The Administrator of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) Samantha Power has paid tribute to the late Sri Lankan politician Mangala Samaraweera.
Samantha Power paid tribute to the late Mangala Samaraweera after completing her two-day official visit to Sri Lanka on Sunday.
“I’ve been overwhelmed in Sri Lanka by the omnipresent spirit of the late Mangala Samaraweera, a dear friend. A “conviction politician” full of brilliance, creativity & wit, who constantly put the country first, Mangala was one of a kind,” she said via a message on Twitter.
She further said that Samaraweera’s ideas and impacts were invoked and debated during her various meetings in Sri Lanka.
“In my meetings with President @RW_UNP, opposition leader @sajithpremadasa, civil society, the private sector & @USAID’s remarkable Sri Lankan staff, Mangala’s ideas & impacts were invoked & debated so much that I found myself expecting him to come barreling around the corner,” she said.
Stating that Sri Lankans are enduring profound challenges right now, Samantha Power pointed out that Mangala Samaraweera’s wisdom, his connection to young people, and his pragmatic idealism are sorely missed.
“But I hope even as we continue to grieve his absence, we can all continue to take inspiration from his memory. I know I will,” she added. (NewsWire)
