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| Sunday, 2 June 2002 |
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How NUJ cooked his goose by Stanley P. Wickramaratne (Ex-Central Banker 1948-1984) The recent loss to our nation of Neville Ubesinghe Jayawardena at the ripe old age of ninety four prompts the writer to enlighten the general public about N.U. Jayawardena, the man under whom the writer served for some exciting length of time as his Personal Assistant - in fact his man Friday as well as one who kept in constant contact with him throughout the last fifty years concluding with a warm and golden handshake on the occasion of the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka on 27th August 2000 at 30, Janadhipathi Mawatha, Colombo. Mr. N.U. Jayawardena's assumption of office in 1950 as the first Ceyloness Governor of the Central Bank of Ceylon (i.e. on the eve of Governor John Exter's return to his office at the Federal Reserve System in Washington) was preceded with much behind the scene activity by certain interested parties. Many aspirants eyed for this coveted position while others in the public service canvassed against Mr. Jayawrdena. Loganathan of the Bank of Ceylon and K. Somasunderam of the Ministry of Trade were some of them while the name of Mr. T.D. Perera of the Ministry of Finance appeared as a safe bet. In this scenario a complete outsider then galloped into the Governors stakes, namely, Mr. Justin Kotelawala, Chairman of the Ceylon Insurance Company, brother of Sir John Kotelawala, and author of a puerile and a controversial publication called 'The Middle Path'. This candidature of a time put a halt to name dropping and on the directions of the then Deputy Governor N.U. Jayawardena the writer called on Mr. Justin Kotelawala at the now Ceylinco House and handed over to him, with the compliments of the Deputy Governor, a copy of a book entitled 'The A B C of Economics'. However in this heavily charged atmosphere of speculation and suspense the Government in its wisdom appointed Mr. N.U. Jayawardena as the Governor of the Central Bank in succession to Mr. John Exter, the outgoing Governor and architect of the bank. In acknowledging the numerous messages of congratulations Mr. Jayawardena received it was amusingly ironical to find among them some letters of expression of faith and good wishes from those very high personalities who openly canvassed against Mr. Jaywardena's nomination. Be that as it may it is now history that Jayawardena's term of office was short lived (1953) due to a combination of unfavourable circumstances but by no means to any incompetence on his part. The preamble was a dinner hosted by the then Prime Minister Sir John Kotelawala (1953-1956) in honour of the visiting Governor Cobbold of the Bank of England. This occasion was the watergate (or Nevillegate) to the appointment of a Commission of Inquiry into the life and conduct of Neville Ubesinghe Jaywardena, Governor of the Central Bank of Ceylon - from the date of his birth to the Governorship. Sir John's cavalier outburst at this dinner "I say N.U. I hear that you have made money through dubious means" and Mr. Jayawardena's off-the-cut candid rejoinder "Look Sri John as Governor of the Central Bank I can direct under the provisions of the Exchange Control Act, to ask you to reveal your assets abroad" elicited from Mr. N.W. Atukorale, Secretary to the Prime Minister, the portentuous statement - "I say N.U. you have cooked your goose". With the setting up of the Commission of Inquiry with Mr. Hema Basnayake, the Attorney-General, assisting in the framing of its wide terms of reference for the prosecution - Mrs. Theje Gunawardena's 'The Trine' news sheet hit the headlines and in going to town recorded its highest circulation till such time Mr. Jayawardena was removed from his post as Governor when it died a natural death. The writer with the assistance of another colleague had the most unpleasant task of finding a safe conduct for Mr. Jayawardena from his Governor's desk at the bank then housed in Simes Building to his official residence in Colombo 7. While the entire media including Rienzie Wiejratne, the Lake House photographer were anxiously waiting for his exit we managed to smuggle him through the back of the Simes Building. On the commission's findings and his subsequent vacation of post of Governor the writer vividly recall calling on him at his official residence to take charge of his official paraphernalia such as his brief case, umbrella and copy of the Central Bank bible - the Manual etc. This was a heart breaking encounter. In the presence of Mrs. Margaret Jayawardena the writer announced the purpose of the visit and in passing added that he was so sorry to see him in this position after having attained one of the highest positions in the land, Mrs. Jayawardena then burst into tears and hugged the writer but Mr. Jayaawardena clad in his 'palaycut' sarong and bare bodied looked so calm and collected when he said "My dear chap you now say that to me but you wait and see I shall return soon and hit the headlines again!" While Mr. and Mrs. Jayawardena were temporarily residing at College Street, Kotahena with the Fernadopulles, the preparation of his appeal against the commissions' findings, commenced. The writer once again responded to his call. The only comforting thought during this cold and cloudy period was his apparent confidence in himself - isolated from the numerous friends he had - as one felt in his loneliness his conception of friendship was an elevated one which managed to forgive or overlook a grossly inadequate return. In appeal under the SLFP regime Mr. Jayawardena was exonerated from the findings of the commission and one must add at this juncture that he had the confidence and support of our then representative at the United Nations Mr. R.S.S. Gunawardena, who incidentally was bestman at the bethoral of Mr. S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike to Sirimavo Ratwatte. Mr. N.U. Jayawardena served on many many committees set up by the Government of that day. He had a wide vision for a better Sri Lanka as described in one of his scribbling titled 'An Agenda for a Just Society'. |
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