Karu Jayasuriya facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hon.
Sri Lankabhimanya Karu Jayasuriya
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| ශ්රී ලංකාභිමාන්ය කරූ ජයසූරිය | |
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| 20th Speaker of the Parliament | |
| In office 1 September 2015 – 3 March 2020 |
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| Deputy | Ananda Kumarasiri Thilanga Sumathipala |
| Preceded by | Chamal Rajapaksa |
| Succeeded by | Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena |
| Chairman of the Constitutional Council (Sri Lanka) | |
| In office 9 September 2015 – 20 August 2020 |
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| President | Maithripala Sirisena, Gotabaya Rajapakse |
| Minister of Buddha Sasana | |
| In office 12 January 2015 – 17 August 2015 |
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| President | Maithripala Sirisena |
| Prime Minister | Ranil Wickremesinghe |
| Preceded by | D. M. Jayaratne |
| Minister of Public Administration, Democratic Rule | |
| In office 12 January 2015 – 17 August 2015 |
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| President | Maithripala Sirisena |
| Prime Minister | Ranil Wickremesinghe |
| Preceded by | D. M. Jayaratne |
| Minister of Public Administration and Home Affairs | |
| In office 2007–2008 |
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| Minister of Power and Energy | |
| In office 12 December 2001 – 6 April 2004 |
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| President | Chandrika Kumaratunga |
| Prime Minister | Ranil Wickremesinghe |
| Member of Parliament for National List |
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| In office 2015–2020 |
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| Member of Parliament for Gampaha District |
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| In office 2000–2015 |
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| Mayor of Colombo | |
| In office 1997–1999 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 29 September 1940 Gampaha, Sri Lanka |
| Political party | United National Party |
| Alma mater | Ananda College, Colombo |
| Occupation | Politics, diplomat |
| Profession | Businessman |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Sri Lanka |
| Branch/service | Ceylon Army Volunteer Force |
| Years of service | 1965–1972 |
| Rank | Second Lieutenant |
| Unit | Ceylon National Guard |
| Battles/wars | 1971 JVP insurrection |
Sri Lankabhimanya Karu Jayasuriya (Sinhala: කරු ජයසුරිය, Tamil: கரு ஜயசூரிய) is a well-known Sri Lankan politician. He was born on September 29, 1940. He served as the Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka, which is a very important role in the country's law-making body. Before that, he was the Mayor of Colombo, the capital city, from 1997 to 1999. He also held several government minister positions. These included Minister of Power and Energy and Minister of Public Administration and Home Affairs. He was also the Minister of Buddha Sasana, Public Administration, and Democratic Governance in 2015. Karu Jayasuriya has been a member of parliament for the Gampaha District since 2001. He also worked as Sri Lanka's Ambassador to Germany. As Speaker of Parliament, he led the Constitutional Council.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Karu Jayasuriya was born on September 29, 1940, in Mirigama, Gampaha. His parents were Podi Appuhamy Jayasuriya and Wimalaseeli Jayasiriya. He went to school at Kandangamuwa Vidyalaya in Mirigama. Later, he attended Ananda College in Colombo.
He continued his studies and became a professional in shipping. In 1965, he joined the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers. He also trained in commodity trading at the Baltic Exchange. He later became a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport.
Military Service
In 1965, Jayasuriya joined the Ceylon Army Volunteer Force. He became a Second Lieutenant in the Ceylon National Guard. He was called to serve during the 1971 JVP insurrection. He faced challenges while helping to fix train lines between Colombo and Anuradhapura. He left the army in 1972.
Business and Diplomatic Work
After leaving the army, Karu Jayasuriya worked in the private business sector. He became a top executive, leading many companies. He was the Chairman of several important business groups. These included The National Chamber of Commerce and the SAARC Chamber of Commerce. He also led the Colombo Rubber Traders' Association and the Sugar Importers Association.
In the early 1980s, President J. R. Jayewardene asked him to join a special commission. He also advised President Premadasa on business matters. In 1991, he left his business roles. President Premadasa then made him Chairman of the 'EXPO 92' Trade exhibition. From 1992 to 1994, he served as Sri Lanka's Ambassador to Germany. He also covered Austria and Switzerland during this time. He returned to Sri Lanka in 1994 after his party lost the elections.
Political Career
Mayor of Colombo
Karu Jayasuriya became active in politics in late 1995. He became the party chairman of the United National Party (UNP) in 1995. In 1996, the UNP chose him to run for Mayor of Colombo. He won the election and became Mayor. This was a big achievement because he was new to politics. He was a popular Mayor and managed the city well until 1999.
Provincial Council
After being a successful Mayor, Jayasuriya ran for the provincial council elections in 1999. He was the UNP's candidate for Chief Minister of the Western Province. He lost the election by a small margin. He then became the opposition leader for the Western Province council until 2001. During this election, he chose not to use posters. He said posters caused violence and made the city dirty.
Member of Parliament
In the General Elections of 2000, he was elected to Parliament. He represented the Gampaha District. He received many votes even though his party lost the election. After his strong performance, he was chosen as the Deputy Leader of the UNP.
Cabinet Minister
The UNP won the General Elections in 2001. Karu Jayasuriya was then appointed as the Minister of Power and Energy. This was a challenging job. He worked to keep the power supply steady. He also started changes to the Electricity Board.
In April 2004, President Chandrika Kumaratunga ended the parliament early. The UNP lost the next election. Jayasuriya then returned to being an opposition member. In the Presidential Elections of 2005, he was named as the candidate for Prime Minister if his party won. He traveled widely and campaigned for his party leader.
Return to Government
In January 2015, President Maithripala Sirisena won the presidential election. He then appointed Jayasuriya as Minister of Public Administration, Democratic Rule, and Buddha Sasana.
Speaker of the Parliament
On September 1, 2015, Karu Jayasuriya was elected as the Speaker of the 8th Parliament. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe suggested his name. Nimal Siripala De Silva supported the idea. Thilanga Sumathipala was elected as his deputy.
Honours
Karu Jayasuriya has received several important awards:
The Government of Sri Lanka awarded him the Deshabandu in 1992.
The Japanese government gave him the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun in 2016.
The Abdul Kalam Institute of Technological Sciences honored him with the Pride of Asia award in 2019.- The Rāmañña Nikāya gave him the Vishva Keerthishri Lanka Jana Ranjana in 2019.
- The Malwathu Maha Viharaya awarded him the Sasana Keerthi Sri Deshabhimani in 2019.
- The Amarapura Nikāya honored him with the Sadhu Jana Prasadhini Lankaputhra in 2019.
- The Government of Sri Lanka awarded him the Sri Lankabhimanya in 2023.
See also
- List of Govigama people
- List of political families in Sri Lanka
- List of Sri Lankan non-career diplomats
