By M.R.M. Fouzi
The reasons to commemorate the brilliant traits of a leader can be many, and lessons to be learnt from such leadership and foresight are often invaluable. The lessons learnt become the lasting legacy, which blossoms to be emulated in the future.
This, in a nutshell, tells about the vision of late Deshamanya Alhaj Mohamed Abdul Bakeer Markar, about which we now think in terms of a “vision for an inclusive Sri Lanka”.
His peacebuilding initiative was purely based on genuine consensus building. He lived as a Sri Lankan most times, but remained an ardent Muslim.
In 1939, he joined Ceylon Law College to pursue his legal career. He would attend lectures in the morning and in the afternoon, he gave tuition to make ends meet.
World War II disrupted his studies, as schools, as well as institutions, were closed down for over two years. He had to enlist and serve in the ARP (Air Force Security Service), after receiving training in Hyderabad, India.
It was in 1949 that he was able to resume his studies at Ceylon Law College. He passed out as a lawyer and commenced his legal practice at the Kalutara Bar in 1950.
His initial steps into politics were in 1946, when he was the Sub-warden at Zahira College, Colombo. Then, Dr. T.B. Jayah contested then Labour Leader A.E. Goonesinghe at the general elections of 1946, to the State Council.
Bakeer Markar was entrusted the task of carrying out Dr. Jayah’s election campaign, which he carried out successfully. Dr. Jayah was elected member of the State Council.
The Leadership of Dr. Jayah was laudable. In the State Council, Leader of the House S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike, paying tribute to T.B. Jayah’s contribution on the Soulbury Report, said: “Credit for the attainment of independence should undoubtedly go to T.B. Jayah for his historic speech in passing the Dominion Bill.”
One identity under one nation
With this kind of inspiration, experience, and the taste of political nectar, Bakeer Markar pursued in the footsteps of his political guru Dr. T.B. Jayah, to be elected member of the Maradana Ward of the Beruwala Urban Council, uncontested, in his very first attempt in 1949. This opened the avenue for him to tread successfully in the wider political arena.
At the Beruwala Urban Council, he was instrumental in moving the resolution to recognise the Sinhala language as the official language, which was voted for by the majority of the members.
This was the first-ever local government council to adopt such a resolution. Even at the All-Ceylon Muslim Organisation Conference, he earnestly propagated the Sinhala language to be recognised as the official language.
In fact, for his stance, he was nick-named and affectionately called Sinhala Bakeer.
He was for the use of the Sinhala language by the Muslims from the time of his youth. As a nation, Muslims must unite with the Sinhalese.
In his own words: “Though I belonged to the minority community, I was able to enter the national and international arena only because I was able to go forward with the majority community.”
He was passionate in his noble thoughts. He believed in unity for the sake of peace, co-existence, and, above all, for the development of the nation, with unity in diversity.
We are reminded of former Prime Minister Dudley Senanayake’s precious words: “Ceylon belonged not only to the Buddhists but to anybody who claimed to be Ceylonese.”
His preserving efforts to serve the voters of Beruwala more effectively paid manifold dividends with his active participation and contribution made at the Delimitation Commission of Thalgodapitiya and Tittawala.
As a result, the new electorate of Beruwala was carved out, composed of a mixed population of Buddhists, Christians, and Muslims.
His was an illustrious parliamentary career, from 1960 to 1988, which was of enviable lustre.
He commenced his parliamentary career in March 1960, being elected Member of Parliament for the newly carved out Beruwala electorate.
Bakeer Markar always thought of himself as a Ceylonese. In his address to Parliament on the Appropriation Bill on 24 August 1965 congratulating then Finance Minister U.B. Wanninayake, he said: “I should like to do it in a more unorthodox way because I think the man to be congratulated is the Prime Minister, for he chose as Minister of Finance, a person who is Ceylonese in every sense of the word.”
Again, speaking on the special allowance to plantation workers on 6 October 1965, he spoke on behalf of the estate workers, referring to them: “If we care Ceylonese, they are Ceylonese; if the Sinhalese are Ceylonese, they are Ceylonese; if the Muslims are Ceylonese, in the same way, the estate Tamils are Ceylonese.” He believed and espoused the true spirit of equality for everyone.
These go to show his vision: One identity under one nation. Has his vision positively impacted the citizenry? How far are we looking at his progressive outlook today?
Bakeer Markar made contributions even to the smooth and effective functioning of democracy at the grassroots level.
Elevation to the position of Speaker
During the parliamentary debate on 13 June 1968, on the establishment of district councils, he submitted a memorandum to the Minister of Home Affairs and Rural Development, in which recommendations were made for changes to be introduced to the provincial administration.
He wanted the provincial administration to be reformed and reconstituted at district level, to give it the much-needed new look.
He felt that district machinery should be under the supervision of the Member of Parliament nominated by the Prime Minister. This was to form the basis of the district co-ordinating committee. His victory at the general elections of 1977 was the dazzling landmark of his political career.
At this general election, he returned with a remarkable majority of 27,000 votes, with a total poll of 49,000 votes. His nearest rival R.G. Samaranayake was placed far below. This electoral victory of 1977 was a historic gift to the respectful minority.
It was on 4 August 1977 that he was elected Deputy Speaker. This was a short stint. He was thereafter elected to the high Office of Speaker on 21 September 1978, being the unanimous choice of the Government and the Opposition.
His name was proposed by then Minister of State Anandatissa De Alwis and seconded by then Member of Parliament for Nallur M. Sivasithamparam.
This exalted position was held in his esteem by Speaker M.A. Bakeer Markar from the time he was elected Speaker up to the time of his resignation on 31 August 1983. He was the last Speaker of the old Parliament at Galle Face and the first Speaker of the new Parliament in Sri Jayewardenepura.
On his elevation to the position of Speaker, he stood by the great traditions and decorum of the Speaker’s Office.
He did not want to be a nominal speaker, merely presiding at parliamentary sessions.
The Office of Speaker was made most significant. The mace was not any more mere symbolic, placed long before the entry of the Speaker to the Chamber of the Parliament. The Speaker’s mace was made the due symbol of authority. Being carried with solemnity by the Sergeant-at-Arms and placed at the appropriate place, as the Speaker came to preside at the parliamentary sessions.
The Speaker’s traditional robe was reintroduced, which to this day has its glamour. We have seen the majestic appearance of the Speaker and witness this being continued to this day. Dignity was restored and redefined to the Speaker’s Office during his tenure.
Above all, Speaker Bakeer Markar saw to it that the annual audit of the parliamentary administration was brought under the direct supervision of the Auditor General, making parliamentary affairs and administration transparent.
A novel constitutional aspect of his parliamentary career was, when he was the Speaker, he had the rare privilege of presiding as Acting President of Sri Lanka at the swearing-in ceremony of two Cabinet Ministers and as such handed over acting ministerial appointments to V.L. Wijemanne and A.R.M. Attanayake, as acting Minister of Plantation Industries and Minister of Higher Education, respectively, whilst President J.R. Jayewardene and Prime Minister R. Premadasa were away from the country in 1981, to attend the royal wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana.
Reconciliation and co-existence
In his farewell speech in Parliament on 9 June 1988, he declared: “I am proud to be a Sri Lankan, for here in Sri Lanka a man can freely worship God in his accustomed fashion.”
He strongly believed in reconciliation and co-existence. But soon we find the sad tone in his address to Parliament, when he said: “It is my regret that I shall no longer be with you when you add chapter to shining chapter in Sri Lanka’s history.”
He dreamt further when he said: “The time is not far off when Ceylon will sit in the Assembly of Nations as a well-developed country and take its rightful place there and play its role.”
All these go to show that Deshamanya Bakeer Markar was Sri Lankan, deep in his heart, and was a leader with the sincere message to all of us – Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, and Muslims.
Let me end with the words of Otto von Bismarck, who said: “Politics is the art of the possible, the attainable – the art of the next best.”
This is food for thought!
With this kind of inspiration, experience, and the taste of political nectar, Bakeer Markar pursued in the footsteps of his political guru Dr. T.B. Jayah, to be elected member of the Maradana Ward of the Beruwala Urban Council, uncontested, in his very first attempt in 1949. This opened the avenue for him to tread successfully in the wider political arena.
At the Beruwala Urban Council, he was instrumental in moving the resolution to recognise the Sinhala language as the official language, which was voted for by the majority of the members.
This was the first-ever local government council to adopt such a resolution. Even at the All-Ceylon Muslim Organisation Conference, he earnestly propagated the Sinhala language to be recognised as the official language.
In fact, for his stance, he was nick-named and affectionately called Sinhala Bakeer.
He was for the use of the Sinhala language by the Muslims from the time of his youth. As a nation, Muslims must unite with the Sinhalese.
In his own words: “Though I belonged to the minority community, I was able to enter the national and international arena only because I was able to go forward with the majority community.”
He was passionate in his noble thoughts. He believed in unity for the sake of peace, co-existence, and, above all, for the development of the nation, with unity in diversity.
We are reminded of former Prime Minister Dudley Senanayake’s precious words: “Ceylon belonged not only to the Buddhists but to anybody who claimed to be Ceylonese.”
His preserving efforts to serve the voters of Beruwala more effectively paid manifold dividends with his active participation and contribution made at the Delimitation Commission of Thalgodapitiya and Tittawala.
As a result, the new electorate of Beruwala was carved out, composed of a mixed population of Buddhists, Christians, and Muslims.
His was an illustrious parliamentary career, from 1960 to 1988, which was of enviable lustre.
He commenced his parliamentary career in March 1960, being elected Member of Parliament for the newly carved out Beruwala electorate.
Bakeer Markar always thought of himself as a Ceylonese. In his address to Parliament on the Appropriation Bill on 24 August 1965 congratulating then Finance Minister U.B. Wanninayake, he said: “I should like to do it in a more unorthodox way because I think the man to be congratulated is the Prime Minister, for he chose as Minister of Finance, a person who is Ceylonese in every sense of the word.”
Again, speaking on the special allowance to plantation workers on 6 October 1965, he spoke on behalf of the estate workers, referring to them: “If we care Ceylonese, they are Ceylonese; if the Sinhalese are Ceylonese, they are Ceylonese; if the Muslims are Ceylonese, in the same way, the estate Tamils are Ceylonese.” He believed and espoused the true spirit of equality for everyone.
These go to show his vision: One identity under one nation. Has his vision positively impacted the citizenry? How far are we looking at his progressive outlook today?
Bakeer Markar made contributions even to the smooth and effective functioning of democracy at the grassroots level.
Elevation to the position of Speaker
During the parliamentary debate on 13 June 1968, on the establishment of district councils, he submitted a memorandum to the Minister of Home Affairs and Rural Development, in which recommendations were made for changes to be introduced to the provincial administration.
He wanted the provincial administration to be reformed and reconstituted at district level, to give it the much-needed new look.
He felt that district machinery should be under the supervision of the Member of Parliament nominated by the Prime Minister. This was to form the basis of the district co-ordinating committee. His victory at the general elections of 1977 was the dazzling landmark of his political career.
At this general election, he returned with a remarkable majority of 27,000 votes, with a total poll of 49,000 votes. His nearest rival R.G. Samaranayake was placed far below. This electoral victory of 1977 was a historic gift to the respectful minority.
It was on 4 August 1977 that he was elected Deputy Speaker. This was a short stint. He was thereafter elected to the high Office of Speaker on 21 September 1978, being the unanimous choice of the Government and the Opposition.
His name was proposed by then Minister of State Anandatissa De Alwis and seconded by then Member of Parliament for Nallur M. Sivasithamparam.
This exalted position was held in his esteem by Speaker M.A. Bakeer Markar from the time he was elected Speaker up to the time of his resignation on 31 August 1983. He was the last Speaker of the old Parliament at Galle Face and the first Speaker of the new Parliament in Sri Jayewardenepura.
On his elevation to the position of Speaker, he stood by the great traditions and decorum of the Speaker’s Office.
He did not want to be a nominal speaker, merely presiding at parliamentary sessions.
The Office of Speaker was made most significant. The mace was not any more mere symbolic, placed long before the entry of the Speaker to the Chamber of the Parliament. The Speaker’s mace was made the due symbol of authority. Being carried with solemnity by the Sergeant-at-Arms and placed at the appropriate place, as the Speaker came to preside at the parliamentary sessions.
The Speaker’s traditional robe was reintroduced, which to this day has its glamour. We have seen the majestic appearance of the Speaker and witness this being continued to this day. Dignity was restored and redefined to the Speaker’s Office during his tenure.
Above all, Speaker Bakeer Markar saw to it that the annual audit of the parliamentary administration was brought under the direct supervision of the Auditor General, making parliamentary affairs and administration transparent.
A novel constitutional aspect of his parliamentary career was, when he was the Speaker, he had the rare privilege of presiding as Acting President of Sri Lanka at the swearing-in ceremony of two Cabinet Ministers and as such handed over acting ministerial appointments to V.L. Wijemanne and A.R.M. Attanayake, as acting Minister of Plantation Industries and Minister of Higher Education, respectively, whilst President J.R. Jayewardene and Prime Minister R. Premadasa were away from the country in 1981, to attend the royal wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana.
Reconciliation and co-existence
In his farewell speech in Parliament on 9 June 1988, he declared: “I am proud to be a Sri Lankan, for here in Sri Lanka a man can freely worship God in his accustomed fashion.”
He strongly believed in reconciliation and co-existence. But soon we find the sad tone in his address to Parliament, when he said: “It is my regret that I shall no longer be with you when you add chapter to shining chapter in Sri Lanka’s history.”
He dreamt further when he said: “The time is not far off when Ceylon will sit in the Assembly of Nations as a well-developed country and take its rightful place there and play its role.”
All these go to show that Deshamanya Bakeer Markar was Sri Lankan, deep in his heart, and was a leader with the sincere message to all of us – Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, and Muslims.
Let me end with the words of Otto von Bismarck, who said: “Politics is the art of the possible, the attainable – the art of the next best.”
This is food for thought!