This article is published today to mark President J. R. Jayewardene's 92nd birth anniversary which falls on September 17th Thursday.

The highlights of the day will be the awarding of prizes to the winners of the islandwide essay competition organised by the Jayewardene Cultural Centre.

The second Volume of the Sinhala translation of the biography of "J. R. Jayewardene of Sri Lanka" written by Prof. K. M. de Silva and Howard Wriggins, translated by G. W. Surendra and Jinadasa Abeygunawardene will also be released on this day. This volume covers the period 1956 - 1977.

The Speakers scheduled to participate on this day are Professors K. M. de Silva, C. M. Madduma Banda, Vinnie Vitharana, Dr. Sarath Amunugama, and Mr. W. J. M. Lokubandara.

Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe, Leader of the Opposition, will give away the prizes.

by Prematilaka Mapitigama
Secretary General
J. R. Jayewardene Cultural Centre
No one in his right senses will deny that the Sri Lankan of this century who made the greatest impact on the country, vis-a-vis its future, was Junius Richard Jayewardene. His entry into the political arena when he was a member of the Bar signalled the beginning of a new era in the history of Sri Lanka, then known as Ceylon.

The radical changes he has brought about in this country may not have been to the liking of many. But the fact is that these changes, made for whatever reason, have had such an impact on the country, that it will take many more generations to come to make such lasting changes.

When he was alive, Dicky Jayewardene, as he was known to those close to him in his youth, was a man who walked with kings but did not lose the common touch. With Dicky Jayewardene all men counted, but not too much. He was humble enough to seek advice from those more experienced than he was, yet was great enough to give good advice to those who sought it from him.

While he was alive he had many detractors, for in this country it has always been so, justifying that old saying that a prophet is not without honour save in his own country. But his image abroad was that of a knight in shining armour and there are many countries that owed a great deal to the humaneness, the charity and the generosity of this man.

It was only after his demise at a score beyond the biblical span that the people of this country, particularly those who opposed him while he was alive, realised what they had lost. The encomiums paid to him in Parliament alone indicate in what esteem he had really been held, even by those who had strenuously opposed him at every turn.

Birth
Junius as he was named was born in Grandpass Road in a Walauwa which is now the home of a newspaper group - the Virakesari Group. The original portion of the house is still extant though many additions have been made to it. He was the first born of his mother who herself came from a family that had been respected and loved, and the eldest son of E. W. Jayewardene, one of those sons of Lanka who shone in the legal firmament.

Richard Jayewardene began his schooling at Bishop's College, Colombo and then moved to Royal College, where one of his teachers was R. A. Krickenbeek who celebrated his hundredth birthday at a home for elders in Wellawatte. His pupil, now President of Sri Lanka was there to 'wish you joy, birthday boy'.

At Royal Dicky Jayewardene did well in his studies and also represented his alma mater at cricket, rugger and football. From Royal to the University College next door where he graduated in law and also represented the varsity at cricket and rugger.

With a degree in law, he entered the Law College where he showed promise as a future orator and statesman by winning the coveted Hector Jayewardene Gold Medal for oratory and was also awarded the Walter Pereira Medal for research in law. He took his oaths as an advocate of the Supreme Court in 1932.

Three years later, at the age of 29, Dicky Jayewardene married Elina Rupasinghe and had one son, Ravindra.

The profession of law was not able to satisfy and contain the youthful exuberance of young Jayewardene. The wider and more challenging arena of local and national politics attracted him and in the nineteen thirties he was an active participant in the Suriya Mal campaign which had its beginning in Galle.

In 1940 Dicky Jayewardene successfully contested a seat in the Colombo Municipal Council as a nominee of the Ceylon National Congress. He was a member of the Council for the next three years and in 1943 he was elected a member of the State Council for Kelaniya.

From that time there was no turning back. Jayewardene entered the first Parliament as member for Kelaniya. He was later member for Colombo South and Colombo West. In Parliament he has held almost every position that could had been held by a man - Parliamentary Secretary, Chief Opposition Whip, Leader of the Opposition, Cabinet Minister, Chief Government Whip, Leader of the House of Parliament, Prime Minister and finally the first Executive President of Independent Sri Lanka.

Exemplary
His conduct both in public and in private was exemplary and in Parliament he displayed an expertise in Parliamentary procedures, practice and tradition which was unequalled.

J. R. Jayewardene had many 'firsts' in his life, both in Parliament and outside. He was the first Minister of Finance in independent Ceylon under Don Stephen Senanayake. He was re-appointed Minister of Finance in the government of Dudley Senanayake and served as Minister of Agriculture and Food in the government led by Sir John Koirtelawala, in addition to being the Leader of the House of Representatives.

As Minister of Finance in the first two governments of independent Ceylon, Jayewardene led the Ceylonese delegation to the Sterling Talks in London. He was also a Governor of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund from 1948 to 1952. he also attended the Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference in London with the then Prime Minister Dudley Senanayake.

In January 1950 Mr. Jayewardene represented his country at the Commonwealth Foreign Ministers' Conference and together with Sir Stephen Spender, then Minister of External Affairs of Australia, co-authored the Colombo Plan.

In September 1951 he was called upon by D. S. Senanayake to lead the Ceylonese delegation at the signing of the Japanese Peace Treaty at San Francisco. He earned high praise from the representatives at the conference, especially from Japan, for his famous speech at that assembly of 51 nations.

It was this speech that brought about a change in the attitude of Japan towards Ceylon, and Japan has remained a loyal friend of this country ever since.

Setback
J. R. Jayewardene suffered a setback in his political career in 1956 when he was defeated at the general election which saw S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike come into power as head of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party. But he did not remain politically inactive. He set about the task of re-organising the political fortunes of his Party and his efforts bore fruit when the UNP was returned to power in the March 1960 elections.

Once more as Member of Parliament for Kelaniya, he was appointed leader of the House and Minister of Finance. He was also Minister of Local Government and Housing in the short-lived government of Dudley Senanayake.

At the July 1960 election to the Fifth Parliament, Mr. Jayewardene contested the multi-member Colombo South seat and was easily returned as the first MP for that constituency.

He was one of the two Members of Parliament to be returned uncontested at the 1965 general election and was appointed Minister of State in the National Government of Dudley Senanayake. He also held the post of Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Defence and External Affairs.

As Minister of State Mr. Jayewardene laid the foundation for making tourism an important industry in this country.

At the general election of 1977 Mr. Jayewardene led the United National Party to a sweeping victory and was appointed Prime Minister on July 23. Shortly after that he initiated action to amend the Constitution of Sri Lanka to set up an Executive Presidential system and introduced the proportional system of representation.

Elected President
At the Presidential Election of October 1982 he was elected President, the first elected President of Sri Lanka.

During the period that Mr. Jayewardene was President of Sri Lanka several important changes took place, such as the post 1977 shift to market-oriented policies, the completion of the major projects of the accelerated Mahaweli Ganga scheme, the creation of a new administrative capital city at Sri Jaywardenepura Kotte, with the shift of a House of Parliament to that city, the establishment of the Sri Jayewardene Hospital, the setting up of a free trade zone for export-oriented industries at Biyagama, the introduction of new forms of information technology and the rapid development of the tourist sector.

Indeed, during the tenure of his Presidency, Sri Lanka had moved into the computer age. No wonder then, when he passed on, encomiums were showered on him, even by those who, while he was still alive, had been extremely critical of the man and his policies.

One could hardly do better than quote from the speeches made in Parliament made by those who had opposed him throughout his political career. It has been said that 'out of the mouth the heart speaketh', and this has been proved to be true.

The late Bernard de Soysa said on that occasion, "I speak about the late Mr. J. R. Jayewardene as one who belongs to a party that was totally opposed to his politics throughout his lifeÉÉ He took the first practical step, whatever defects it may have, for devolution through the provincial councilsÉÉ That step was taken with some courage.

"In 1948, although he was much opposed to it and there were from the other side demonstrations against him in public, he took the first step towards giving trade union rights to public servantsÉÉ Similarly, towards the end of his life he decided that there should be a great filip given to scientific studies in this country and a proper evolution of the relationship of science to the philosophy of life, and for that purpose he founded the Institute of Fundamental Studies up in the hills in Kandy."

Magnum opus
Parliamentarian R. J. G. de Mel had this to say: "The economic development from 1977 to 1988 was truly his magnum opus. It was, and will remain for all time, his monumentum were perennial, his monument more lasting than bronze. He needs no other monuments like lesser mortals, for in the famous words of Pericles, J. R. Jayewardene will 'receive a praise that will never decay, a sepulchre that will always be most illustrious, for the whole earth is the sepulchre of illustrious men'".

And the illustrious son of his former opponent Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike, Anura said, "He modelled a new Constitution and introduced the Executive Presidency for the first time. Those who swore to dismantle the Executive Presidency are today enjoying the powers and the privileges that Mr. J. R. Jayewardene gave that august office.

"To the everlasting credit of Mr. Jayewardene, his political opponents have embracd and grudgingly accepted the many changes he brought about nearly 20 years ago. And, for the first time, in Sri Lankan politics he broke traditional caste barriers to the highest political office, paving the way after his political retirement."

Of the lesser known aspects of the life of this great man was the fact that he was extremely fond of music, good music, though his rugged exterior gave no such indication. When Ronald Reagan was President of the United States, he hosted Mr. Jayewardene to a dinner, an official banquet at the White House, to which he personally invited Frank Sinatra to sing a song that strangely depicted the life of J. R. Jayewardene, and a song which was Mr. Jayewardene's favourite, "My Way".

And Frnak Sinatra sang, 'I did what I had to do and saw it through without exception; I planned each chartered course, each careful step; I faced it all and I stood firm and I did it my way; And now that the end is near and I face the final curtain; My friends, I'll say it clear and state my case of which I am certain; I lived a life that's full; I travelled each and every highway and more, much more than this; I did it my way.'

By an ironic twist of fate, Mr. Jayewardene's staunchest opponents have paid him the greatest tribute. They have followed and are still following the way that he set forth for this nation. There is no better tribute that can be paid by his opponents to the legacy and memory of Junius Richard Jayewardene.