The 75th death anniversary of Sir D.B. Jayatilaka will be held on May 28 at 9.00 am, at the Public Trustee Department in Colombo. Speaker Karu Jayasuriya is expected to unveil the 75th memorial plaque of Sir. Jayatilaka at the event. Colombo University Emeritus Prof. Rohini Paranavitana is expected to deliver the Sir. D.B. Jayatilaka oration and Ven. Kotugoda Dhammawasa Thera and Ven. Welamitiyawe Kusaladhamma Thera would deliver anusasana. The relatives of late Sir Jayatilaka and other invitees are expected to take part in the event.
Speaking on the 75th death anniversary of Sir D.B. Jayatilaka, Public Trustee Sanath Weeratne PC told the Daily News that he wish to dedicate his ‘Silk’ to the Public Trustee Department. He said that receiving ‘Silk’ from President Maithripala Sirisena was an honour to his department.
The late Sir. D.B. Jayatilaka is the uncrowned prince of mother Lanka and she is proud to have had such an honourable and valuable son. I wish that he may be reborn in our precious motherland, he added.
According to him, the Public Trustee Department, which was founded on November 22, 1930, began its operations in 1931. The Public Trustee Ordinance No.1 of 1922 was enforced on November 22, 1930. It was amended by Ordinance No.11 of 1931, No.59 of 1938, and Act No.41 of 1983. At present, it is 89 years old.
Sir D.B. Jayatilaka, in his last will, dated January 4, 1933, bestowed everything upon the Public Trustee Department and made it the sole executor of his entire estate. The Sri Lankan Public Trustee office operates from just one place; the Thurburn House donated by late Sir D.B. Jayatilaka in his last will. Sir Jayatilaka had insisted that the office operates from his home as long as it functioned in the country, Weeratne said.
He said that in the house, a cadre of 87 run 1,200 trusts. The Public Trustee Department makes donations to religious institutions, as well as for medical and educational purposes. There are specific criteria for making different types of donations and all donations are provided only to eligible recipients.
“A total of 254 last wills were opened under a court order obtained last year and now, the process of attending to those last wills is going on. I wish to offer the facility of writing last wills free-of-charge to the public soon,” the Public Trustee said.
“I also wish to open two branches of the Public Trustee Department in the North and the South in order to provide better services to the public, while also reducing the burden of travelling long distances to Colombo. Arrangements will be made to assist rural temples in the country that lack the necessary facilities, he said, “We will also take steps to renovate the Thurburn House with the assistance of the State Engineering Corporation, without making any changes or harming its historical value.”
Public Trustee Sanath Weeratne said, “I complete my second year in this position on May 29 as the 24th Public Trustee in Sri Lanka. There is a lot we can do for the 22 million people who live in Sri Lanka, and we will serve them in the best way possible.”
The Public Trustee said that late Sir Jayatilaka had written his last will in 1933, making the Public Trustee the sole executor of his estates and assets.
“Most importantly, in his last will, the most prized asset of his entire estate was this property at No.2, Buller’s Lane, Colombo 4; the Thurburn House, built on a 30.5-perch land. The relatives of late Sir Jayatilaka said that the building had been constructed by him between 1928 and 1930.
“However, this is not the only property that Sir Jayatilaka gifted; there was also a very valuable and well-maintained coconut estate of 90 acres in Kurunegala, which was known as the Pitakanda Estate,” Weeratne said.
“It’s a beautiful estate. Late Sir Jayatilaka was the first Buddhist to be knighted and the first member of the Sri Lankan Parliament to deliver a Budget speech. He also rendered a yeoman service to the Buddhist education in Sri Lanka,” he added.
According to Section 5 of the Ordinance, the general powers and duties of the Public Trustee specifies that the Public Trustee can act as an ordinary trustee, collector of estates under an order to collect, a custodian trustee, curator of an estate belonging to a minor; as well as to manage estates of persons of unsound mind, manage immovable property on terms of contract and conditions including fees as mutually agreed upon, and act as an attorney for persons absent from Sri Lanka for the purpose of receiving and paying money. Under Chapter 35 of the Civil Procedure Code, the Public Trustee can act as a guardian of any person of unsound mind, he said.
In the country’s citizenship protocol, the President is the first citizen, the second is the Prime Minister, the third citizen is the Speaker, the fourth is the Chief Justice, the fifth citizen is the Attorney-General, the sixth citizen is the Opposition Leader, the seventh is the Auditor-General, and the eighth is the Public Trustee. But the majority of the people in the country do not know about this position and they do not know what this department does or how it functions, he added.
“This department should deliver the services expected by the public, especially those who left their last wills here. Other countries in the world have given high recognition to this department. This is a non-political, unbiased, impartial, independent, and neutral position and the most important part is financial transparency,” the Public Trustee said.
Weeratne has made arrangements to re-activate the department’s website, which had been inactive for the past 10 years. To upload all accounts online, the Public Trustee has also taken action to update their accounting software.
“There is a huge misconception that the Public Trustee predominantly serves Buddhists. That is wrong. I am a Buddhist, but I am the Trustee for all Sri Lankans, for all religions and ethnicities,” the Public Trustee added.
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