FOR RANIL WICKREMESINGHE ON HIS BIRTHDAY | Daily News

FOR RANIL WICKREMESINGHE ON HIS BIRTHDAY

As perhaps the last gentleman politician among us celebrates his birthday, I would like to quote this poem ‘IF’ by Rudyard Kipling, as a tribute to him. It is my favourite poem which to me epitomizes Ranil and his political walk, through every step of the steep and rugged pathways of that journey.

‘If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowances for their doubting too.
If you can wait and not be tired of waiting
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated don’t give way to hating,
And don’t look too good nor talk too wise;
If you can dream and not make dreams your master;
If you can think and not make thoughts your aim.

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Trusted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stop to build them up with well-worn tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch and toss,
And lose and start again at the beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss.

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone.

And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the will which says to them, ‘hold on’
If you can talk with friends and keep your virtue
Or walk with kings –nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds worth of distance run
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And---which is more, you’ll be a Man, my son.'

These words to me suit Ranil, who is the genuine article. Those who attack him and urge his removal will I’m sure realise their mistake and rue the day they did so, in the not too distant future. I was glad to meet two young men from different parts of rural Sri Lanka recently. One of them who was from Matugama came to repair my computer. The other was from the Air Force and came to train my Golden retriever pup.

They both shared my opinion of Ranil and remarked that he was a National Treasure and not appreciated as he should be, they both remarked that their friends in their areas also shared their views and were very angry with those both in and outside the party who were attacking him, asking for his removal.

They both said they would leave the country in search of employment abroad if Ranil was ousted as UNP leader and as Prime Minister as the last hope for the country was him to them and no other.


Add new comment