M. K. A. D. S. Gunawardana facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hon. M. K. A. D. S. Gunawardana
Gunawardana in May 2014
Minister of Lands
In office 12 January 2015 – 19 January 2016
President	Maithripala Sirisena
Prime Minister	Ranil Wickremesinghe
Preceded by	Janaka Bandara Tennakoon
Succeeded by	John Amaratunga
Deputy Minister of Buddha Sasana and Religious Affairs
In office 22 November 2010 – 21 November 2014
President	Mahinda Rajapaksa
Prime Minister	D. M. Jayaratne
Succeeded by	Tissa Karalliyadde
Member of Parliament for National List
In office 2015 – 19 January 2016
Succeeded by	Sarath Fonseka
Member of Parliament for Trincomalee District
In office 2010 – 26 June 2015
In office 2000 – 7 February 2004
In office 1989 – 24 June 1994
Member of the Eastern Provincial Council for Trincomalee District
In office 2008–2010
Succeeded by	N. G. Hewawitharana
Personal details
Born	(1947-03-06)6 March 1947
Died	19 January 2016(2016-01-19) (aged 68) Colombo, Sri Lanka
Political party	Democratic National Movement (after 2015) Sri Lanka Freedom Party (before 2015)
Other political affiliations	United National Front for Good Governance

Munasinghe Kariyawasam Appuhamilage Don Somadasa Gunawardana (born March 6, 1947 – died January 19, 2016) was a politician from Sri Lanka. He served as a member of Parliament and also as a government minister.

Early Life and Education

Gunawardana was born on March 6, 1947. He went to school at Doranagoda Maha Vidyalaya. After finishing his GCE Ordinary Level studies, he earned a certificate in agriculture.

Political Career

Gunawardana worked for the Land Commissioner's Department from 1966 to 1968. After that, he joined the police as a constable. He worked as a police investigator for ten years, from 1974 to 1984. He became an Assistant Superintendent of Police before he retired. In 1987, he was arrested for political reasons and held until May 1988.

Joining Politics

Gunawardana became involved in politics in 1982. He joined the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). He was chosen to organize the SLFP in the Seruvila area. In 1989, he ran for election in the Trincomalee Electoral District. He won and became a member of the Parliament.

In 1993, the SLFP joined with other parties to form the People's Alliance (PA). Gunawardana ran again in 1994 but did not win a seat that time. He was elected back into Parliament in 2000 and again in 2001.

Later Political Roles

In 2004, the SLFP and another party formed the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA). Gunawardana ran for election with the UPFA but was not re-elected. However, in 2008, he was elected to the Eastern Provincial Council. He then became the deputy chairman of the Eastern Provincial Council in June 2008.

Gunawardana was elected to Parliament again in 2010. In November 2010, he was made the Deputy Minister of Buddha Sasana and Religious Affairs. In July 2012, he had a minor heart attack and was taken to the hospital.

Changing Parties

In November 2014, Gunawardana left the UPFA. He chose to support Maithripala Sirisena for president in the 2015 election. Because he supported Sirisena, he lost his ministerial job and was removed from the SLFP. After Sirisena won the election, he appointed Gunawardana as the Minister of Lands. In February 2015, Gunawardana also became a vice president of the SLFP.

In July 2015, Gunawardana and other supporters of President Sirisena formed a new group. It was called the United National Front for Good Governance (UNFGG). Gunawardana did not run in the 2015 parliamentary election directly. Instead, he was placed on the UNFGG's National List of candidates. He was appointed as a UNFGG National List MP in August 2015. After the election, he was again made the Minister of Lands.

Final Years

In late 2015, Gunawardana traveled to the United Kingdom for medical treatment. He stayed with his daughter in Reading. On December 11, 2015, Parliament gave him three months off for health reasons. Gunawardana returned to Sri Lanka, but his health got worse. He passed away at a hospital in Colombo on January 19, 2016.

Electoral History

Gunawardana participated in several elections throughout his career. Here is a summary of his election results: