First Sinhalese to hold political office
A Sri Lankan from Negombo who decided to go to Italy after failing to enter the university due to low Advanced Leval marks has won a seat in a regional council in Lombardy Province at the local polls.
Niranjan Wass’ journey from the backwoods of Negombo to the centre of local politics in the richest province in Italy was no mean feat for someone who had his early education at the Nainamadama Roman Catholic School and entered Saint Joseph Vaz College of Wennappuwa after passing the Grade Five scholarship exam.
“After I failed to enter the university in 1977 I got a job in the fisheries department as a technical assistant but after three years I left looking for greener pastures in Italy,” he tells Savithri Vithanage of Rivira Online.
Life was hard initially, surviving on odd jobs in restaurants and houses as the experience he gained in Sri Lanka was not recognised. As he mastered the Italian language there were many job offers and he was hired as an Administrative Assistant in a modelling agency where he worked for two years. His next job was as manager in a high-rise complex for 18 years. In his early days in Italy he got married to a Filipino woman.
After he lost the job in 2007, Niranjan decided to come to Sri Lanka where he dabbled in business for a while but changed his mind and went back to Italy. That’s where he took control of his life.
He found a new post as a manager of the world famous Alexander Monsoni museum which he describes as his dream job. Lombardy which became a Roman Province in 194 BC has some of the world’s finest museums.
Sixty-two year old Niranjan, who has a daughter who completed her higher studies in England, says that it is not easy to become a politician in Italy like in Sri Lanka. “You should have educational qualifications to be in politics and a Political Science degree is a must. Usually anyone can contest in a poll if you are qualified ten years after becoming a citizen.”
Before being a candidate Niranjan had to acquire compete fluency in Italian language. He contested from Italian Democratic Party (Partito Democratico) which is leftist. The voters in his constituency are some of the richest men in Lombardy who are not in favour of the left.
Lombardy is one of the 20 administrative regions of Italy, in the northwest of the country, with a population of 10 million people – forming one-sixth of Italy’s population.
About a fifth of Italy’s GDP is produced in the region, making it the most populous and wealthy province and one of the richest areas in Europe. Milan, Lombardy’s capital, is the second-biggest city in the country and the largest metropolitan area and one of the most beautiful places.
Niranjan is affiliated to a Sri Lankan association called People’s Forum, allied to Democratic Party led by Giorgio Gori, entrepreneur, journalist and politician and the current Mayor of Bergamo since June 2014. He is the opposition leader of the provincial parliament.
According to a spokesman of People’s Forum, the association decided to propose Niranjan’s name to contest the polls held on March 5 this year as he is one of the most qualified and efficient Sri Lankans in the region.
Elections are simple affairs in Italy, says Niranjan. “There are no long political speeches or heavy costs like in Sri Lanka. I spent only 450 euros (about Rs. 85,000) to print my election manifesto to be distributed among the voters. This year the party decided to allow immigrants from several countries to contest in the elections.”
Being a member of a regional council is a stepping stone for a major political career but at the moment Niranjan is toying with the idea of coming back to his native land after retirement where, he says, ‘his heart is.’ He has no plans of being involved in Sri Lankan politics if he returns.
According to his Facebook page he still keeps abreast with political and social situation in Sri Lanka and displays several posts condemning the recent religious and racial violence. There is one post saying “Don’t blame Italy. Italy did not ask you to come and if you can’t stay here please leave!” Being the first Sri Lankan to be elected to a prestigious political position in Italy, Niranjan knows the large-heartedness of the European nation.
