“For nations like my own, the oceans are life and death. The Indian Ocean, in which we are located, provides employment, food, avenues of trade and commerce. Our large coastal communities survive at ocean level. For us, rise of the seas, pollution of the oceans, depletion of fish, good coastal eco systems are not abstractions – they are the core of our existence.”
This is not just a part of a speech made at an international conference, by another political leader. They reflect the true thinking of a leader; they are the words of our Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe at the UN Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14 in the US June 2017.
True to his word, Wickremesinghe is one leader who cares deeply about environment. Ajita de Costa, a former chairman of the Central Environment Authority and an environmentalist says, the PM is a person who is conscious about the island’s environment and one who wants to protect it.
De Costa recalls how Prime Minister Wickremesinghe readily accepted a proposal made by him and Dr. Rohan Pethiyagoda to increase the footprint of Sinharaja forest by 25%. Today it is a reality. He is also concerned about the humane elephant conflict and appointed a committee to look in to the issue. The committee has given a report to him detailing suggestions.
De Costa knew PM Wickremesinghe from the age of 14. “We were teenage friends. Our fathers knew each other. They were both contemporary industrialists.”
“After our teenage days I went to England and he entered the university. When I returned from England in 1973, I found the same old friend in him. The only difference was he had changed his career path and got into politics.”
When Ranil Wickremesinghe became the Prime Minister under former President Chandrika Kumaratunga, de Costa worked as the chairman of the Central Environment Authority. “He knew about my interests and my keenness on solving environmental issues. I agreed to take up the position. Throughout my career I found out how concerned he was about our work,” adds de Costa.
When the present government came in to power in 2015 and when Wickremesinghe became the Prime Minister once again, de Costa was given the responsibility to prepare the Western Region Megapolis Plan.
“That was a huge task; with number of environmental issues. He gave just one instruction-that was “you will not fill even a square inch of the wetlands.”
Talking about Wickremesinghe’s political life, he added many are unaware of his personal attributes. “He is not an emotionally charged person; he can sit back and take a decision objectively – which is an important attribute for a political leader. In his mind everybody is equal.”
“He is also well read and his knowledge on Buddhism is vast. He is a good friend. He was one of the leaders who was invited by the White House twice – by senior George Bush-and a leader who took locally produced Dilmah tea and Maxim shirts to the White House,” he said.