Remembering a Minister, poet and inspiring Muslim leader

Leaders are born everywhere and the services they render are for the good of the community. It seems like only yesterday that the late leader M. H. M. Ashraff, whose 12th year remembrance falls today, left Aman Ashraff, his only son, and his wife, Ferial Ashraff.

Ashraff was kind and sensitive, always with a smile and a kind word for his staff and people. At the same time, he was a leader who wanted things done correctly; he was a stickler for accuracy and correct procedure.

Ashraff was a deeply religious man, and would commence nothing without remembering the Almighty and seeking His guidance and blessings.

The late M.H.M. Ashraff, one-time Cabinet Minister, Member of Parliament and Sri Lanka Muslim Congress and National Unity Alliance founder and leader, died on September 16, 2000 under tragic circumstances. He was on his way to his native Amparai district in a Sri Lanka Air Force helicopter, which crashed in a blaze of flames in Aranayake.

Ashraff, the man with the golden heart, was the only son of Mohamed Hussain, a highly respected village headman and Matheena Ummah, whom he loved dearly. Being a son of the Eastern soil, Ashraff was in some respect an heir to a political legacy, having been a member of the influential Kariapper family of Kalmunai. He had his primary education at Wesley College, Kalmunai, and left his home region to pursue further studies in the metropolis.

In 1970, Ashraff entered the Law College, where he excelled in constitutional law. He wrote the first book on constitutional law in Tamil, with particular reference to the 1972 Republican Constitution of Sri Lanka.

At the Ceylon Law College, nursery to many a political leader, he was president of the Law Students Muslim Majlis and of the Tamil Mantram. He was an influential member of the student community, narrowly missing the coveted position of President of the Law Students’ Union.

In 1974, he joined the AttorneyGeneral’s Department as a state counsel, and went on to become an eminent lawyer. He practised in Kalmunai.

He completed his master’s degree in law before becoming a senior minister. He was honoured with the title President’s Counsel.

The declaration of the SLMC on November 19, 1986 as a national political party was a milestone in Ashraff ’s political career, as well as the history of Sri Lanka Muslim community. The symbol of his party was the tree. The tree was planted and nurtured in the Eastern and Northern and other parts of Muslim areas in Sri Lanka.

In 1989, Ashraf f entered Parliament as an MP. In the 1994 general election he was returned to Parliament with seven MPs from the North East. Two SLMC MPs from the East were appointed Deputy Ministers and one MP, the party general secretary and present SLMC leader Rauff Hakeem, as Deputy Chairman of Committees. The SLMC played a constructive role in installing the Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga government in a hung Parliament. Ashraff became Minister o f Por t s, Shipping, Re h ab i l i t at i o n and Reconstruction.

Ashraff fulfilled his responsibilities as a minister with dedication and efficiency. He had a broad, liberal and enlightened perspective. He had a very clear understanding of his role as a minister. He spelt out the policy and strategy of his Ministry and left it to the Ministry officials to translate these into action to produce the desired results.

He was an excellent writer in both Tamil and English. His anthology of poems was hailed by the former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, who himself is a respected Tamil scholar. M. Karunanidhi was enthralled by the poems, saying “this title by itself is a matter for contemplation, enlightenment and ultimate enjoyment.”

Ashraff wished above all that his literary output would outlive him. “Leaders never die Haven’t I told you this? Pardon me if I haven’t “We have walked Along the path of God, Now you too have to go On the same route In this struggle Whether we are burnt or cut to death The joy is the same. “None of our fighters will ever die March forward, oh! Fighters – There is no time to rest and watch Waste no time In washing this corpse Neither water nor rose water is needed. “Has your Leader’s body been coated with the sandalwood of blood should the smell of the same fragrance

smell in the womb of his tomb as well “Then take this body away Pray and bury without Any further delay. “By washing this body At the last moment Defy not the directives of your Leadership. “Weep not and waste not your time Lift this body up And pray and bury soon.” “I and You” – Tamil poetry by M. H. M. Ashraff

He succeeded in installing his longstanding dream of a roof to shelter the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress. He named it Dharussalam – the house of peace, and dedicated it to Sri Lanka. He worked hard for peace.

May Allah grant his soul Jennath Firdouse.

Ashraff A. Samad