A Celebratory Dinner!

By Rajitha Ratwatte

fromoutsidethepearl@gmail.com

As most people are aware, we have a Sri Lankan born MP in Aotearoa, New Zealand. We had what was dubbed a CELEBRATORY DINNER for this lady on the 21st of November. Now, wordsmith that I am, I would have preferred to call it a FELICITATION dinner as the Oxford dictionary says that the latter word means “words expressing praise for an achievement or good wishes on a special occasion, whereas the celebratory id defined as “organized to celebrate something”. Celebrations for this lady are still some ways away, as we need to see what she actually achieves but felicitation, certainly happened!

The event was held in the Remuera Club, an institution that must have seen better days with the main horse racing course being in close proximity. Nowadays this venue is mainly hired out for occasions such as these. The Lady herself walked into Tina Turner playing “Simply the best” into a hall full of well-wishers who stood up and clapped in tune. The well-wishes consisted of a cross-section of white people, native New Zealanders, and Sri Lankans an even mix. The Lankans from a stratum of society that is not very frequently seen at Lankan events. These were professionals, definitely from the “better schools” and the upper echelons – so to speak. Ladies College had a strong representation as the mother of the chief guest, Prathiva, who had been a pillar of the school. So, did Colombo 7 as she had spent her few years in Sri Lanka living in that exclusive part of town.

Vanushi Walters nee Rajanayagam comes from a long and distinguished line of people who have contributed to Ceylonese society. Pillars of the Methodist church in the Pearl. Her grandmother had been the second woman MP in Ceylon’s parliament, coming from the famed Saravanamuttu family. She is married to Rees Williams and has 3 children. At the tender age of 39, she is a qualified lawyer and has worked for 15 years as such. She has served on the International Board of Amnesty International, done much community trust work, and even been involved with Greenpeace for a while. All details can be obtained from her LinkedIn page and guess what; She has her own WIKIPEDIA page as well!

She contested the Auckland North Shore seat. Populated by rich Chinese of ex Hong Kong origin, a smattering of South Africans who have left that country mainly based on racial fears. It was considered extremely unlikely that a “person of colour” would ever wrest that seat away from the incumbent. We she DID and all credit to Vanushi Williams and her team.

She opened her speech with a great backhanded greeting she had got from (I’m sure one of the ex-Ladies college guests) who had said “welcome Vanushi, congratulations but where is Jacinda Ardern?!! Vanushi who had been glowing in the good wishes and vibes extended from the room as she walked in was brought to earth with a thud; her words! She seems a very warm and genuine person, full of enthusiasm. A little naïve with the exuberance of youth, to this writer’s jaded eye, which will no doubt be rectified, when the reality of life in the beehive as the parliament is called in Aotearoa, strikes.

Vanushi is committed to and motivated by human rights. She cites the example of her cousin Richard De Zoysa, which all of us Sri Lankans remember with horror. The struggle endured by Richard’s mother Dr. Manorani Saravanamuttu (a wonderful lady whom I was privileged to know) after the event, to get some sort of closure and justice has also proved a strong motivation. Accountability is going to be a watchword of her actions. She went out of her way to point out that she WASN’T the first lady with Ceylonese connections to be in the NZ parliament, the first being Annette King, who had a great grandfather from Ceylon. Vanushi also mentioned some words of advice that she had gleaned from her grandmother and mother – “watch, analyse, reflect and act”, wise words which she will be guided by in her future.

Vanushi also has a strong interest in trade agreements and has put forward some proposals and intends to take it further. We hope our current trade contacts are strengthened rapidly to take advantage of these possibilities. The current personnel, more on this later, leave much to be desired!

She will be sworn in next Wednesday the 25th of November and make her maiden speech in the parliament of Aotearoa on the 2nd of December. Aotearoa has a huge diversity in her new parliament. There are 3 South Asian born members, one of whom is a minister. We eagerly await that occasion and wish all of them nothing but the best!

We were able to have a very brief chat with her but have been promised a lengthier interview after her schedule clears, not we hope in typical politician fashion but with the intention of keeping her word!

The Felicitation continued with more speeches. A long and detailed one from the main organizer, who spoke about all women who had prominent roles in the history of the world but I didn’t hear the name of our very own Sirima Bandaranaike not to mention her daughter! A charming young lady, a family friend, and hopefully someone who will follow Vanushi into a bright future, made a lovely speech which contained amusing details of the trials and tribulations faced by young people living in mixed cultures and growing up in Aotearoa. The incumbent Sri Lankan Consul, who has been in that position for 14 years made a singularly innocuous speech, in keeping with his achievements over an almost decade and a half! This is exacerbated by the fact that he lives in Wellington when the vast majority of the 60,000 ‘SRIWIs’ live in Auckland.

A proper embassy with qualified persons or at least a trade attaché based in Auckland is desperately required. This is an ideal time to put forward the massive potential there is for bilateral trade between our two countries. Huge one-way traffic in powdered milk is all that is happening now. There are SRIWIS bursting with ideas for entrepreneurship that need Government ratification, this is mainly due to the fact that finding employment is hard for those without the specific qualifications that are required and those too for lower-level jobs.

The punch line of Vanushi’s speech was that “everyone in New Zealand should be able to occupy any and all available seats and positions”. This is a subtle acknowledgment of the racial bias and the glass ceilings sometimes based on factors such as gender and if one is a born Kiwi or not, that exist and everyone, in that packed auditorium, understood to perfection.

All in all, it was a very well organised event. With great food and even free drinks, doled out in generous measure. A pleasant evening in good company and great bonhomie. Now comes the hard part Vanushi. You have raised our hopes and given all of us something to look forward to in these terrible and depressing times. Yesterday you were like a ray of sunshine with your lovely smile and your honesty and genuineness. We now await your achievements; the ball is in your court!

Looking at recent headlines, I see that one of the people involved in developing the new vaccine for COVID-19 is of Sri Lankan origin. Is this the second generation of the brain drain? Their parents took the step of leaving what used to be the Pearl of the Indian Ocean when they realised that things were not going well and the future looked bleak. Now their descendants are able to achieve what they couldn’t and also contribute positively to their host countries and indeed the world in general. If only we had been able to retain them and provide the necessary education and other facilities to produce these children, with these achievements, beliefs and commitment. IF ONLY…. But then if wishes were horses, beggars would ride!