J R Jayewardene Centre

J R Jayewardene Centre J R Jayewardene Centre J R Jayewardene Centre

The Qualities of a Legend

Junius Richard Jayawardene, most commonly known as J R Jayawardene, was the 1st Executive President of Sri Lanka and ruled for 2 terms from 1978 to 1989. He was also the very first Finance Minister, elected in 1947, in the very first Parliament within the country. He was also one of the most controversial modern rulers in Sri Lankan history.

On one end he was extremely sharp and farseeing – he was the first ruler of the island who realized Sri Lanka’s potential to be a tourist paradise, and saw the chances of maximizing on that potential. He established the Ceylon Tourist Board with the Ceylon Tourist Board Act No 10 of 1966. He also was responsible towards the more compassionate ruling of 51 world leaders in the 1951 Japanese Peace Treaty Conference in San Francisco, regarding Japan’s role in the 2nd World War. His famous quotation of Buddha, stating that ‘Hatred ceases not by hatred but by love’, earned him the eternal friendship and gratitude of the Japanese.

On the other end J R Jayawardene was one of the most ruthless politicians of that era, who was willing to do anything and everything to solidify his rule. At the beginning of his term, in 1978, the many races of Sri Lanka had some minor tensions between them, but were at peace overall. At the end of his term, in 1989, the four races were at each other’s throats. Sri Lanka was on the verge of a civil war, and J R Jayawardene is said to have been the driving force behind it.

And yet he did not do this from personal bigotry (he was said to have had very close friends from all races); according to accounts he did it because he felt that the easiest way to unite the majority was to make them to agree to one accord, by persuasion or force. He was willing to sacrifice those who did not agree with the system he was creating, for what he believed was the ‘greater good’. He felt that this would take Sri Lanka towards a new era of peace and light, at the end of the long tunnel of darkness created by the storm that arose with his political propaganda. Regardless of whether his beliefs were the right decision or not, J R Jayawardene was strong enough to stand by his decision even in the face of much hostility and opposition.

The Creation of the J.R.Jayewardene Centre

 Politics for J R Jayawardene were part of state, as were the official gifts and artifacts that he received from various important persons, both while he was a president and during his political career. One of his first instructions on becoming President was that all official gifts and mementos be kept in a separate room in the President’s House.

In 1988, towards the end of J R’s career, the J R Jayawardene Centre came into being in respect of the half century long political career that he had. It was established by a Parliamentary act titled J.R Jayewardene Centre Act No. 77 of 1988. The Act specified the venue as 191, Dharmapala Mawatha, Colombo 07, in other words one of the houses that Former President Jayawardene spent his childhood in.

The J R Jayawardena Centre was classified as ‘a depositary for historical researc

À propos du district de Colombo

Colombo est la plus grande ville et la capitale commerciale du Sri Lanka. Elle est située sur la côte ouest de l'île, à proximité de Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte, la capitale du pays. Colombo est une ville animée et dynamique, mêlant modernité, bâtiments et ruines coloniaux, et compte 647 100 habitants. La région métropolitaine de Colombo, définie par les districts de Colombo, Gampaha et Kalutara, compte une population estimée à 5 648 000 habitants et couvre une superficie de 3 694,20 km². Colombo est une ville multiethnique et multiculturelle. C'est la ville la plus peuplée du Sri Lanka, avec 642 163 habitants. La population de Colombo est un mélange de nombreux groupes ethniques, principalement cinghalais, maures et tamouls. On y trouve également de petites communautés d'origine chinoise, portugaise, néerlandaise, malaise et indienne, ainsi que de nombreux expatriés européens. La grande majorité des entreprises sri-lankaises ont leur siège social à Colombo. Parmi les industries présentes figurent les produits chimiques, le textile, le verre, le ciment, la maroquinerie, le mobilier et la bijouterie. Le centre-ville abrite le deuxième plus haut gratte-ciel d'Asie du Sud : le World Trade Centre. À propos de la province occidentale : la province occidentale est la plus densément peuplée du Sri Lanka. Elle abrite la capitale législative, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, ainsi que Colombo, centre administratif et commercial du pays. La province occidentale est divisée en trois districts principaux : Colombo (642 km²), Gampaha (1 386,6 km²) et Kalutara (1 606 km²). En tant que pôle économique du Sri Lanka, la ville accueille toutes les grandes entreprises locales et internationales, ainsi que les grands créateurs et les grandes enseignes. Préparez-vous donc à une séance de shopping dans la province occidentale. Avec la plus forte population de toutes les provinces, la province occidentale abrite la quasi-totalité des principaux établissements d'enseignement de l'île. Parmi les universités de la province, on compte l'Université de Colombo, l'Université de Sri Jayewardenepura, l'Université de Kelaniya, l'Open University, l'Université bouddhiste et pali du Sri Lanka, l'Université de défense générale Sir John Kotelawala et l'Université de Moratuwa. La province occidentale compte le plus grand nombre d'établissements scolaires du pays, comprenant des écoles nationales, provinciales, privées et internationales.

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