Anil Moonesinghe I knew during late sixties.

Anil Moonesinghe I knew during late sixties.

A loud commotion woke me up from my thoughts about my upcoming marriage. My charge hand came running into my office shouting “ Sir, trench caved in and 2 are buried”. I jumped out of my seat and ran towards the site. Co-workers were relentlessly digging by hand and the 2 bodies recovered fortunately unharmed. Our Resident engineer arrived at the scene and the labour union leader slapped him on his face. We as officers struck work and the labour leader immediately was interdicted. I became the chief witness to the incident.

The next day Anil Munasinghe who was the workers union leader came to see me. That was the first day I met this great character. We had a long chat where he convinced me to bend my evidence slightly so that he could save the accused from being dismissed.

At the next elections, Mrs B won and he was appointed the Chairman at CTB. By this time we knew each other quite well. He requested me to join CTB and I did but, never went to him for any favours.

Posted to Werahera I had the opportunity to experience this great character steering CTB to a very profitable and efficient organisation free of corruption at higher levels although cheating at lower levels were rampant. If caught he showed no mercy. Worked to rule he was a strict disciplinarian with a high degree of tact and wit.

From Werahera I was transferred to kurunegala with a promotion. I was given an area spanning from Kurunegala to Trincomalee with my office at  Provincial Workshop at Kurunegala under construction. During this period Mrs B announced the “Waga Sangramaya” and on the request of my workforce, I organised a shramadana to plant cassava on the bare land behind the workshop.

When the time for harvesting was ripe my workers proposed to make the occasion somewhat a get together by cooking the uprooted cassava and consuming for lunch with coconut sambol. Since at site coconuts were in plenty I allowed them to pluck from the trees.

When we started to pluck the nuts the security section from the area office came and made a big issue out of it. Driven by the young blood at that time as the Engineer in charge of the site I rudely chased them out. We all enjoyed a sumptuous cassava lunch with coconut sambol.

Drama we thought ended there until a week later I visited head office on an official matter when I met the secretary to the chairman. He informed me that my interdiction papers are on chairman’s desk and to come and speak to him.

The next moment I entered the Chairman’s office. He raised his head with the ever prominent nose and curly well-groomed hair and asked me how things are with me as if he is totally unaware of the papers. I expected an inquiry but he was unaware of it until the secretary showed him the signed papers of interdiction. He looked up and asked me “ you are not Semage?” to which I replied “ yes sir, I am Kamal Chandrasiri Semage”

“ Oh ! I did not know that. I know that you are not a person to steal coconuts. I know you very well”.

He tore the set of papers and threw them into the waste paper bin showing his capacity to make quick decisions. He was a great administrator with honesty who refused to take bribes. When he was offered a large amount of money for ordering new buses he requested the company to give a fleet of cars for the use of official work.

Politicians of his calibre are a blessing to our motherland.