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Suranimala Rajapaksha
Politician1.jpg
Special Envoy to the Prime Minister
In office
7 October 2015 – 14 March 2016
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe
Coordinating Secretary to the Prime Minister
In office
27 January 2015 – 18 August 2015
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe
Minister of School Education
In office
2001–2004
President Chandrika Kumaratunga
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe
Member of Parliament
for Gampaha District
In office
1994–2004
Member of Western Provincial Council
In office
1988–1994
Minister of Education, Sports, youth affairs, Women affairs and Cultural affairs of the Western Provincial Council
In office
1988–1993
President Ranasinghe Premadasa
Prime Minister D.B. Wijetunga
Governor Suppiah Sharvananda
Executive Member of Gampaha District Development Council
In office
1982–1988
Private Secretary to the Minister of Education,Youth Affairs and Employment
In office
1977–1988
Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe
Executive Director of National youth Service Council
In office
1982–1988
Personal details
Born 5 January 1949
Died 14 March 2016(2016-03-14) (aged 67)
Colombo
Nationality Sri Lankan
Political party United National Party
Spouse Chandani Rajapaksha
Children Sanjeewani Rajapaksha
Kanishka Rajapaksha
Parents Saranelis Rajapaksha
(father)
D.P.Rajapaksha Haminea
(mother)
Alma mater Ananda College
Occupation Politician

Suranimala Rajapaksha (born January 5, 1949 – died March 14, 2016) was a well-known politician from Sri Lanka. He was first chosen to be a Member of Parliament (MP) in 1994. From 2001 to 2004, he served as the Minister of School Education for Sri Lanka.

Mr. Rajapaksha was a member of the United National Party (UNP), which is a major political group in Sri Lanka. He also worked closely with the prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. In 2015, he became the Coordinating Secretary to the Prime Minister. At the time of his passing, he was working as a special representative for the Prime Minister. His younger son, Kanishka Rajapaksha, who is a lawyer, later took on a similar role as Coordinating Assistant to the Prime Minister.

Early Life and Family

Suranimala Rajapaksha was born on January 5, 1949. His parents were Saranelis Rajapaksha and D.P. Rajapaksha Hamine. His father was a respected land owner in the village of Samanabeddha, which is in the Gampaha District. Suranimala was the youngest of three children in his family. In 1983, he married Chandani Jayakodi.

Education

Suranimala Rajapaksha started his schooling at Mayadunna Maha Vidyalaya and Rajasingha Maha Vidyalaya. For his high school education, he went to Ananda College in Colombo.

Political Career

Suranimala Rajapaksha had a long career in Sri Lankan politics, holding several important positions.

Starting in Youth Politics

In 1973, Suranimala Rajapaksha became a member of the working committee for the Youth League of the United National Party (UNP). The Youth League is a group for young people who are interested in politics and supporting their party. At that time, Ranil Wickremesinghe, who would later become Prime Minister, was the treasurer of this Youth League.

Serving in the Provincial Council

Sworn in - Provincial Minister
Suranimala Rajapaksha being sworn in as a Provincial Council Minister by Governor of Western Province Suppiah Sharvananda.

In 1988, Sri Lanka changed its constitution to create Provincial Councils for each province. These councils help manage local government affairs. The first election for these councils was held in 1988. Suranimala Rajapaksha was elected as a member of the Provincial Council, representing the Gampaha district. He also served as the Minister of Education, Sports, Youth Affairs, Women Affairs, and Cultural Affairs for the Western Provincial Council from 1988 to 1993.

Becoming a Member of Parliament

In the 1994 general election, Suranimala Rajapaksha was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for the first time. An MP is a person elected by citizens to represent them in the country's main law-making body, the Parliament of Sri Lanka. Even though his party, the UNP, lost the election that year, he still won his seat in Parliament.

Minister of School Education

Sworn in - Minister
Suranimala Rajapaksha being sworn in as the Minister of School Education by President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

In 2001, the UNP won the general election, and Ranil Wickremesinghe became the Prime Minister. Suranimala Rajapaksha was re-elected to Parliament in this election. He was then appointed as the Minister of School Education. In this role, he was responsible for overseeing and improving the school system in Sri Lanka.

Working with the Prime Minister

After the presidential election in January 2015, Ranil Wickremesinghe became the new Prime Minister. On January 27, 2015, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe appointed Suranimala Rajapaksha as his Coordinating Secretary. This role involves helping the Prime Minister manage his schedule, communications, and various tasks.

Important Roles at the End of His Life

At the time of his passing, Suranimala Rajapaksha held several key positions:

  • He was a working committee member of the United National Party.
  • He served as the Secretary for the Ex-Parliamentarian Group.
  • He was a special envoy (a special representative) to the prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Death

Suranimala Rajapaksha passed away on March 14, 2016, in Colombo, at the age of 67. He had been receiving medical treatment at a private hospital. He had served as a special envoy to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe for just over a year before his death.

See also

  • List of Ananda College alumni
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