President Premadasa remembered

by B. Sirisena Cooray

Former President late Ranasinghe Premadasa began his housing program when he was only a municipal councillor; his first project was a slum clearance program and as a part of that he built the Saunders Place Flats for the former slum dwellers.

This project indicates the different notion he had of slum clearance. For other politicians slum clearance means the forcible eviction of the slum dwellers to areas outside the city, and those areas are then developed for commercial purposes.

President Premadasa understood that this was wrong from both a political and a human point of view. Most of these slum dwellers have been living in the area for a long time; they work there and their children go to nearby schools.

Uprooting them would disrupt their entire lives. So instead he adopted a policy of providing the slum dwellers with better facilities in the same area. This eventually became the official government policy.

Late President Premadasa understood the need for opening up the economy. He saw the evils of the closed economy and called it 'samajavadaya' ( ). But he also realised that that the open economy was only helping the rich people. He understood poverty well because he lived among the poor.

So he realised that there should be special programs to help the poor and to reduce the gap between the rich and the poor. This was what he was trying to achieve with his housing program. He wanted to ensure that the poor people had access to the basic necessities of life such as a house.

People and the nation

Over the years President Premadasa developed a vision for the whole country and for the upliftment of all people. He did not care about religious, racial, class and caste differences.

He felt that we had to help people and it is only by helping the people that we can build the nation. He felt that people are the nation and it is only by being pro-people that you can be a real nationalist.

President Premadasa always felt that his most dependable allies were the poor, down-trodden masses. He used to say all the time: my strength lies with the people". But he also believed that people of all classes are equally important. He placed the greatest value on human resources. His approach was an inclusive one.

The role President Premadasa wanted for the State was that of a guide and a facilitator. He felt that the State should not be involved in production; but the State must help people to stand on their own feet. That was the basis of his development programmes. Take his housing programme for example. The people were given land, loans on easy terms and other facilities. But they were expected to get actively involved in building the houses.

One of the main problems I see in all the government that came after President Premadasa is a lack of efficiency. This is because there is no discipline, no time management and no follow-up. It is not enough to give orders. You must constantly check whether your orders are being carried out. President Premadasa used to do that. That was the way he got things done.

Officials worked because they knew that President Premadasa always checked back. That was the way he worked even as the Prime Minister.

Our development programs were never tedious; they were like adventures. They were challenging but also interesting. We all worked over very hard but it was rewarding because our work was appreciated. President Premadasa gave you an opportunity to implement your ideas, to use your talents and capabilities.

He gave you an opportunity to do something for the country. Take the raising of the Maligawila Buddha statue; I was in charge of that project. But it was President Premadasa who gave me that opportunity and the back-up. That is what leadership is all about.

Many of the things President Premadasa wanted to accomplished he could not because of the turbulence in the country. It was not only the JVP and the LTTE but also the problems in our own camp. However despite all the problems his presidency was a good period for the country and the people. He also set a certain standard.

He felt that without development there could not be peace in the country. He believed in building a sense of mutual respect, a sense of solidarity between people belonging to different ethnic groups and religions. And with his life he exemplified these ideals. We do not have leaders like that anymore.

The writer is the Chairman of The Premadasa Centre