Blessed with humility she made a selfless contribution to society

I count myself very fortunate and privileged to have the opportunity to pay a tribute to Deshamanya Siva Obeyesekere.

She was one of our dedicated politicians, who was tireless in helping people in all walks of life. She made a selfless contribution to public causes.

Her death left a void in the lives of the socially and economically disadvantaged people of our country. Her obvious sincerity in everything she did and said, was perhaps one of her outstanding qualities.

One of her core qualities was her humility. She was completely devoid of false pride and arrogance. As a politi- cian she proved a painstaking and conscientious woman, conscious of the dignity and high standard of honesty that was expected of a politician.

She dedicated a good part of her life to the promotion of Sri

Lankan handicrafts and to help our craftsmen and craftswomen with commitment and dedication to their cause. In 1961, she was appointed Chairman to the Small Industries Advisory Board which enabled her to organize village sewing centres and other crafts.

In 1964 she was solely responsible for establishing “Laksala” which was the first Government Cottage Industries Emporium. Subsequently, she was responsible for organizing branches of Laksala throughout the country. In 1965, she was elected a Member of Parliament to Mirigama. Re-elected in 1970 and subsequently appointed Minister of Health. As Minister of Health she made a selfless contribution to public causes such as the National Health Programme which was recognized by the United Nations as a model for the world.

Sad as we were when Siva died we count ourselves fortunate to have had Siva as one of our dedicated politicians who did much to alleviate the suffering of the under privileged.

She made herself always accessible to the disadvantaged members of our community and was a politician of exceptional ability and humility. I reiterate that Siva was a great and gracious woman. Loved by all her friends and held in great esteem by all those who counted her as a friend.

A school friend