Mangala, my dearest friend, brother, comrade-in-arms.
On this dark day, you have lost your battle for life.
Your family and friends fought with you, cried and prayed to keep you alive.
We too lost this battle.
But you have not died, Mangala.
Your exceptional vision for Sri Lanka and the world lives on.
The battle we fought side by side, will live forever.
Dearest Mangala, you will live with every battle waged to build a better Sri Lanka.
A country where freedom, honest governance, inclusivity and respect for diversity will reign supreme.
A country with a governance system that truly cares for its people and not its politicians.
You were the embodiment of this all.
And you will live in the hearts and actions of everyone who will stand up against injustice and corruption.
I shall forever remember the monumental service you rendered in diverse Ministerial posts. You led the modernization of our communications and media sectors.
You hugely progressed our international relations from the dismal pit it had descended into and took Sri Lanka to the world stage, making us once again a proud and strong nation.
Most of all, your impeccable personal ethics will be hard to match in Sri Lanka’s political arena.
You shall always inspire our youth, for generations to come.
Dearest friend, Rest in Power and come back in your journey in Samsara, to join the battle for a better and decent Sri Lanka, before you attain Nirvana.
Madam Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga
