![]() | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations .(September 2020) |
Donald Ranaweera | |
---|---|
Member of the Ceylonese Parliament for Maskeliya | |
In office 1960–1960 | |
Preceded by | S. Jinadasa |
Succeeded by | Edmund Wijesuriya |
Member of the Ceylonese Parliament for Nuwara Eliya | |
In office 1965–1970 | |
Preceded by | T. William Fernando |
Succeeded by | Gamini Dissanayake |
Personal details | |
Born | 20 March 1924 |
Political party | United National Party |
Occupation | plantation owner and press baron |
Donald Jasen Ranaweera (20 March 1921 - 26 December 2000) was a Sri Lankan plantation owner,press baron and politician. He was the Chairmen of the Times of Ceylon and served as the member of parliament from Maskeliya (1960) and Nuwara Eliya (1965-1970). [1]
Born to a wealthy land and plantation owning family from Yatiyana,Matara. He was Educated at St.Thomas' College,Mount Lavinia and Trinity College,Kandy.The family fortune was founded by his grandfather,Yatiyana Ralahamay. Donald Ranaweera's father,Don Andreas Ranaweera expanded the land and wealth he inherited from his father,Yatiyana Ralahamy. He also bought the Panilkanda Estate in Deniyaya and later acquired Fetteresso and Attabagie Group in Dickoya and Gampola. Yatiyana 'Sisiragiri' Walawua was also built by his father Don Andreas Ranaweera and it was the family seat where he served as the Chairman of the local village council. [2] Taking over the family businesses,Donald J Ranaweera became a wealthy financier owning several plantations and served as the Chairman of the Times of Ceylon with H. W. Amarasuriya serving as Deputy Chairmen. [3] [4] D. J. Ranaweera along with H. W. Amarasuriya were the two wealthiest landed proprietors of post-independent Ceylon.
Donald Ranaweera was elected from the Maskeliya electorate from the United National Party in the 1960 March general election defeating the incumbent S. Jinadasa from the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna and P. Gamini Ariyatilake from the Lanka Sama Samaja Party. He was defeated in the 1960 July general election by Edmund Wijesuriya of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party. He then contested the 1965 general election from the Nuwara Eliya electorate from the United National Party and won. In 1970,he was refused nominations from the United National Party for the 1970 general election from Nuwara Eliya in favor of the young Gamini Dissanayake by Dudley Senanayake,whose first bid for parliament in the 1970 general election from his late father's party,Sri Lanka Freedom Party had been refused in favor of T. William Fernando. The angered Ranaweera,contested the 1970 general election from the Maskeliya electorate as an independent and polled fourth. In the 1970s he lost most of his holdings to government takeover. His plantations were nationalized under the land reforms and the Ceylon Times Group following several years of financial mismanagement was nationalized under the Sri Lanka Freedom Party government. [5]
He was appointed a Justice of Peace and a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in the 1955 Birthday Honours for public services.
He married Sumithra Rambukwelle,they had ten children and their daughter Kalyani Viveca,married Dr Shirantha Ratwatte.
The Ceylon Workers' Congress (CWC) is a political party in Sri Lanka that has traditionally represented Sri Lankan Tamils of Indian origin working in the plantation sector of the economy.
Dissanayake Mudiyanse Ralahamilage Lionel Gamini Dissanayake,PC was a prominent Sri Lankan politician,a powerful minister of the United National Party,and Leader of the Opposition. He was designated as the UNP candidate in the 1994 presidential election,but was then assassinated by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
Savumiamoorthy Arumugam Ramanathan Thondaman was a Sri Lankan politician who served as a Cabinet Minister. He was the grandson of prominent unionist Saumyamoorthi Thondaman. He was the leader of the Ceylon Workers' Congress,a Member of Parliament representing the Nuwara Eliya District and was an advocate for the Indian Tamils of Sri Lanka. His career as a politician spanned over 20 years,holding several ministerial portfolios in different governments. He was regarded as one of the prominent politicians from Nuwara Eliya.
Navin Eranjan Dissanayake is a Sri Lankan politician,and former Minister of Plantation Industries. A former Member of Parliament for United National Party Nuwara Eliya District,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. His brother,Mayantha Dissanayake is an MP for UNP from Kandy District. He was educated at S. Thomas' Preparatory School and Royal College Colombo.
Mayantha Yaswanth Dissanayake is a Sri Lankan politician serving as a Member of Parliament for National List. He was a former Member of Parliament from Kandy District and a Provincial Councillor of the Central Provincial Council.
Sundaram Perumal Rajadurai is a Sri Lankan attorney-at-law,politician and former member of parliament.
S. Udeiappan Palani Alagan Digambaran is a Sri Lankan politician and government minister. He is the leader of the National Union of Workers (NUW),a member of the Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) and United National Front for Good Governance (UNFGG).
Henry Woodward Amarasuriya was a Ceylonese plantation owner,politician,educationist and philanthropist. He was the Cabinet Minister for Trade and Commerce in the cabinet of D. S. Senanayake. A former member of the Ceylon state council,H. W. Amarasuriya was a founding member and the first general secretary of the United National Party. He also held the position of Deputy Speaker and Chairman of Committees in the first parliament of Ceylon. A member of the first Education Executive Committee of the state council and a former general manager of the Buddhist schools,he did a great service to improve the education in Ceylon.
Maskeliya electoral district was an electoral district of Sri Lanka between August 1947 and July 1977. The district was named after the town of Maskeliya in Nuwara Eliya District,Central Province. The 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka introduced the proportional representation electoral system for electing members of Parliament. The existing 160 mainly single-member electoral districts were replaced with 22 multi-member electoral districts. Maskeliya electoral district was replaced by the Nuwara Eliya multi-member electoral district at the 1989 general elections,the first under the proportional representation system.
Nuwara Eliya-Maskeliya electoral district was an electoral district of Sri Lanka between July 1977 and February 1989. The district was named after the city of Nuwara Eliya and town of Maskeliya in Nuwara Eliya District,Central Province. The 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka introduced the proportional representation electoral system for electing members of Parliament. The existing 160 mainly single-member electoral districts were replaced with 22 multi-member electoral districts. Nuwara Eliya-Maskeliya electoral district was replaced by the multi-member electoral district at the 1989 general elections,the first under the proportional representation system.
Abdul Aziz was an Indian-born Ceylonese politician and trade unionist. He was elected to the first Parliament of Ceylon in March 1950 representing the Ceylon Indian Congress as the member for the Maskeliya electorate,at a parliamentary by-election,following the death of the sitting member,G. R. Motha.
H Cannappen Velusingham Velupillai was a Ceylonese trade unionist,politician and poet.
Piyadigamage Premachandra Sumanatilake (?–1967) was a Ceylonese politician.
Mudiyanselage Andrew Dissanayake was a Ceylonese businessman,landholder and politician.
Henry Edmund Wijesuriya was a Sri Lankan politician who was a Member of Parliament from Maskeliya,and President of the All Ceylon Co-operative Federation.
Jeevan Thondaman is a Sri Lankan politician,former Member of Parliament and Cabinet minister.
Marudapandy Rameshwaran is a Sri Lankan politician,former provincial minister and Member of Parliament.
Opanayake Nimal Piyatissa is a Sri Lankan politician,former provincial minister and Member of Parliament.
Palani Elilan Mylvaganam Udayakumar is a Sri Lankan politician,former provincial councillor and Member of Parliament.
Sooriyasena Jinadasa was a Ceylonese politician. He was the member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka for Maskeliya,representing the Sri Lanka Freedom Party.