Wijeyananda Dahanayake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Wijeyananda Dahanayake
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| 5th Prime Minister of Ceylon | |
| In office 26 September 1959 – 20 March 1960 |
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| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Preceded by | Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike |
| Succeeded by | Dudley Senanayake |
| Member of Parliament for Galle |
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| In office 1979 – 20 December 1988 |
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| Preceded by | Albert de Silva |
| Succeeded by | Constituency Abolished |
| In office 1960 – 18 May 1977 |
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| Preceded by | W. D. S. Abeygoonawardena |
| Succeeded by | Albert de Silva |
| In office 1947 – 5 December 1959 |
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| Preceded by | Constituency Created |
| Succeeded by | W. D. S. Abeygoonawardena |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 22 October 1902 Galle, British Ceylon |
| Died | 4 May 1997 (aged 94) Galle, Sri Lanka |
| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Political party | Lanka Sama Samaja Party Ceylon Democratic Party United National Party |
| Education | S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia, Richmond College, Galle |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Profession | Teacher |
| Nickname | Bannis Mama |
Wijeyananda Dahanayake (Sinhala: විජයානන්ද දහනායක Tamil: விஜயானந்த தகநாயக்கா; 1902–1997) was an important Sri Lankan politician. He served as the 5th Prime Minister of Ceylon (which is now Sri Lanka). His time as Prime Minister was from September 1959 to March 1960.
Dahanayake was born in Galle and went to Richmond College and S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia. He started his career as a teacher. Later, he entered politics. He was elected to the Galle Municipal Council in 1939. He even became the Mayor of Galle.
He was a Member of Parliament for Galle for many years, from 1947 to 1977. He also served as the Minister of Education. When Prime Minister S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike was assassinated in 1959, Dahanayake unexpectedly became the Prime Minister. His time in office was short. He later served as the Minister of Home Affairs and Minister of Co-operatives. He was known for joining different political parties throughout his career. He also holds the record for the longest speech in parliament, which lasted thirteen and a half hours!
Contents
Early Life and School Days
Wijeyananda Dahanayake was born on October 22, 1902. He was a twin, born in Dangedera, Galle. His father, Don Dionesius Panditha Sepala Dahanayake, was a respected scholar.
Dahanayake went to several schools. He studied at Rippon Girls' School, Galle and the Government English Training School. He then attended Richmond College, Galle and S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia for his high school education.
Teaching Career and Early Politics
After finishing school, Dahanayake became a teacher at St. Aloysius' College, Galle. He taught many subjects like English, math, history, and geography. He also coached sports teams and led student groups. He even organized student protests against the British government, which ruled Sri Lanka at that time.
Becoming a Politician
Dahanayake soon left teaching to focus on politics. He joined the Lanka Sama Samaja Party, a political group. In 1939, he was elected to the Galle Municipal Council. He served as the first Mayor of Galle from 1939 to 1941.
During World War II, he organized a strike. The British government was not happy about this. Dahanayake defended himself in court without a lawyer and won the case!
Joining the State Council
In 1944, he ran for a seat in the State Council of Ceylon. He lost at first, but he challenged the election results. He won his case in court, again representing himself. He was then elected to the State Council from Bibile.
He strongly supported the education reforms started by C. W. W. Kannangara. These reforms aimed to give equal chances for education to all children in Sri Lanka.
Parliamentary Journey
First Time in Parliament
In the 1947 general elections, Dahanayake ran for the House of Representatives from Galle. He won without spending any money on his campaign! He defeated a very wealthy opponent.
In parliament, he became famous for giving a thirteen-and-a-half-hour speech. This is still the longest speech ever given in the Sri Lankan parliament. He later rejoined the Lanka Sama Samaja Party and won the 1952 elections. However, he was later removed from the party.
Minister of Education
In 1955, Dahanayake led a movement for "Sinhala only" as the official language. He joined the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (People's United Front) led by S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike. This group won the 1956 elections by a lot. Dahanayake was re-elected from Galle.
When Bandaranaike became Prime Minister, Dahanayake was appointed Minister of Education. As Minister, he brought back the free mid-day meal for students, giving them a free bun. This earned him the nickname "Bannis Mama," meaning "Bun Uncle." He also helped two important Buddhist schools, Vidyodaya Pirivena and Vidyalankara Pirivena, become universities.
Becoming Prime Minister
In September 1959, Prime Minister Bandaranaike was planning to travel. He had asked for Dahanayake to be the acting Prime Minister while he was away. Sadly, Bandaranaike was assassinated on September 26, 1959. Because of Bandaranaike's earlier request, the Governor-General appointed Dahanayake as Prime Minister. Parliament later confirmed this decision.
His time as Prime Minister was challenging. There were many disagreements within the government. Dahanayake decided to dissolve parliament and call for new elections. He even formed his own party, the Lanka Prajathanthravadi Pakshaya (Ceylon Democratic Party).
In the March 1960 elections, he lost his seat in Galle. However, he won it back just two months later in the July 1960 elections.
Later Political Life
Back in Parliament
After regaining his seat, Dahanayake sat in the opposition. In 1963, he gave evidence to a special inquiry about Bandaranaike's assassination. In 1964, he became famous for trying to enter parliament wearing only a span cloth. He did this to protest the government's rationing of clothing. Newspapers showed pictures of him in the span cloth the next day.
Minister Again
He was re-elected in the 1965 elections and was appointed Minister of Home Affairs. He was re-elected again in the 1970 elections.
In the 1977 elections, he lost his seat. But he challenged the result in court and won! He then won the by-election in 1979 and returned to parliament. From 1986 to 1988, he served as the Minister of Co-operatives.
His long political career ended in 1989 when he was not able to enter parliament through the national list.
Personal Life
Dahanayake was known for being a very simple person. When he became Prime Minister, he moved into the official residence, Temple Trees, carrying his belongings in just two old suitcases. He found the Prime Minister's bedroom too big and had it divided. When he left office, he packed his things into the same suitcases and returned to Galle. He never married.
Death
Wijeyananda Dahanayake passed away on May 4, 1997, at the age of 95. He died at his home in Galle after a short illness.
Images for kids
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The young Wijeyananda Dahanayaka attended the well known Richmond College, in Galle, Sri Lanka.
