A Tribute:
Senator Murugeysu Tiruchelvam QC
The 30th death anniversary of the late Minister M. Tiruchelvam, QC
took place recently.
Mr. Murugeysu Tiruchelvam QC and former Minister of Local Government
and Solicitor-General belonged to a band of men with a vision and a
mission. His political sagacity, robust patriotism, practical wisdom and
great administrative skill made him one of Sri Lanka's great statesmen.
In the political field he was a Cabinet Minister, a Member of the Senate
and a leading figure among the people of this country.
Mr. Tiruchelvam, who was born in 1907, grew up in Malaya, where his
father Mr. V. Murugeysu was an officer in the British colonial
administration. Soon after the first world war ended in 1918, Mr.
Murugeysu sent his two elder sons Tiruchelvam and Rajendra to St. Thomas
College, Mount Lavinia.
This move was recommended to Mr. Murugeysu by the son of one of his
friends - Mr. S. J. V. Chelvanayagam, an old Thomian who was then
pursuing a legal career in Colombo. It was felt that St. Thomas was
superior in academic standing to any institution at the time in Malaya.
St. Thomas College had an exalted reputation at that time, having been
dubbed the Eton of the East.
Mr. Tiruchelvam entered politics in the early 1960s after a long and
distinguished career as a government legal officer. Having reached the
high office of Solicitor-General, he set his sights on contributing to
the greater good of the country as a politician.
Mr. Tiruchelvam was the chief advisor and principal political
strategist of the founders of the Federal Party. Mr. S. J. V.
Chelvanayagam, QC. Mr. Chelvanayagam, who was nearly a decade senior to
Mr. Tiruchelvam, had played a leading role in shaping Mr. Tiruchelvam's
educationl career and legal career. He was the guide and mentor to Mr.
Tiruchelvam's foray into politics.
His early years were shaped by struggle and civil disobedience. In
1961, a mass satyagraha was staged by the Federal Party to protest
against the Sinhala Only Act. Mrs. Bandaranaike's government jailed Mr.
Tiruchelvam and more than 30 other leaders of the Federal party in
Panagoda for over six months.
Today, the mass incarceration of so many political prisoners would be
met by international outrage. But the world was different in 1961 and
this cruel act of oppression went largely unnoticed. In 1965, the UNP
and Federal Party entered into a coalition pact, after the Senanayake
Chelvanayagam pact. The famous press magnate Esmond Wickremesinghe was
the mediator between the two parties.
Mr. Tiruchelvam entered the Senate and was named in Dudley
Senanayake's Cabinet as the Federal Party nominee. During his tenure as
the Minister of Local Government, Mr. Tiruchelvam played a leading role
in administrative reforms.
He was also instrumental in the passage of the Tamil Language Special
Provisions Act and the creation of the Jaffna University.
In September 1968, due to the inability of the UNP government to
implement the Senanayake-Chelvanayagam pact and a dispute with the Prime
Minister, Mr. Tiruchelvam resigned. Incidentally, Mr. Tiruchelvam's
deputy Mr. Ranasinghe Premadasa (who later became President) succeeded
him as Minister of Local Government. Mr. Tiruchelvam had great
confidence in the potential of the youthful Mr. Premadasa. Mr.
Tiruchelvam continued in the Senate till its abrogation in 1971.
His last years were spent in the context of the worsening ethnic
relations in the country, particularly in light of the 1972
constitution. Despite the worsening situation, Mr. Tiruchelvam was
resolutely in favour of a united and plural Sri Lanka. He was opposed to
the 1976 Vadukkodai resolution that demanded a separate state of Tamil
Ealam and advised Mr. Chelvanayagam against it.
He died suddenly on 23rd November 1976 at the age of 69. His passing
away was a loss to the whole country, because he was a strong voice for
peace and moderation.
by Saleem Altaf |