Yunus Lebbe Mohamed Farook, the State Minister of Transport from 1989-1993 passed away on August 5,2021 following a prolonged illness with acute diabetes at the age of 80 years.
A series of meritorious acts had been organised by the U.L.M.Farook Foundation presently led by his son, former Sabaragamuwa Provincial Councilor Nihal Farook to invoke blessings on his soul including a Sanghika dhana (Almsgiving) to yhe Maha Sangha.
It is quite timely and appropriate to reminisce on his political journey and personal character at a time when we witness the attitude and moral conduct of present day most politicians in all parties.
Hailing from an ordinary but a respectable family from Kannaththota, Farook started his political career as a Village Council (Gam Sabha) Member of Ruwanwella Village Council way back in 1964 from the United National Party (UNP).
In this first Local Election, he polled three times more than his opponent candidate, his brother who contested under the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP).
He continued as a Village Council member for some time and when P.C.Imbulana became the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food in Prime Minister Dudley Senanayake’s Cabinet in 1965, P.C.Imbulana appointed Farook as his Private Secretary and he established a very good relationship with the people in the electorate presenting their grievances to the Minister.
When the UNP was swept out of power in 1970 Farook along with P.C.Imbulana did a tremendous service to re-organise the party in the electorate.
When the UNP returned to power in 1977, Farook continued to assist Minister Imbulana and addressed the issues faced by the downtrodden masses of the electorate. He was a down-to-earth, people friendly and affable character who maintained a very good relationship with the people in the electorate irrespective of any differences.
When Imbulana was appointed Governor of the Uva Province in 1988, the Ruwanwella electorate fell vacant and the Party hierarchy was seeking a replacement.
There were six or seven prominent figures vying for the vacancy along with U.L.M.Farook in this predominantly Sinhala-Buddhist electorate. All the chief incumbents of the temples in the electorate requested unanimously to appoint U.L.M.Farook as the member of the Ruwanwella electorate.
A poll was conducted at the UNP Headquarters Sirikotha among the party activists of Ruwanwella electorare and Farook polled 75 percent of the total votes cast among all candidates and he was appointed a Member of Parliament for the Ruwanwella electorate in 1988 from the UNP.
President Ranasinghe Premadasa who realised U.L.M.Farook’s capabilities and approach towards problems, appointed him as the State Minister of Transport in 1989. Farook, though not a professional or an academic, possessed an ocean of knowledge in solving practical problems in the transport sector in the country. Farook along with Transport Minister Wijayapala Mendis initiated a number of new programs to develop the Central Transport Board (CTB).
The introduction of 12 cluster bus companies in the island was one of the main feats carried out during his tenure as the State Minister of Transport.
U.L.M.Farook successfully contested the next two General Elections in 1989 and 1993 and discharged an immeasurable service to the people of the Ruwanwella electorate and Kegalle District at large. He maintained a very cordial relationship with all Opposition MPs and was able to attend to the needs of his area’s residents even when he was an Opposition MP during the latter stage of his tenure.
When the UNP decided to accommodate Rukman Senanayake as the candidate for Ruwanwella at the 2000 General Election Farook not only gracefully stepped down but also gave his fullest support to Senanayake for the election campaign. Farook gave his office premises, the entire staff and all records pertaining to the election campaign which he had prepared well ahead of the election. Such was his commitment to the party and democracy.
With Farook’s fullest support Senanayake polled the highest in the District at the election and in order to compensate for the great sacrifice Farook made, he was appointed as the Chairman of Sri Lanka Central Transport Board by then Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe’s Government.
The writer of the article had the opportunity of working very closely with him during his stewardship at the SLCTB and has vivid memories of how he acted to minimise the corruption, malpractice, and wastage of some depots in the island.
The SLCTB is a highly politicised institution and very often trade unionists had arguments with Chairman Farook and the manner in which Farook handled them was commendable and praiseworthy, without yielding to the pressure exerted by the Trade Unionists. He was a strict disciplinarian and wanted everybody to discharge their duty properly to justify the remuneration they got at the end of the month. Not even a token strike was held at SLCTB during his chairmanship.
In the last stage of his life, he was mostly with his people in his hometown, and even with his poor health condition he attended to the needs of the people. U.L.M.Farook passed away on August 5, 2021 and the unprecedented crowd gathered to pay last respects to him amidst the height of the corona pandemic bears ample testimony to the magnitude of love, respect and command he enjoyed from the people from all walks of life. He was a politician and a gentleman in the true sense of the word.
As a token of gratitude to this great human being, the road that leads from Kannaththota to Ihalagama (where his residence is located) was named U.L.M.Farook Mawatha by the local authorities soon after his death.
Jaliya Wijeyekoon