Building a generation of independent Liberal minds

Today is the 137th Birth Anniversary of D.R. Wijewardene

23 February 2023 03:57 am 4 Bookmark

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He had an intuitive capacity to understand the hearts and minds of the people. Apart from anything else, he would not have been able to build up that vast business empire if he was without such intuitive capacity

Following is the English text (Abbreviated) of a speech delivered by Dr. Gunadasa Amarasekera at the D.R. Wijewardene Memorial Award for the best unpublished Sinhala work of fiction for 1985, on March 18, 1986.

I have had two ways of getting to know about life and thinking of D.R. Wijewardene. One was by reading the writings of people like H.A.J. Hulugalle and Martin Wickramasinghe who have been closely associated with him.

The other was by being an avid reader of the Sinhala and English newspapers brought out under the stewardship of D.R. Wijewardene during my formative years. Martin Wickramasinghe in his autobiography Upan Da Sita has made very revealing comments about D.R. Wijewardene’s thoughts and attitudes. I know first-hand the amount of admiration Martin Wickramasinghe had for D.R. Wijewardene. He often used to say - Mr D.R. Wijewardene is the only national figure that deserved a statue.

Mr D.R. Wijewardene is the only national figure that deserved a statue

From what I have heard about him, and from the impressions gathered over the years, I have been able to get an idea of the personality of D.R. Wijewardene. I see him as an intellectual with a vision who had imbibed the great values of Liberalism.

I think all our national leaders of the time were Liberals who had the opportunity to drink deep at the fountains of the English Liberalism of the 19th century. Out of them D.R. Wijewardene certainly was the Liberal par excellence. One might say that this is due to his having been in England at the turn of the century, or being in close association with such liberal leaders like Gokhale.

But I think the roots go deeper. It was more probably the intuition he had about our culture and Buddhist ethos that drew him to the fountains of Liberalism. He had an intuitive capacity to understand the hearts and minds of the people. Apart from anything else, he would not have been able to build up that vast business empire if he was without such intuitive capacity.

The national newspapers that were produced under his guidance - tutelage - mirrored this - his independent Liberal mind in full measure.

The bilingual intelligentsia that came up during the middle of the last century in this country is entirely due to the influence of these papers. They formed a forum for serious intellectual discussion and dialogue. Despite his own political leanings, he saw to it that they were open to differing views.

It was this attitude which made the Sinhala readers look upon Silumina as a veritable university. It was then called the Sathadahaye Vishvavidyalaya- university at 10 cents.

It was this same intellectual Liberal attitude fostered by these papers that made it possible for a whole generation of creative writers to make their debut through them.

Martin Wickramasinghe himself, G.B. Senanayake and T.G.W. de Silva all these writers grew up through these papers. I also had my first literary efforts published through these papers. Therefore, I feel that this itself should be reason enough for commemorating him in this manner - with an award for creative writing to be given in his name.
What D.R. Wijewardene probably attempted to do through these papers was to produce a generation of independent Liberal minds, who could take over the responsibility for the future of this country. I do not think the intellectuals of this country have realised fully the significance and the value of this task attempted by D.R. Wijewardene. (As far as I know, the only person who realised this was Martin Wickramasinghe).

This failure on our part to arrive at a true assessment of Wijewardene’s role may not be due to political prejudice alone. I see two probable reasons for this situation.

Firstly, it is due to the scant respect attached to Liberalism as a political creed in the modern world, especially in the Third World. Secondly, that very fact has made us shut our eyes to the great legacy left to humanity by Liberalism. I too agree that Liberalism as a political creed has little or no relevance to the present day - or to us in the Third World.

Just because Liberalism has become irrelevant as a political creed I do not think we can afford to ignore the great legacy contained in Liberalism.

In this context, I mean by Liberalism the great humanistic values, in a broad sense, that the Western world has acquired, and given to the world over the years. It encompasses within itself the ideals of Greece and Rome and Jerusalem and such differing forces as the humanism of the Renaissance and the Rationalism of the 18th-century Enlightenment.

Liberalism asserts a Secular Humanism, which assesses the individual personality to be priceless, asserts that the laws dealing with the individual be rational and understandable to the individual.

Man is the maker of all things, and institutions and policies are to be judged in terms of their effect upon men. All power is subject to the rights of each individual, and the rational and understandable laws that deal with him. Man alone remains the measure of all things.

Looked at in this light Liberalism which had its heyday in the 19th century could be looked upon as the greatest achievement of Western man in terms of Humanistic values.

We must realise that the political ideologies that grew up in the Western World during the last century had these Humanistic values enshrined in Liberalism as their foundation. Marxism is such an ideology. What Marx refuted were not these Humanistic values, but the methods that were employed to realise these values. For him, it was impossible to think of a Capitalist order that could be in keeping with these Humanistic Liberal values.

The age of Liberalism, namely the 16th, 17th and 18th was I think a period during which Western Man reached great heights materially as well as intellectually.

In the realm of the humanities the Novel which today is the most potent - the greatest - literary form owes its birth to Liberalism.

One may point out varied socio-economic forces that would have been responsible for the emergence of this literary form during this period. But I think it was the intellectual climate generated by Liberalism that was greatly responsible for its emergence - for after all isn’t the novel a form of a restatement of the assumptions and the values of Liberalism?

To the novelist too, man is the measure of all things. He is a rational animal, whose actions are accountable, and who has a character that can be delineated. What the novelist upholds are also those very same humanistic values upheld by the liberal. The novel I believe is the most powerful agent that modern man has invented in his appeal to humanistic values.

This can be seen by tracing the history of the novel from its beginnings. It is this appeal that one sees in the novels of Dickens, Balzac or Tolstoy. They all appeal to great humanistic values, they embody the struggle that has to be undergone for the realisation of these.

We know quite well how the Russian novel of the Czarist times performed this function. Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Chekhov - for them the novel was an organ through which they appealed for justice and elementary Humanism to be meted out to the oppressed man.

We see this same phenomenon even today. Pasternak and Solzhenitsyn are the voices of this great tradition of our times. Solzhenitsyn has said that a great writer is like a State within a State, it is because the novelist is engaged in an unceasing struggle to realise that these values are trampled down by the machinery of the state that he becomes a state within a state.

This is why I feel that this is the best tribute we could pay him, the most befitting way to commemorate D.R. Wijewardene for the Great Liberal that he was.

This would be a reaffirmation of his thinking, a fulfilment of his aspirations, an appreciation of what he stood for - as a great Liberal who sought neither fame nor honour but was intent on paving the way for the advent of a nation consisting of individuals with a mind endowed with a capacity to think.

<big>I think all our national leaders of the time were Liberals who had the opportunity to drink deep at the fountains of the English Liberalism of the 19th century. Out of them D.R. Wijewardene certainly was the Liberal par excellence</big> <big>He had an intuitive capacity to understand the hearts and minds of the people. Apart from anything else, he would not have been able to build up that vast business empire if he was without such intuitive capacity</big> <hr />  <center><a href="https://www.hi.lk/himag" target="_blank"><img src="https://bmkltsly13vb.compat.objectstorage.ap-singapore-1.oraclecloud.com/cdn.sg.dailymirror.lk/assets/uploads/advr_7fec3b236e.jpg" /></a></center> <big>Following is the English text (Abbreviated) of a speech delivered by Dr. Gunadasa Amarasekera at the D.R. Wijewardene Memorial Award for the best unpublished Sinhala work of fiction for 1985, on March 18, 1986.</big>   I have had two ways of getting to know about life and thinking of D.R. Wijewardene. One was by reading the writings of people like H.A.J. Hulugalle and Martin Wickramasinghe who have been closely associated with him.    The other was by being an avid reader of the Sinhala and English newspapers brought out under the stewardship of D.R. Wijewardene during my formative years. Martin Wickramasinghe in his autobiography Upan Da Sita has made very revealing comments about D.R. Wijewardene’s thoughts and attitudes. I know first-hand the amount of admiration Martin Wickramasinghe had for D.R. Wijewardene. He often used to say - Mr D.R. Wijewardene is the only national figure that deserved a statue.    <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="10" style="width:320px;"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <img src="https://bmkltsly13vb.compat.objectstorage.ap-singapore-1.oraclecloud.com/cdn.sg.dailymirror.lk/assets/uploads/image_66b9d7d9eb.jpg" /> Mr D.R. Wijewardene is the only national figure that deserved a statue </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> From what I have heard about him, and from the impressions gathered over the years, I have been able to get an idea of the personality of D.R. Wijewardene. I see him as an intellectual with a vision who had imbibed the great values of Liberalism.  I think all our national leaders of the time were Liberals who had the opportunity to drink deep at the fountains of the English Liberalism of the 19th century. Out of them D.R. Wijewardene certainly was the Liberal par excellence. One might say that this is due to his having been in England at the turn of the century, or being in close association with such liberal leaders like Gokhale.  But I think the roots go deeper. It was more probably the intuition he had about our culture and Buddhist ethos that drew him to the fountains of Liberalism. He had an intuitive capacity to understand the hearts and minds of the people. Apart from anything else, he would not have been able to build up that vast business empire if he was without such intuitive capacity.  The national newspapers that were produced under his guidance - tutelage - mirrored this - his independent Liberal mind in full measure.  The bilingual intelligentsia that came up during the middle of the last century in this country is entirely due to the influence of these papers. They formed a forum for serious intellectual discussion and dialogue. Despite his own political leanings, he saw to it that they were open to differing views.  It was this attitude which made the Sinhala readers look upon Silumina as a veritable university. It was then called the Sathadahaye Vishvavidyalaya- university at 10 cents.  It was this same intellectual Liberal attitude fostered by these papers that made it possible for a whole generation of creative writers to make their debut through them.  Martin Wickramasinghe himself, G.B. Senanayake and T.G.W. de Silva all these writers grew up through these papers. I also had my first literary efforts published through these papers. Therefore, I feel that this itself should be reason enough for commemorating him in this manner - with an award for creative writing to be given in his name.  What D.R. Wijewardene probably attempted to do through these papers was to produce a generation of independent Liberal minds, who could take over the responsibility for the future of this country. I do not think the intellectuals of this country have realised fully the significance and the value of this task attempted by D.R. Wijewardene. (As far as I know, the only person who realised this was Martin Wickramasinghe).  This failure on our part to arrive at a true assessment of Wijewardene’s role may not be due to political prejudice alone. I see two probable reasons for this situation.  Firstly, it is due to the scant respect attached to Liberalism as a political creed in the modern world, especially in the Third World. Secondly, that very fact has made us shut our eyes to the great legacy left to humanity by Liberalism. I too agree that Liberalism as a political creed has little or no relevance to the present day - or to us in the Third World.  Just because Liberalism has become irrelevant as a political creed I do not think we can afford to ignore the great legacy contained in Liberalism.  In this context, I mean by Liberalism the great humanistic values, in a broad sense, that the Western world has acquired, and given to the world over the years. It encompasses within itself the ideals of Greece and Rome and Jerusalem and such differing forces as the humanism of the Renaissance and the Rationalism of the 18th-century Enlightenment.  Liberalism asserts a Secular Humanism, which assesses the individual personality to be priceless, asserts that the laws dealing with the individual be rational and understandable to the individual.  Man is the maker of all things, and institutions and policies are to be judged in terms of their effect upon men. All power is subject to the rights of each individual, and the rational and understandable laws that deal with him. Man alone remains the measure of all things.  Looked at in this light Liberalism which had its heyday in the 19th century could be looked upon as the greatest achievement of Western man in terms of Humanistic values.  We must realise that the political ideologies that grew up in the Western World during the last century had these Humanistic values enshrined in Liberalism as their foundation. Marxism is such an ideology. What Marx refuted were not these Humanistic values, but the methods that were employed to realise these values. For him, it was impossible to think of a Capitalist order that could be in keeping with these Humanistic Liberal values.  The age of Liberalism, namely the 16th, 17th and 18th was I think a period during which Western Man reached great heights materially as well as intellectually.  In the realm of the humanities the Novel which today is the most potent - the greatest - literary form owes its birth to Liberalism.  One may point out varied socio-economic forces that would have been responsible for the emergence of this literary form during this period. But I think it was the intellectual climate generated by Liberalism that was greatly responsible for its emergence - for after all isn’t the novel a form of a restatement of the assumptions and the values of Liberalism?  To the novelist too, man is the measure of all things. He is a rational animal, whose actions are accountable, and who has a character that can be delineated. What the novelist upholds are also those very same humanistic values upheld by the liberal. The novel I believe is the most powerful agent that modern man has invented in his appeal to humanistic values.  This can be seen by tracing the history of the novel from its beginnings. It is this appeal that one sees in the novels of Dickens, Balzac or Tolstoy. They all appeal to great humanistic values, they embody the struggle that has to be undergone for the realisation of these.  We know quite well how the Russian novel of the Czarist times performed this function. Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Chekhov - for them the novel was an organ through which they appealed for justice and elementary Humanism to be meted out to the oppressed man.  We see this same phenomenon even today. Pasternak and Solzhenitsyn are the voices of this great tradition of our times. Solzhenitsyn has said that a great writer is like a State within a State, it is because the novelist is engaged in an unceasing struggle to realise that these values are trampled down by the machinery of the state that he becomes a state within a state.  This is why I feel that this is the best tribute we could pay him, the most befitting way to commemorate D.R. Wijewardene for the Great Liberal that he was.  This would be a reaffirmation of his thinking, a fulfilment of his aspirations, an appreciation of what he stood for - as a great Liberal who sought neither fame nor honour but was intent on paving the way for the advent of a nation consisting of individuals with a mind endowed with a capacity to think.

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Comments - 4

Nuwan Thursday, 23 February 2023 04:49 PM

“English Liberalism Of The 19th Century” ? In the 19th century Britain was keeping millions of brown and black people as second class citizens in their own countries and ruling over them after destroying their kingdoms and killing so many in their own land in order to benefit the English people living in a small island in Europe. Today we call Putin as a bloodthirsty villain for trying to invade just one country , in the 19th century over twenty countries were brutally invaded and occupied by the British.

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vithura Thursday, 23 February 2023 07:35 PM

True, but that doesn't mean two wrongs make a right.

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Wijeysundara Thursday, 23 February 2023 09:11 PM

@Nuwan, Well said. Sri Lanka needs people of your intelligence and calibre. You must have studied in the West to know the truth about Britain.

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Yohan Friday, 24 February 2023 11:24 AM

Yes, very true but intelligent people won't come to Sri Lanka

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