Some profound observations on DS by Soulbury

D. S. Senanayake

A gentleman who could be trusted implicitly I first met D.S.-as I shall always think and speak of him in Colombo at the end of December, 1944 after the arrival in Ceylon of the Commission of which I was the chairman. The dispatch of that Commission was at the time regarded by the political leaders of Ceylon as a breach of an undertaking given by the Government of the United Kingdom some eighteen months earlier, and the relations between that Government and the Ceylon ministers were somewhat strained.

Sent by an Old Timer

(I have extracted a few paragraphs from an article written by Lord Soulbury in the nineteen fifties so that the reader can use it as a benchmark to help when judging our contemporary leaders

Soulbury’s statement: " In short, it is the great man who makes history; D. S. Senanayake was a great man and if he had not lived, the history of Ceylon would have been very different", would make the reader ask the question "Is there such a man in our midst today?". I leave it to reader to ponder on this and to answer that question for him after very careful thought.)

"Some people consider that history is shaped by impalpable, immaterial forces to which they apply such terms as 'Time Spirit,' 'World Tendency,' 'Mass-Consciousness,' 'Evolution,' 'Progress' and other abstractions. There is an element of truth in that. No man who plays a notable part in the affairs of the world can be independent of the past or the present, for what he does or intends to do should fit on to what has been done. "Everyone, "said Lord Morley, "has all the centuries in him." But the germ that gives life and concrete expression to those abstractions comes from the individual. It is his genius that awakens the latent semiconscious impulses of a nation and formulates and guides them. History is the impact of the individual man of mark upon his contemporaries. In short, it is the great man who makes history; D. S. Senanayake was a great man and if he had not lived, the history of Ceylon would have been very different.

A gentleman who could be trusted implicitly I first met D.S.-as I shall always think and speak of him in Colombo at the end of December, 1944 after the arrival in Ceylon of the Commission of which I was the chairman. The dispatch of that Commission was at the time regarded by the political leaders of Ceylon as a breach of an undertaking given by the Government of the United Kingdom some eighteen months earlier, and the relations between that Government and the Ceylon ministers were somewhat strained. Consequently the coming of myself and my colleagues was by no means welcome. The ministers held aloof from us and there was more than a possibility that we might be boycotted and deprived of the opportunity to carry out our terms of reference.

That such a step was not taken was largely due to the strength and wisdom of D. S. and to the good judgment and tact of Sir Oliver Goonetilleke. But it was also due, as in most human affairs, to the impression that one man made upon another, and I can remember, as if it was yesterday, how much impressed I was by D. S. at my first meeting with him.

For I found to my great relief that I had to deal, not with an adroit and subtle politician or hair-splitting intellectual, whose every word would have to be weighed in case there was a catch in it, but with a man whom, if he had been born and bred in my country, I should have described as the best type of English country gentleman, able, shrewd, practical, good-humoured, kindly and modest. It was also clear to me that he was a man filled with that spirit of intense patriotism and love of his homeland which is characteristic of the members of long-settled and ancient families. From the very first I felt that I could trust him implicitly-so that as the saying goes-I could "put my shirt on him". I have no doubt that he soon trusted me, for had it been otherwise no progress could have been made in the negotiations upon which we were engaged. When mutual trust is absent eventual failure is inevitable……"

A profound knowledge of human nature and a first class political instinct

"He had an uncanny gift for the correct timing of his decisions and actions. His well-known dictum "Hemin, Hemin" was not prompted by irresolution or procrastination, but by a profound knowledge of human nature and a first-class political instinct. His memory was remarkable. He never made a note during our conversations, but I never had to repeat a request for information

or remind him of a promise, and only once did I see him really disturbed. A misunderstanding had arisen between us about something which he had agreed to do. I forget what it was, but I remember that he came to see me at once in order to convince me that he had not broken his undertaking; and it was obvious that the mere possibility that I might think him guilty of a breach of faith had filled him with consternation. I have never met a man more scrupulous in keeping his word or more careful of the truth. It is not to be wondered at that I relied implicitly not only upon his wisdom, but upon his integrity.

It was my duty in accordance with constitutional usage to accept and act upon his advice, but he was always ready to listen to advice from me, though of course he did not always take it nor did

I expect him to do so……."

Great men hallow a whole people"….Many years ago an English writer-Sidney Smith-declared the "Great men hallow a whole people and lift up all who live in their time." These words are absolutely true of D. S., for those who

lived in his time were lifted up by the example of courage, kindliness, moderation and modesty with which his people were hallowed".