Condolence to our Comrade Susila Jayawardana: Ceylon Teachers Union‏

Please listen to our voices, now it is not the time to cry for our fallen comrade Susila Jayawardana, but to praise her dedicated service to the toiling mass of Sri Lanka. The following lines were her last words to me. She speaks: “The biopsy confirmed that it is Cancer. ----I can feel it along my hands and legs too and I afraid that it has affected my brain and bones too"

"All my literary works came to a standstill and I wish my doctors will be able to cure me so that I can restart my work. ---I am going to stop here as pain in my arm pit has started."

"I wish happiness and good health to you and your family members".

 My dear comrade Susila, you wished happiness and good health to others, even in your last hours, however you have lost them both. Here I can sense your comradeship and concern for others. We are bonded with each others because of our ideology which guides us to serve humanity. We are highly influenced by Marxism and Leninism because it is the only one which will save human beings from the destruction in the period of Imperialism.

Your beloved partner and comrade H.N.Fernando, along with us are a united force in the Ceylon Teachers Union (CTU) and in the Northern Province Teachers Association (NPTA). We are a united working class organization which has been fighting very hard to win the fundamental Rights of the Teachers and the other workers of our Mother Land.

We are the first trade Union in accepting and declaring the self -determination of the Tamil Speaking people, in the annual General Meeting which was held in the Jaffna Veerasingam Hall in 1978. It was the period in which the working class movement was getting very stronger and the unity of the country was strengthened. It was purposely destroyed by the reactionary Sinhala and Tamil ruling class by manipulating the racism in our country. It was the first step initiated in defeating the working class in the 1980 General Strike. Then it was followed by the 1983 genocide of Tamil people.

You and your life partner H.N.Fernando have devoted your whole life and energy for the working class and for its unity. I personally came to know your great difficulties in the 1980 strike period when both of you had lost your jobs. I feel that your suffering was a detrimental cause in losing you and Fernando in early departure from this world. We shall never forget your sacrifices and contributions to the working class of Sri Lanka.

 Now it is our duty to identify the pro-imperialist Sinhala and Tamil ruling Class and defeat them forever to save the country. We are rich with history of more the 500 years of experience in fighting against the Imperialism, whether it was the Portuguese, Dutch, British or the present one.

I like to finish my tribute to you with the following words I borrowed from the great revolutionary Chilean poet Com. Pablo Neruda,

                                                   "My people shall win

                                                    All people shall win"

From:     Comrade. Thavapalan (Ex. Central committee member of CTU and NPTA)

 In favour of Friends and Comrades of Com. Susila Jayawardana and Com. HN Fernando from

Toronto, Canada.