4th January 1998

A Leftist legend

By Roshan Peiris

With the death of Bernard Soysa last week, that line of colourful and courageous leftists in Sri Lanka's politics comes to an end. Dr. S.A. Wickramasinghe, Dr. N.M. Perera, Colvin R de Silva, Pieter Keuneman, Philip and Robert Gunewardene, Leslie Gunewardene and Bernard were all men who gave a vibrant realism to left politics in this country.

"Bernard was a son from an affluent family but like Pieter Keuneman after reading books on Marxism and Socialism, through his own convictions he chose to be a Socialist," said Sam Wijesinha.

Sam Wijesinha who had been Secretary General of Parliament for almost three decades says, "I think Bernard was a most able Parliamentarian, easily the best, not so much because of his oratory but because he always studied his facts, lined them up and expressed them in Parliament, which he entered in 1956, most convincingly. At Commonwealth Parliamentary Conferences some of which I attended with him he studied his agenda and his contributions were much admired."

Mr. Wijesinha went on to say that when he spoke of the attitude of Big Powers to Small Powers Bernard told the august assembly:

"The attitude is one of a jealous lover to his beloved, who says 'if you reject my embraces and if you reject my advances you should do so only on condition that you reject the embraces and advances of my rivals'."

Sam recalled that this socialist of over fifty years did not finish his university education because of his political involvements. He only sat for his Inter.

It is said that his friends got together and collected about a million rupees which he could use in later life. He refused and asked that four lakhs of this money be given to the Eye Donation Society, Kandy.

Batty Weerakoon who succeeded Bernard as LSSP Secretary said, "Bernard always felt deeply for his comrades and took a very personal interest in them. In fact it was he who bought the machinery for our Party paper and got it all installed at our press office in Maradana."

Batty said that Bernard as a schoolboy at Ananda College won a silver medal for oratorical skills. But when his father asked him to show the medal he kept dodging the issue since he had blithely pawned it to help a poor student. That was typical of Bernard.

"His left hand never knew what his right hand gave away and so I persuaded him to give money to the Eye Donation Society in Colombo," he continued.

Batty said, "Bernard, a charming man exuding charisma, had many a girl friend. Why he never married I don't know though we did tease him about it. "Bernard like Leslie and N. M. devoted every day he could to party activities."

Bernard we know did not often agree with the PA policies: So why did he not resign from his ministerial post?

Said Batty, also a nominated member of Parliament: "He did not make an issue of corruption and transparency as you put it because most of these matters were sponsored by lobbies supported by the press, egged on by tenderers. He was honourable and never discussed Cabinet issues with us. But he did abstain from voting for the extension of the emergency when it was made islandwide keeping to the party decision on the subject we did so for six months," he continued.

Batty sounded sad as he recalled how he saw him the day before he died. "He liked most," said Batty, "to spend evenings when he could, at the home at his brother Dr. Ananda Soysa and wife Dr. Priyani and have dinner with them.

"I first saw him in 1953 with his arm in a sling after having been a casualty at the Galle Face Green during demonstrations against the increase in rice prices. "Bernard dressed well and he did not like me walking around in a red 'T' shirt so on one of his foreign trips he bought me a red shirting material and nagged me until I had it sewn."

Sam Wijesinha continuing his reminiscences said, Bernard refused the post of Deputy Minister of Finance in 1970 since both the Opposition and the Government wanted him to be the Chairman of the prestigious Public Accounts Committees.

He could not do both, he said. As chairman he was most polite to those who appeared before the Committee including a lady diplomat whom he handled with consideration and reasonableness.

"I recall that in 1967 when other members of the Committee called up the then G. A. of Chilaw Mr. Amarasekera, for having spent too much during the floods, Bernard congratulated Mr. Amarasekera for his generosity to the flood victims.

Bernard's courtesy to all was legendary. When this writer was a cub reporter I was taken aback when I went to interview him to see him stand up courteously to receive me. No one does that to a journalist even though a woman.

Just an year ago when I interviewed him and he had the rank of a Cabinet Minister he still stood up when I went to see him. He was not only a politician of worth but also a gentleman par excellence.

We also know he loved music and attended Ravi Shankar's recital and that of Claudio Arrau and Louis Kentner. He loved art and owned a few of George Keyt paintings, we are told.

So Bernard the last of the great socialists of this country was laid to rest yesterday. May he attain Nibbana. He was a conscientious Buddhist and supported the Vajiraramaya temple at Bambalapitiya. So with clenched fists held in salute his comrades bade him farewell as he went to his final rest.

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