train. "Even when I crossed the track after the accident, a train passed by without blowing its horn. Most often, the trains slow down at the bridge. There should be a wall or even a barbed wire fence on the side, as most people who come to enjoy this bathing spot do not realise the danger as they cross the track on their way to, or returning from the beach. The Kinross Club and even the Wadiya restaurant should take some action." The Piyatissas added that they did not blame anyone for the tragedy but hoped that further accidents could be averted. "Even a few days after my son’s death, I learnt that another person had been knocked down." Mr Piyatissa said. The grieving family told The Sunday Times that Shamindra seemed too good for this world. "Although he was only 14, he was a whiz with computers and brilliant with anything technical . He got on well with everyone and loved sports. We encouraged him to pursue all his interests," said Shamindra’s mother. Mrs. Piyatissa, a Japanese national recalled an incident that had occurred a month earlier, which confirmed her belief that her son had another destiny. She said that her brother who had visited them recently had shown some photographs of the family to a religious leader in Japan. "The moment he saw them, he had remarked that this boy should not be where he is, that he had a divine power that is beyond humans. He had also said that there was a white light around Shamindra that indicated that there was some danger to him. But we were not told of this at the time and only learnt of it after his death," Mrs. Piyatissa said. "We gave him everything, but we cannot say when death will strike," added Mr Piyatissa. "He grew up quietly, excelling in all he did, and it was time to let him go. But I appeal to the authorities to take some urgent action to prevent other families undergoing the same trauma that we are facing," he said. A few months ago, The Sunday Times highlighted another tragic accident at Ragama where a train hit a van killing several members of one family. This was at an unprotected crossing . How many more deaths will it take, for the authorities to wake up to the danger?
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