Idayaththil Valvor- 2 By A.L.M. Razick

Badi-ud-din Mahmud – A patriot The bottomline.-2009/06/17

 Dr Badi-ud-din Mahmud - A patriot

By Akram Mukhtar

Taking on the task of writing about the late Dr. Badi-ud-din Mahmud is a challenge to anyone - moreso to the writer who cannot boast of any journalistic skill or prior experience. A revolutionary in a positive sense, he was a man with a mission from his early childhood. The very same flame that ignited him into public life remained intact and undiminished till his very end. He sought and loved challenges. Although some might describe him as arrogant, this was more the authoritarian countenance which he was gifted with from birth. He did not tolerate mediocrity; a perfectionist in every sense - to fail was never an option. However, that did not deter him from caring for the weak or less fortunate. He stood for what he thought was right and stood firm. This was a man with the skill to mix his varying qualities to great advantage, more for his country than himself. Above all, he was a true nationalist who loved his country and its people. His ideals were based upon progressive socialism which did not conflict with his faith.
This unique man, who parted company on June 16, 1997, left behind an indelible mark in the history of this nation.
Dr. Mahmud’s (Buddy to his friends) life began on June 23, 1904 in the southern tip of Sri Lanka - the youngest child of a then average sized family of twelve. His lineage descends from the prominent ‘Mukaddam’ family of Weligama with a recorded ancestral history of more than twelve generations. His early childhood was shared between Weligama and Matara to where the Mukaddam family roots had spread. His father, popularly known as ‘Matara Mahataya’ was a respected figure in the local community, a title less due his wealth and more due to his popularity as a humanitarian amongst all the communities, who also established the now famous ‘Arafath Vidyalaya’ in Weligama. These traits Dr. Mahmud certainly inherited from his father; yet, it was his grandfather Seyed Mustapha Notaris (Weligama Korale Notaris Ralahamy), who lived to be a 100 and was well versed in the Sinhala and Tamil languages that was to be his early mentor and idol. They shared a close bond. Dr. Mahmud often spoke very affectionately of his grandfather who adored him. Upon the demise of his parents, one of his older brothers, Proctor Salahuddin took over responsibility and care of Dr. Mahmud with a family that was closely held together by mutual love and affection. In his adult years, as life blessed him with opportunities and success, Dr. Mahmud never did forsake his family or friends and was always available to attend to their concerns. At home he was a simple man who enjoyed the simple things in life.
Young Mahmud’s early education was at St. Thomas’ College Matara and Wesley College Colombo. Zahira College Colombo provided him the platform to engage in higher studies where he passed the Cambridge Senior exams. It was here that he first met the late S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike, who upon having returned from Oxford in 1925 was invited to speak at the Zahira College Colombo Literary Association where Dr. Mahmud was the Secretary. Thus began the very long and close friendship which would soon shape the future of Sri Lanka.
Dr. Mahmud, the all-rounder that he was, spread his time between academic studies and literary activities as well as athletics, cricket, boxing, tennis and cadetting (he attended the Diyatalawa camp as a corporal).
A rebel with a cause, at the age of fourteen while at St. Thomas’ College Matara, he refused to bow down to the Union Jack – an act for which he was rewarded with ‘six of the best’ courtesy of the principal’s rod. Again, while at Wesley College during the visit of the Prince of Wales, young Badi-ud-din absented himself from school that day as a show of protest against colonialism. When he was a young man, he was prevented from entering Burma (then known as Rangoon) by the British Raj due to his anti-imperialist stands. All this being just a glimpse of his revolutionary nature.
Having arrived in India, it was not long before Dr. Mahmud began to pursue his passion for becoming a leader and the voice of the students. He had the honour of sharing the platform with Indian freedom movement leaders of such stature as Jawaharlal Nehru and Mohamed Ali Jinnah who were appreciative of young Mahmud’s oratory skills.
In 1931, Aligarh University provided him the platform to launch his charge. Those who knew of his debating skills and his deeply resonating voice would not be surprised to learn that he was the first prize winner of the ‘All India Oratorical Contest’. His popularity and versatility were duly recognised when he was elected President of the All India Students Union. He utilised every opportunity he came across to travel the region, visiting among others, Afghanistan and Malaya (as it was then called); a vocal ant-imperialist, much to the dismay of the British.
Despite his success and the temptation to remain longer in India, he felt the irresistible need to answer the call of his motherland, to aid in the struggle for independence. And so he arrived back in Ceylon, armed with a Masters degree from the Aligarh University and began to launch his political career in the style and splendour that was his trade-mark.
He took to politics like a fish takes to water. He wasted no time in organising a mass meeting of Muslims on March 5, 1939 that was to mark the beginning of his political struggle for independence. He became the President of the Muslim League. This led him to rub shoulders with the giants of the independence movement while holding his own. His association with S.W.R.D. was renewed. Initially, he joined the UNP, as S.W.R.D. had done. However, their stay within the UNP camp was short lived due to disagreements with the leadership. At the time, rumour had it that S.W.R.D. (who was considered the most qualified to be the country’s first Prime Minister) submitted to the plea’s of the late D.S. Senanayake, who asked that S.W.R.D. not run against him for prime-minister ship on the promise that S.W.R.D. would succeed DS as the second Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. However, S.W.R.D. felt betrayed when the Lake House (whose owners were close kith and kin of DS) began publishing negative stories about S.W.R.D. and it was not long before he figured it all out. The rest is history. S.W.R.D. formed the SLFP with Dr. Mahmud as a founding member. Interestingly, it was the recommendation of Dr. Mahmud and Mr. Sri Nissanka KC that the official party colour be blue as it stood for prosperity. The subsequent 1956 elections were hard fought. The SLFP won by an unprecedented majority and reduced the UNP to just eight seats in Parliament. Dr. Mahmud’s contribution and support was invaluable to S.W.R.D. this earned him the position of the first joint General Secretaries of the SLFP along with Sri Nissanka in 1960.
Dr. Mahmud was later responsible for the formation of the Islamic Socialist Front, based on the belief that the SLFP had much more to offer to the Muslims of Sri Lanka against the illusionary promises of the UNP. True to his vision, he was responsible for transforming and uplifting the muslim community by creating a mass of educational and employment opportunities. Today, almost all Muslim intellectuals, academics and professionals are second and third generation descendants of the people whose lives were thus uplifted by Dr. Mahmud’s visionary work.
An educationist by heart, he took up the challenge of taking over the position of principal at Gampola Zahira College in 1944. For a southerner, Gampola was alien territory. The Tamil dialect used by the southerner was quite different to the ‘Gampola Tamil’ dialect. This gave rise to some light hearted wit and humor in the town of Gampola at his expense. When Dr. Mahmud took over, he found himself with seventy students and some Kadjan hut classrooms. It is due his sole and selfless efforts that Gampola Zahira College has been transformed to what it is today. Generations of students from all communities who have passed through the corridors of this great institution of learning will be ever so grateful to Dr. Mahmud.
The late S.W.R.D. could not have chosen a more qualified personality than Dr. Mahmud, to fill the role of the country’s United Nations representative. Dr. A.C.S. Hameed recalls in his condolence speech that when he visited the UN as Foreign Minister, people remembered Dr. Mahmud affectionately. His proficiency did not go unnoticed and he was elected Vice Chairman of the Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee at the UN General Assembly.
He was much shaken at the sudden and tragic death of S.W.R.D. Having returned to Sri Lanka, he faithfully and promptly supported Madam Srimavo Bandaranaike as she became the Prime Ministerial candidate at the general elections and won with a clear majority. Dr. Mahmud was awarded the portfolio of Minister of Education. This, his first tenure in office happened at a very controversial time, where he introduced a bill in Parliament to take-over control of the assisted schools. Much uproar, debate and discussion on this issue followed. In fact, a case filed by Zahira College Colombo went up to the Privy Council (the highest court of law) contesting its take-over. This was ironic, Gampola Zahira College being his alma-mater. Sadly, Dr. Mahmud’s plan to develop Zahira College as the premier school for Muslims along-side schools such as Royal College and Ananda College were shattered. The tragic condition and less than average standards of this school ever since, are an indictment of the Muslim leaders who then had neither the vision, nor the interest of the Muslim Community at heart when they resorted to subvert this take-over for political or other selfish reasons. Due to this, generations of young deserving children have been deprived of quality education and a brighter future.
Not willing to give up, he exerted his resources to the development of Gampola Zahira College. It also seemed that he had a specific strategy to overcome the complacency of the Muslim community, who did not seem to be thinking beyond their private business affairs. He was to stir the conscience and the minds of the community to look at education as a future option for progressive development. Being a nationalist he, along with Sir Razick Fareed encouraged Muslims to learn the Sinhala language. This proved to be invaluable to the Muslims both in terms of developing a common language in the country as well as for purpose of employment and business. He did not forget the people of the north and east where he set up the Jaffna University and several higher education colleges. The Pirivena Education Bill was introduced by him. The Sinhala language was given its due place in schools. He had no ulterior motives. His mission was simple - to serve the nation and people with equity irrespective of race or religion.
It seemed that Dr. Mahmud was never able to steer away from controversy. In fact, he seemed to thrive on it. As Minister of Health, he introduced the Medical Privatisation Bill; which would regulate private practice by government doctors. This too caused much debate and he was confronted with opposition from the medical profession. Undeterred, he stood firm and overcame these problems.
In hindsight, it seemed that Dr. Mahmud was the right person at the right time. His courage, determination and wit enabled him to overcome the challenges brought on by the magnitude of changes his government introduced in order to bring social justice to the people. He revamped the educational system, modernising it from colonial methods. Much of Sri Lanka’s contemporary education has its roots in the systems that he founded. He strongly believed in the education of girls and was often heard saying ‘educating a boy is educating an individual but educating a girl is educating a community’. The First Republican Constitution has embraced valuable contributions by Dr. Mahmud. Sri Lanka honoured him with the title of Deshamanya for his services to the country during the Presidency of the late J.R. Jayewardene.
Finding a fitting way to conclude this account of Dr. Mahmud will be akin to unraveling a riddle: there are so many aspects to his life. We have only managed to touch briefly on some parts of his life. The rabbit’s hole goes much deeper.
It is appropriate that we appreciate some of the things he enjoyed in his personal life. His taste for sartorial excellence, as his contemporaries knew was unmatchable. It was no wonder that he was referred to as the ‘best dressed politician’ in Parliament. He took great care about his appearance. Many who had the pleasure of dining at his house would know what kind of treats awaited them. From the tantalising aromas emanating from his talented wife’s kitchen to the delectable conversations that always accompanied the feast. Dr. Mahmud’s home was famous for being host to many interesting discussions and debates.
One could always tell from the activities in the kitchen that a feast was underway for a VIP. The range of culinary dishes -each one a unique work of art, was a delight to those fortunate to partake. His wife was an indispensable companion and an asset to him. Dr. Mahmud loved his food - from the sophisticated to his simple Matara favourites. Whenever he longed for a truly Matara meal, he would task one of his nieces the job of making a variety of his favourite dishes. As children, we found him to be a friendly uncle. Those days were nostalgic times when he used to load up his old Ford car with all his grand nieces and nephews and drive us up to the Dondra Light House or some other place of amusement. He seemed to enjoy those drives as much as we did.
Personally to me, my great uncle, whom I fondly called ‘Baddi Mama’, was also a godfather figure who oversaw my life and education. I have much to thank him for. I spent ten years of my boyhood under his stern watch at Gampola Zahira College. His strict code of fairness ensured that no one was spared the rod –not even his own grand-nephew. I recall one instance when I was a boy, as a prank, I decided to uproot and run away with the netball post while the girls match was in progress. Uncle Baddi had eyes and ears everywhere. The most faithful of these was the school peon, Krishnan. It was not long before I was summoned to his office and received six of his best, right across my palms. Needless to say that was the last time I made any attempt to play any more pranks – none that he knew of, anyway.
Today, twelve years has passed since Dr. Mahmud departed our world. The vacuum left by great leaders like Dr. Mahmud is felt even more keenly when contrasted against the calibre of Muslim leadership that we are left with in the present political arena. One ponders, nay, hopes that another Dr. Mahmud might appear and lead from where this great man left off.
May the Almighty Allah have mercy on his soul!

Daily News -Wednesday, 24 June 2009

Dr. Badi-ud-din Mahmud and his contribution to education

Text of speech delivered by Higher Education Minister Prof. Wiswa Warnapala at the Memorial Meeting on the late Dr. Badi-ud-din- Mahmud organized by the All Ceylon Union of Muslim League Youth Fronts at Nagarodaya Centre on June 17, 2009

Sri Lanka, at this given moment of time, is going through a period of transformation, which has its own global aspects, and it is in this particular context that I would like to make an assessment of the career of the late Dr. Badi-ud-din- Mahmud who, in my view, belonged to a unique generation of politicians, who, through their illustrious careers, contributed to the process of political, economic and social development in the country. Sri Lanka, as all third world polities, which emerged out of colonialism, had a pantheon of leaders who, despite ethnic diversity and social complexity, advocated a common front on issues of nationalism.

Nationalist movement

Unlike in the case of Buddhists and Hindus, there were no revivalist ideas to enthuse the Muslim Community into organized nationalist action in the early British period, and yet another factor, which prevented them from emerging as a powerful segment of the nationalist movement, was the fact that the system of education of the period had a Christian bias due to the influence of the Missionaries in the field of education.

Education was not only in English but also largely Christian in content, and it was this fact that kept the Muslim Community away from the then main stream of education.

The adoption of this attitude, though part of a community in a traditional society, led to the backwardness of the Muslim Community; it was primarily educational backwardness which limited the political involvement in a colonial society, and it was this characteristic feature which interfered with the emergence of a leadership based on nationalistic demands and religious ideals.

It was this important reason the absence of an educated elite or the absence of a powerful nucleus of an intellectual community-which kept them away from the emerging nationalist platform which, then, was dominated by the English educated elite belonging to both Sinhalese and Tamils.

In the 19th Century, certain Muslim leaders were disturbed by this trend, with which they got themselves isolated from the main strands of the nationalist movement which then was pluralistic in character, and the emergence of M.C. Siddie Lebbe, a lawyer by profession and a social worker as well, was a landmark in the awakening of the Muslim community to the main issues of the day.

The fundamental question which attracted his attention, in the form of a priority, was education, many of its ills were later corrected by the late Dr. Badi-ud-din- Mahmud.

Education, in any society, is the principal catalyst of change, and it is through education that processes of change could be generated to destroy the forces of traditionalism and thereby open the doors for modernization.

Siddie Lebbe, in the form of a visionary, began to preach the importance of education with a view to changing the conservative outlook of the Muslim community which, historically, remained embedded in commerce and trade.

Muslim community

It was Siddie Lebbe who laid the foundation for the regeneration of the Muslim community, and thereafter, in the first half of the century, the Muslim community entered the main stream of the nationalist movement.

The growth of the movement and the alliance with other communities experienced a set back in 1915, and only in 1920 that we witness the emergence of an effective Muslim political leadership, and this, again, was associated with the career of an educationist.

T. B. Jayah was essentially an educationist, he did not have business interests. He, as a leading educationist, became the sole spokesman for Muslim interests in regard to both political and Constitutional reforms.

T. B. Jayah, as a Member of the Executive Committee on Education, played a key role in formulating educational policy and he tried to generate an interest among the Muslim community to make use of the changes that are taking place in the system of education.

The social demand model of education, under which education was made free from kindergarten to the University, was being framed, and he, as an educationist, knew that this would ensure opportunities to the children of the Muslim community.

The late Dr. Badi-ud-din-Mahmud, probably derived inspiration from his illustrious predecessors - Siddie Lebbe and T. B. Jayah, and he, as an equally qualified educationist with a radical background, recognized the utility of education for both political and social change in a given country.

Though the Free Education Scheme came into existence in 1944, all the educational policy initiatives incorporated in the package were not implemented because, though its author Dr. C.W.W. Kannangara was interested in a total transformation through education, the political leadership of the period, specially those belonging to the D. S. Senanayake group in the State Council, were not very enthusiastic about the full implementation of 1944 proposals.

Therefore it took nearly two decades for a Government to understand the significance of a national system of education.

He saw education as a major factor in the rapid expansion of the democratic process, and it was this belief which compelled him to take bold policy initiatives to expand the base of primary and secondary education in Sri Lanka.

The education system, though based on the Free Education Scheme, was a hybrid system where there two types of institutions - the Denominational Schools and the State schools.

Quality education

The masses continued to enjoy poor quality education while the elite and the upper classes, through the establishment of denominational schools, enjoyed a quality education. Though the Central schools were established to cater to rural children in the rural areas, it did not offer education on the basis of the concept of equality of educational opportunity.

The late Dr. Badi-ud-din- Mahmud took the view that education was free, ‘but what was free was a good education for the few and a bad education for the many’.

In other words, it was his view that all benefits of education should reach everybody on an equitable basis. Commenting on this aspect of education, Dr. Badi-ud-din- Mahmud, before the take over of the Assisted Schools, stated that ‘from the point of view of quality, free education was a mirage than a reality, in so far as the masses were concerned’.

This shows that he had his own ideas on Free Education, and it was his commitment to educational change that, in the end, culminated in the establishment of a national system of education with a common curriculum.

Today, because of the many policy initiatives to which he gave leadership, Sri Lanka has the highest literacy rate in this part of the world, and this human resource base could be used for the acceleration of social and economic development.

One can link the political consciousness and electoral participation rates to the rate of literacy, by which I do not propose to devalue the role of political parties and pressure groups.

They are agents of political mobilization in a democratic polity. In the sphere of primary school enrollment, Sri Lanka has achieved universal enrollment and equality of educational opportunity has been achieved.

In addition, absolute gender equality has been achieved. Gender inequality remains a feature of every region in the world, though it is most pronounced in South Asia. Women are said to be 70 percent of the world’s poor and they are vulnerable to poverty. Therefore it is through education that they can be integrated into development.

Sri Lanka has achieved great deal by providing women with greater access to educational opportunities and this trend began under the late Dr. Badi-ud-din- Mahmud who expanded the educational opportunities for the Muslim community.

The route from the Ordinary Level Examination to the Advanced Level Examination has been expanded, and today, nearly 298,000 or more sit the A/L examination and this is an index to the nature of the educated workforce in Sri Lanka.

This expansion was primarily due to the take over of the schools in 1962. It was through the Assisted Schools that some kind of elitism was promoted. It became useful in the early phase of colonialism but in the post-colonial period such institutions became dysfunctional as democracy and representative government depended on a good system of education.

One important result of the Free Education Scheme was the dethronement of English and the recognition of Swabasha, which, according to certain critics, recognized as the major factor of intellectual retardation.

I do not want comment on it. Dr. Badi-ud-din- Mahmud championed the need to educate children in their mother tongue, and this was opposed by the English educated elite which was a microscopic minority.

He wanted the Muslim children to study Sinhala and with this innovation he gave a new interpretation to the use of the mother tongue as the medium of instruction. It was this decision which helped the Muslim community to integrate itself with the majority community. It undoubtedly helped the Muslim community to emerge as a vital segment of the educated in Sri Lanka.

National integration

He partially rejected the linguistic basis of the narrow nationalism, and so language as the basic instrument of national integration; it was this principal which compelled him to recommend to the Muslim community to study in the Sinhala medium and it, apart from strengthening integration offered numerous advantages to the Muslim community.

Dr. Badi-ud-din- Mahmud was of the view that after nearly one and half centuries of British rule, little less than 8 percent of the population were literate in English. Nearly forty years ago, such arguments were supported by those politicians who stood for an egalitarian society. In their view, such educational changes were necessary to establish a society based on both equality and opportunity.

What the late Dr. Badi-ud-din- Mahmud envisaged through his realistic educational reforms was the establishment of a system of education where there is no monopoly of the socially and economically privileged strata in the society.

Educational privileges

He did not want to confine educational privileges to a small minority of the privileged. Dr. Badi-ud-din- Mahmud, as Minister of Education, gave a realistic expression to the social demand model of education through which an educational explosion has been created in Sri Lanka.

It was during his time that some clear priorities were established in education, and one such priority was teacher training program established in teacher Training Colleges. Like Dr.C.W.W. Kannangara, Dr. Badi-ud-din- Mahmud recognized ‘the proper training of teachers as the key to educational reforms’; he wanted a quality teacher, and took measures to establish Teacher Training Colleges for professional training of teachers.

With the take over of school in 1960 under the Assisted Schools and Training Colleges (Special Provisions Act No. 5 of 1969) the Assisted Training Colleges which were under the management of religious denominations came under the control of the Director of Education.

Teacher training in Sri Lanka had not proceeded on a planned basis, and it was under Dr. Badi-ud-din- Mahmud that the system was re-organized on a planned basis. He made an attempt to develop professionalism within the community of teachers.

The professionalism, which came to be built in the last three decades, has now visibly declined due to over-trade unionization of the school teachers in Sri Lanka, who, in my view have become tools in the hands of a political party which seeks to disrupt every institution in the name of change.

This decline in the role and the quality of the teacher is certain to have a devastating effect on both quality of education and the discipline of the children in the schools.

Recognizing the importance of higher education for social and economic development, he pioneered a number of important changes in the field of higher education.

It was he who broke the Oxbridge mould in the Sri Lankan University system and diversified it with additional universities and other tertiary institutions. He took measures to establish the University of Jaffna in the seventies; the University of Ceylon, established in 1942, was the only unitary University, and its dominance was gradually broken.

It was he who wanted the Second Arts Faculty in Colombo out of which the University of Colombo was born, and it took over the Colombo part of the University of Ceylon. The Second Arts Faculty was seen as a retrograde step but later it developed into a fully fledged Faculty.

Though the system of higher education came to be transformed with the Universities established in the sixties, no attempt was made to expand the access.

Today the access has been expanded and the system has 72,000 students. Yet another innovation of his was the introduction of external examinations; though there was a tradition of external examinations, no decision was taken to allow the University of Ceylon to conduct external examinations.

Sri Lankan students enjoyed this facility from 1881 onwards; they sat the London University examinations as external candidates. Mr. S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike, as the Minister of Local Government, moved a resolution in the State Council requesting the University of Ceylon to conduct external examinations.

This was in 1945. D. S. Senanayake opposed the resolution on the ground that it would interfere with the autonomy of the University. Though the motion was passed but no action was taken to implement it because Sir Ivor Jennings opposed it. He was always for an elitist type of University education and advocated a restricted intake into the University.

It was in 1961 that the principal Act was amended and provision was created for the conduct of external examinations and thereby expanded the access to higher educational opportunities. In this respect too, the credit should go to Dr. Badi-ud-din- Mahmud, who as a far -sighted politician, made a note worthy contribution to the modernization of both education and higher education in Sri Lanka.

It was he who implemented some of the reforms of the Kannangara package which came along with the social demand model of education. It was he who laid the foundation for the establishment of an integral link between education and economic growth.

But as economic growth occurs, there is a rising demand for skills; the growing complexity of the economy requires a complex and diverse range of kills at all levels. In order to meet these challenges, a network of Technical Colleges was created under his guidance.

In this way he took the initiative in establishing Technical Colleges; technical education remained neglected till the appointed a Committee of Inquiry to inquire into the subject. The appointment of the Osmund Jayaratne Committee on Higher Educational Reforms in 1970 was yet another contribution, though its realistic reforms pertaining to the rationalisation of University courses were not implemented.

It addressed the question of the employability of graduates; the appointment of this committee of inquiry into the then existing system of Higher Education, therefore, indicated that Dr. Badi-ud-din- Mahmud had the right vision on Higher Educational Reforms.

Before I conclude, it would be useful to refer to his role within the Sri Lanka Freedom Party of which he was a founder member. He was one of the first General Secretaries of the SLFP, and this appointment was made primarily to give a non-communal character to the party. It is known within the party hierarchy that it was Dr. Badi-ud-din- Mahmud who persuaded the late Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike to enter politics and accept the leadership of the party as well.

This is a major political contribution with which he can carve out a place for himself in the history of politics of Sri Lanka.

In addition, it was he who laid a solid foundation for the education of the Muslim Community, which hitherto remained educationally backward, to emerge as an useful segment of the intellectual community in Sri Lanka, and whose involvement, despite minor differences based on ethnicity, is vitally necessary to take this country along the path of stability, unity, understanding, harmony and development. In my view achievement of this objective, for the purpose of building a united and strong Sri Lanka, is the biggest tribute which could be paid to this illustrious gentlemen of a politician