Gamini Dissanayake
Encyclopedia
Lionel Gamini Dissanayake (Sinhala:ලයනල් ගාමිනි දිසානායක) (March 20, 1942 - October 24, 1994) was a prominent Sri Lanka
n politician
and a former presidential candidate and Leader of the Opposition
.
as the eldest son of a family of seven children to Andrew Dissanayake who served as an MP and a deputy minister in the Sri Lanka Freedom Party
government of S.W.R.D Bandaranaike
. His mother,Welegedara Samaratunga Kumarihamy of Kotmale. Born and bred in Kotmale, his basic values were cultivated in this rural milieu social surrounding and environment. The wealthy Dissanayake family resided in both Kandy
as well as Nuwara Eliya
. Dissanayake had his schooling at the prestigious Trinity College in Kandy, and received his tertiary education at the Sri Lanka Law College
. Later in life, he completed an MPhil Degree in International Relations at Cambridge University UK.
indicated he would not run in the 1994 presidential election
, Dissanayake was nominated as the UNP candidate at the same time he was the Leader of the Opposition in parliament. This was cut short when he was assassinated by a female suicide bomber
of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
(LTTE). His wife Srima Dissanayake ran in his stead, but was defeated by People's Alliance
candidate & then Prime Minister Chandrika Kumaratunga
.
He has two sons, who are in politics. Navin & Mayantha. His eldest son Navin currently Cabinet Minister of State Management Reforms in President Mahinda Rajapakse's Government and Member of Parliament for Nuwara Eliya District
he was former non-cabinet minister of Investment Promotion too. Mayantha
contested for the 2010 General Election
for Kandy District
from UNP.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
n politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and a former presidential candidate and Leader of the Opposition
Leader of the Opposition (Sri Lanka)
The Leader of the Opposition in the Sri Lanka is the politician who leads main opposition. This is the leader of the largest party not within the government, usually the leader of the second largest party in the Parliament...
.
Early life
He was born in KandyKandy
Kandy is a city in the center of Sri Lanka. It was the last capital of the ancient kings' era of Sri Lanka. The city lies in the midst of hills in the Kandy plateau, which crosses an area of tropical plantations, mainly tea. Kandy is one of the most scenic cities in Sri Lanka; it is both an...
as the eldest son of a family of seven children to Andrew Dissanayake who served as an MP and a deputy minister in the Sri Lanka Freedom Party
Sri Lanka Freedom Party
The Sri Lanka Freedom Party is one of the major political parties in Sri Lanka. It was founded by S.W.R.D Bandaranaike in 1951 and, since then, has been one of the two largest parties in the Sri Lankan political arena. It first came to power in 1956 and since then has been the predominant party in...
government of S.W.R.D Bandaranaike
Solomon Bandaranaike
Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike (Sinhala:සොලමන් වෙස්ට් රිජ්වේ ඩයස් බන්ඩාරනායක)(Tamil:சாலமன் வெஸ்ட் ரிச்சர்ட் டயஸ் பண்டாரநாயக்கா)Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike (Sinhala:සොලමන් වෙස්ට් රිජ්වේ ඩයස් බන්ඩාරනායක)(Tamil:சாலமன் வெஸ்ட் ரிச்சர்ட் டயஸ்...
. His mother,Welegedara Samaratunga Kumarihamy of Kotmale. Born and bred in Kotmale, his basic values were cultivated in this rural milieu social surrounding and environment. The wealthy Dissanayake family resided in both Kandy
Kandy
Kandy is a city in the center of Sri Lanka. It was the last capital of the ancient kings' era of Sri Lanka. The city lies in the midst of hills in the Kandy plateau, which crosses an area of tropical plantations, mainly tea. Kandy is one of the most scenic cities in Sri Lanka; it is both an...
as well as Nuwara Eliya
Nuwara Eliya
Nuwara Eliya , meaning "city on the plain " or "city of light", is a town in the central highlands of Sri Lanka with a picturesque landscape and temperate climate. It is located at an altitude of 1,868 m and is considered to be the most important location for Tea production in Sri Lanka...
. Dissanayake had his schooling at the prestigious Trinity College in Kandy, and received his tertiary education at the Sri Lanka Law College
Sri Lanka Law College
Sri Lanka Law College was established as the Ceylon Law College under the Council of Legal Education in 1874 in order to impart a formal legal education to those who wished to be lawyers in Ceylon...
. Later in life, he completed an MPhil Degree in International Relations at Cambridge University UK.
Political career
Dissanyake spearheaded the Mahaweli Development Project. This was a huge project which was expected to take 30 years to finish. But due to Dissanayake's skills he managed to finish the project within 6 years. The Mahaweli Development Project is the largest development project conducted in Sri Lanka after independence. The whole country was affected by the project which focused on irrigation, hydro power generation, agriculture, town & country development. Majority of the power generated for the local consumption is generated from these hydropower plants while an overwhelming majority of the rice cultivation in Sri Lanka is conducted in these Mahaweli areas.Death
After President D.B. WijetungaDingiri Banda Wijetunga
Dingiri Banda Wijetunga was the President of Sri Lanka from May 1, 1993 to November 12, 1994, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from March 3, 1989 to May 7, 1993 and the Governor of North Western province, Sri Lanka from 1988 to 1989.-Early life:...
indicated he would not run in the 1994 presidential election
Sri Lankan presidential election, 1994
The Sri Lankan presidential election of 1994 was the third presidential election of Sri Lanka. Nominations were accepted on 7 October 1994, and the election was held on 9 November 1994. Electoral participation was 70.47%...
, Dissanayake was nominated as the UNP candidate at the same time he was the Leader of the Opposition in parliament. This was cut short when he was assassinated by a female suicide bomber
Female suicide bomber
Though the majority of suicide bombers have been male, female suicide bombers have carried out a number of attacks.-History:Female suicide bombers have been employed in several conflicts, by a variety of organizations, against both military and civilian targets.*In Lebanon on April 9, 1985, Sana'a...
of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was a separatist militant organization formerly based in northern Sri Lanka. Founded in May 1976 by Vellupillai Prabhakaran, it waged a violent secessionist and nationalist campaign to create an independent state in the north and east of Sri Lanka for Tamil...
(LTTE). His wife Srima Dissanayake ran in his stead, but was defeated by People's Alliance
People's Alliance (Sri Lanka)
The People's Alliance is a front of political parties in Sri Lanka, formed in 1994.It comprises the following parties:* Sri Lanka Freedom Party* Lanka Sama Samaja Party* Communist Party of Sri Lanka* Sri Lanka Mahajana Party...
candidate & then Prime Minister Chandrika Kumaratunga
Chandrika Kumaratunga
Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga born June 29, 1945) was the 4th Executive president of Sri Lanka, serving from November 12, 1994 to November 19, 2005. The daughter of two former Prime Ministers, she was also the leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party until end of 2005...
.
He has two sons, who are in politics. Navin & Mayantha. His eldest son Navin currently Cabinet Minister of State Management Reforms in President Mahinda Rajapakse's Government and Member of Parliament for Nuwara Eliya District
Nuwara Eliya District
Nuwara Eliya District is a district in Central Province, Sri Lanka. Its area is 1,228 km². Nuwara Eliya town is a tourist attraction.-Demographics:...
he was former non-cabinet minister of Investment Promotion too. Mayantha
Mayantha Dissanayake
Mayantha Yasvan Dissanayake is a Sri Lankan politician. He is a son of Gamini Dissanayake a Presidential candidate and grandson of Andrew Dissanayake who served as an MP for the Nuwara Eliya electorate and a deputy minister in the S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike's government...
contested for the 2010 General Election
Sri Lankan parliamentary election, 2010
The 2010 Sri Lankan parliamentary election was held on April 8 and April 20, 2010, to elect 225 members to Sri Lanka's 14th Parliament. 14,088,500 Sri Lankans were eligible to vote in the election at 11,102 polling stations...
for Kandy District
Kandy District
Kandy District is a district of the Central Province of Sri Lanka. Its area is 1906.3 km². The capital of the district is Kandy.- Demographics :...
from UNP.
See also
- Navin Dissanayake
- Mayantha DissanayakeMayantha DissanayakeMayantha Yasvan Dissanayake is a Sri Lankan politician. He is a son of Gamini Dissanayake a Presidential candidate and grandson of Andrew Dissanayake who served as an MP for the Nuwara Eliya electorate and a deputy minister in the S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike's government...
- List of political families in Sri Lanka