Liberty, Social Pluralism and Political Constitutionalism

On 16 October 2009, yet another liberal stalwart joined the long line of erudite speakers to deliver the Dudley Senanayake Memorial Lecture. Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim, the Leader of Opposition, and People’s Justice Party, Malaysia delivered the 12th Dudley Senanayake Memorial Lecture, titled, “The Role of the Opposition in a Liberal Democracy”.

It was one the best attended lectures of all times. Every single seat in the lecture hall was taken and additional seating had to be provided. It was indeed an audience comprised of all communities living in Sri Lanka, ranging from former Presidents to Ministers and Members of Parliament to Diplomats and Heads of INGOs to academics and media to public and private sector professionals. Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim walked into the packed hall and was received with a thunderous applause. His fame as an intense orator has lead to a great expectation among the audience. Anwar Ibrahim did not disappoint the crowd; he held them spellbound with his very well delivered, thought provoking and truly significant lecture, to the very end.

Leaders of almost all political parties in the opposition found the lecture very topical and encouraging at a time an alliance of broader consensus is in the making to defeat tyranny, nepotism and the culture of impunity that have become a grate bane to liberal democracy in Sri Lanka

Liberty, Social pluralism and Political constitutionalism were the three salient points Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim elaborated with scholarship and finesse. He reminded Sri Lankans the great liberal ideals that late Premier Dudley Senanayake lived by and acted upon. He emphasised how these principles are more significant today, when political and economic freedom is strongly threatened.

Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim also had a “Meet the Press” event. Wide publicity was given to this event by both private electronic and print media.

Later in the evening of 16 October 2009, Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim attended a reception given in his honour by the Friedrich Naumann Stiftung für die Freiheit and met with FNF partners and acquaintance in Sri Lanka.

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