Moulding influence of Rugby on a reputed public figure

A thorough disciplinarian in the field of sports, education as well as politics, Javid Yusuf has had a variety of experiences in life that have served him in good stead. A man who takes victory and defeat in the same stride, Javid is the quintessential all-rounder in life.

“I was born in Colombo and started schooling at Zahira College, Colombo. That was where my father was a teacher. Then in the first form I went to Royal and completed my A/L’s there. Thereafter I entered Law College. With regard to childhood, unlike nowadays those days were quite fun for children. The pace of life for children in the primary then was much easier. We did study obviously, but it was not as heavy as now,” said Yusuf.

In 1968, Yusuf was part of the Royal first 15 team that won the Bradby Shield. “In 1968, the Captain of the Royal College Rugby team was C.R. De Silva. I played in 1968, 1969 and 1970. In 1969 the captain was Harin Malwatte. In 1970, it was Jagath Fernando. In 1968, we won the Bradby quite comfortably. The other two years we did lose the Bradby but it was still a great experience. Rugby is a great game, and to play for a school like Royal is a great honour. We made friends not only with boys in our school but with boys in other schools like Trinity and S. Thomas’ College. In 1968, I played for the first 15 and in 1966 and 1967 I played for the Under 17 and in 1965 for the under 15 team.”

Builds character

Yusuf believes that he has learnt a lot of lessons on the Rugby field. “One, is how to take victory and defeat in the same stride and how to play as a team. Our coach instilled in us how to work as a team. We had a famous coach who passed away recently - Mahes Rodrigo. He instilled in us that Rugby is a game played by 14 men who helped the 15th man to score and you are never the 15th man. The idea being that the team is larger than the individual and the individual effort is designed and subordinate to the overall goal of the team. The other lesson we learnt was that the referee’s word is law. We never questioned him, even if we felt that the referee gave a wrong decision. We also learnt how to get on with different types of guys and different personalities. It is very educative and not just a sport. It builds character. It helps to bring out the best in each one of us. The individual is not individualistic, he is always team-driven,” explained Yusuf.

Yusuf’s experiences are not merely limited to the field but to the class as well. A former Principal of Zahira College, Yusuf recalls it as a very satisfying period as well as a pleasant one. “Of course it was not financially rewarding, because I practised as a lawyer and I gave up my practice and came to Zahira. Yet it was very satisfying because when you work with young people and you see them responding positively to what you are trying to do, that gives you a lot of satisfaction. By Gods grace they were very talented students.”

Arab World

A sportsman and educationist, Yusuf has also been involved in diplomacy being the Ambassador to Saudi Arabia from1995-1998. He recalls it as a different experience because he went to Saudi Arabia straight after Zahira College. “It was a new field - diplomacy. But it was a unique experience. Saudi Arabia is a very important country for the Muslims, with Mecca and Medina situated there. So it was the leader of the Arab World”. Stating that the relations between Sri Lanka and Saudi Arabia have always been good, Yusuf said that there was no difference in his time.

Yusuf recollected that two significant things happened while he was Ambassador. Firstly, a Sri Lankan Consulate was opened in Jeddah which was able to service those who go for pilgrimages in particular. Second, during his period as Ambassador, Saudi Arabia opened its Embassy in Sri Lanka. “And after I ceased to be Ambassador, the then Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadiragamar during his second term as Minister of Foreign Affairs requested me to do some work in relation to the Arab Muslim countries; to build stronger relationships politically, economically and so on. Consequently I was appointed as Senior Adviser for Arab and Islamic Affairs. Our work was interrupted by Lakshman Kadirgamar’s death. Saudi Arabia has a lot of potential for our exports. The largest concentration of migrant workers from Sri Lanka was in Saudi Arabia at that time.”

Yusuf also served as a member of Sri Lanka’s first National Human Rights Commission. “Sri Lanka’s first Human Rights Commission was established in 1997, and with the setting up and building up of the administrative structure for the Commission we did quite a lot of things. To be honest, we were not able to achieve everything we would have liked to achieve.

We were also fortunate as there was the Human Rights Task Force, which was in existence prior to the Human Rights Commission. The Human Rights Task Force had been doing a lot of good work. But their mandate was a lot more narrower than that of the Human Rights Commission. So when the Human Rights Commission was set up the Human Rights Task Force ceased to exist and we took over their work.”

Peace process

Becoming the founding Secretary General of the Peace Secretariat for Muslims, Yusuf realled that the experience was disappointing. “The Muslim Peace Secretariat was set up during the 2002 peace process. The whole objective was to create a unified response for the Muslims in the peace process and to formulate a common position for the Muslims. The idea was that it would be an inclusive process that encompassed all shades of Muslim political opinion. The intention was that Muslims in the Muslim parties as well as Muslims in the national parties would all get together and try to formulate a common position which would be advantageous to the Muslims as well as the country at large. So they also would be able to shape the final outcome of the peace process. Unfortunately we failed to achieve this objective mainly due to the attitude of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress who obstructed attempts to bring in other shades of Muslim political opinion and finally in frustration I resigned as the Secretary General.”

Yusuf’s illustrious career does not end here. He also served in the Presidential Commission of Inquiry to Investigate Serious Violations of Human rights. “That commission was very important. A lot of the investigations or inquiries related to high profile violations of human rights such as 17 Aid Workers killed in Muttur, killing of five students in Trincomalee, the massacre of Muslims in Pottuvil, the killing of Lakshman Kadiragamar, Raviraj and Joseph Pararajasingham. During the time I was a member of the Commission, we made quite a lot of progress in some of the inquiries, in others we couldn’t take up because of the lack of time.”

As a Muslim, Yusuf feels that Muslims have always worked in the mainstream of national politics. They have always been members of the SLFP or the UNP, and always sought to resolve their problems and pursue their political course through national parties. “It was only in 1986-1987 that a separate Muslim party was formed. The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) originally said that that it was going to be a party for the Eastern Province.

Its main strength is in the Eastern Province. But even there, its strength is going down. The founder of SLMC, Ashraff, before his death in his helicopter crash, had already formed The National Unity Alliance, which was meant to have a national flavour with representation of all communities. His last statement before he got into the helicopter was; ‘I have finished with the SLMC. I have put it into a cupboard and locked it up.’

Muslims have always got on well with the Sinhalese and the Tamils. They have done their politics on the basis of whichever policy they prefer - UNP policy or SLFP policy. “So I think we need to go back to that. Muslims must go back to mainstream politics.”