The passing away of Mr. Haleem Ishak, a politician of distinction on 24th Sept. 2003 brought sorrow, sadness and grief to the thousands who rushed to his residence to pay their last respects and to the many others who walked behind his bier to the Kuppiyawatta Muslim burial ground where his last remains were laid to rest.

Mr. Ishak began his political career being elected to the Colombo Municipal Council as a member of the Kuppiyawatta East Ward in 1962. He was the only SLFP member elected to the CMC out of 46 others from other political parties. Although the Kuppiyawatta East Ward has a cosmopolitan population and people are of different shades of political opinion, the late Mr. Haleem Ishak was able to comfortably win the election and was re-elected twice in 1966 and 1969 and went on to represent this Ward as a distinguished councillor until the Council was dissolved in 1977.

In the parliamentary election of 1977, when the United National Party won a landslide victory, Mr. Ishak was elected to the Multi-member Colombo Central constituency as the 3rd member from the SLFP, coming ahead of veteran politician, the late Mr. Pieter Keuneman. During the period 1977-1988, when the SLFP opposition in parliament was restricted to eight members, Mr. Ishak never failed to express his views without fear or favour.

In 1979, the writer was elected to the Colombo Municipal Council to represent the people of Kuppiyawatta East Ward on behalf of the United National Party which Ward was previously ably represented by the late Mr. Ishak for a continuous period of sixteen years.

An outstanding quality of the late Mr. Ishak, he never failed to acknowledge and commend progress and development being undertaken by the Colombo Municipal Council in the Kuppiyawatta East Ward during the tenure of the writer who represented this Ward from 1979-2002 as a Municipal Councillor and thereafter as the Deputy Mayor and Mayor of Colombo.

The late Mr. Ishak served the people irrespective of political affiliation during his four decades of public service as a Municipal Councillor and later as a Parliamentarian (1977-1994). Mr. Haniffa Ishak, elder son of the late Mr. Haleem Ishak continues the good work of his father serving the citizens of Colombo as a Municipal Councillor (1991-2002) and now as a party organizer.

The large gathering of mourners who came to pay their last respects at the burial ground in their thousands is ample testimony of the affection and admiration they had for the late Mr. Haleem Ishak — A Man among Men.

(From the Almighty Allah we come, and to Him we go)
Omar Kamil
Ambassador for Sri Lanka in Iran

Mr. Haleem Ishak’s death was news of great anxiety and unbearable sorrow as he was one of my very close friends for the past four decades. In the sojourn of sansara, we come across all sorts of people, but I strongly feel that people of the calibre of Haleem is so rare and limited. I firstly encountered Haleem at the Colombo Municipal election in 1962 as the SLFP candidate for Kuppiyawatte. In a virulent attack on Mr. Somaweera Chandrasiri MP who was Haleem Ishak’s key speake, in this election campaign, I supported the UNP candidate Mr. Karunathilake. My speech was so harsh that Haleem Ishak gave a press interview threatening libel action. But both of us became very good friends, representing governing and opposing parties in the CMC. Though I resigned from the Colombo Municipal Council our friendship never ended. We were "mango friends" through thick and thin. We fought many a political battle jointly in parliament and elsewhere. Haleem discarded all air of self-aggrandizement, he was a resolute campaigner against the corrupting nature of power at any level. He sincerely believed "all power corrupts, but absolute power corrupts absolutely".

Circumstances of straight forwardness compelled him to change his political colouring, but so-called leaders got the best out of him and never reciprocated. I’m fully aware of the assurances and the promises that were given to him by the governing powers of the country and never fulfilled. He was never a hot-headed politician moved by anger or indignation. He hated injustice, tyranny and immorality, he was always fair and generous to his opponents and always ungrudgingly helped his friends in their needs. Haleem Ishak even sacrificed his political career in coming to the rescue of so-called friends, who ultimately neglected or ignored him.

In the true sense of sports, Haleem Ishak was a true sportsman who played a "losing" game with pluck, patience and fearlessness. I used to meet him very often after he had fallen ill and a few days before his death, I spent a considerable time with him. I could visualize the height of his frustration and grief, when he requested me to visit him more frequently as it brought past memories and solace to him. He was very pleased to mention that he won parliamentary elections with majority votes, which he got from Sinhala people. I always consider him as a bridge builder who did his best to bring the Sinhalese and the Muslims together.

Haleem Ishak was a very devoted husband to his exemplary wife who happens to be Minister M. H. Mohamed’s sister. He was an amiable father to his sons, daughters and grandfather to his grandchildren.

May eternal bliss be with him.
P. A. Jinadasa Niyathapala

He had the welfare of people at heart
Haleem Ishak - Sunday Times Oct 12, 2003

The great reformist and architect of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in a statement made shortly before his death in 1938 said, "Any human being who believes that the destinies of other human beings depend wholly upon him personally is a petty man, failing to grasp the most elementary facts. Every man is destined to perish physically. The only way to stay happy while we live is to work not for ourselves, but for those to come".

Haleem Ishak, whose death brought sadness to all those who knew him epitomized the sentiments expressed by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Altruism was the driving force behind all his actions and he had the welfare of his fellow-beings at heart all the time.

When my son broke the news to me on September 24 that Haleem Ishak had died, I was saddened deeply, for it was only a few days earlier that I received a letter of appreciation from him for the work I am doing as Principal of Zahira College. "I am aware of your past as a Principal and I hope your experience will be used for the benefit of the students of Zahira, and I wish you all success."

He died the way he lived without rancour towards anybody, with peace within himself and wishing and praying for the wellbeing of others. With the death of Mr. Ishak, the country in general and the Muslim community in particular have lost a man in a million, whose greatest attribute was caring for others. As a community leader, politician and elder statesman he left an indelible mark on the affairs of his community and country. His death has left a void which is hard to fill. The large number of people who thronged the Kuppiyawatte burial ground spoke volumes of the love and affection in which Mr. Ishak was held.

Mr. Ishak who came from a family with strong links to social service, followed the footsteps of his father, N.M.M. Ishak. He entered politics by being elected as a member of the Colombo Municipal Council. He was always accessible even to the poorest of the poor and made use of that position to work and toil for the well being of the down-trodden.

He graduated into national politics and was elected as one of the very few members of the opposition in 1977, when the UNP won a landslide victory at the general elections. His contributions to parliamentary debates were informed, eloquent and down to earth.

I am personally aware of the painstaking manner in which he did his homework before a debate. On numerous occasions when he had to speak on educational topics, he would call me and ask questions pertaining to the educational problems facing the country and the manner in which they are addressed in the international arena, especially with the intervention of organizations like UNESCO and UNICEF.

He was an eloquent speaker in Sinhala. Whether on the political stage or in person to person communication with his constituents, he always exuded a sense of honesty and sincerity which had a lasting impact.

I have often heard him saying that as a representative of the people, a sacred trust has been placed upon him and it was his duty to live up to that trust. He will be remembered by the people who elected him both to the Municipal Council and Parliament.

Mr. Ishak was an old boy of Wesley College, Colombo and had the distinction of being elected President of the Old Boys’ Union. He worked hard to marshal the resources and capabilities of old boys to make tangible contributions to their alma mater. Whatever the task he undertook in that capacity, he performed it with diligence, dedication and single-minded steadfastness.

As a person concerned with the welfare of Muslims in Colombo, he paid considerable attention to the improvement of educational standards in government Muslim schools and did whatever possible to provide them with much needed infrastructure. Although he did not achieve great heights in the field of education, he was convinced that the future of the Muslims depended on education. It was that conviction that made him pay special attention to schools in his constituency.

He was also concerned about Zahira College, Colombo, the oldest and leading Muslim education institution in the country. Inspite of his onerous responsibilities he agreed to serve as a member of the Board of Governors of Zahira College. He made this an opportunity to serve and provide useful suggestions to the college authorities to enable them to improve the educational standards of the poor children attending the institution.

His life was so gentle, and the
Elements so mixed in him, that
Nature would stand up and say to all the world
This was a man.

Dr. M. Uvais Ahamed