Suranimala Rajapaksha facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Suranimala Rajapaksha
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| 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 (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.
Contents
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
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
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
