Ranasinghe Premadasa
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Ranasinghe Premadasa (June 23, 1924 - May 1, 1993) was the President of Sri Lanka from January 2, 1989 to May 1, 1993. Before that, he served as the Prime Minister in the government headed by J. R. Jayewardene from February 6, 1978 to March 3, 1989. He was assassinated in Colombo in a suicide bombing, widely considered to be by the LTTE.[1]
Ranasinghe Premadasa came from a family of modest means and belonged to the Hinna caste of the Sinhalese. As such his political rise was resented by some of his rivals from the two or three Govigama caste families who had inherited political power, post British departure in 1948. He attended St Joseph's College, Colombo which at that time had started an oriental languages course. Richard Ranasingha wished his son to follow this course. He originally planned to be a journalist, and translated an autobiography of Jawaharlal Nehru to Sinhala.
Premadasa's entry into politics was made from the Labour Party, then headed by A.E.Goonesinghe. Having realized that the Labour Party in the 1950s didn't have much promising future, Premadasa joined the moderate United National Party, and became the first non-govigama politician to reach to the highest levels in democratic, post-independence Sri Lanka.
During his tenure as Minister of Broadcasting in Dudley Senanayake's cabinet, Premadasa turned Radio Ceylon - the oldest radio station in South Asia into a public corporation - the Ceylon Broadcasting Corporation on 5th January 1967.
Part of his political program was shelter for the poor, after the United Nations declared a Year of Shelter. Other policies included Jana Saviya, the instrument he used to help the poor, a foster parents scheme, the Gam Udawa project with which he tried to stir up the stupor in the villages, the mobile secretariat whereby he took the central government bureaucracy to the peasants, the Tower Hall Foundation for drama and music, and the pension schemes he initiated for the elder artistes. On the economic front, the garment industry project that he initiated became a forerunner in earning foreign exchange and provision of employment in the villages. This was just one step in the direction of taking the economy to the outstations.
Premadasa met with less success in dealing with Sri Lanka's ethnic conflict. When he assumed office, he faced a rebellion in the south from the hardline Sinhala-nationalist, Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna. The security forces brutally put down the revolt and killed many of its leaders. In the north, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam were facing off against the Indian Peace-Keeping Force. The Indian presence on the island was unpopular, and Premadasa requested India to leave. After they did in 1990, the government's war with the LTTE resumed, and resulted in stalemate.
Premadasa's supporters often point to the unostentatious life led by him in his simple residence away from his luxurious official residence, a man who perhaps travelled the least of any politicians at the helm. During his presidency, he also expelled from the UNP, his two formidable Govigamacaste rivals Lalith Athulathmudali and Gamini Dissanayake, who then joined to form the Democratic United National Liberation Front (DUNLF).
Premadasa was married to Hema Premadasa and had two children. Sajith Premadasa, his son, is the MP for Hambantota. Ranasinghe Premadasa was killed on May 1st, 1993 during a May day rally by a LTTE suicide bomber who had infiltrated into his inner circle by befriending his private valet Mohideen. [2] Since Premadasa was vehemently anti-Indian and anti-Israeli in his political beliefs, involvement of foreign espionage agencies has also been suspected by the Sri Lankan public.
[edit] References
- ^ Jonathan Lyons (August 20, 2006). Suicide bombers - weapon of choice for Sri Lanka rebels. Reuters.
- ^ Jonathan Lyons (August 20, 2006). Suicide bombers - weapon of choice for Sri Lanka rebels. Reuters.
[edit] External links
| Presidents of Sri Lanka |  |
|---|---|
| William Gopallawa • Junius Richard Jayewardene • Ranasinghe Premadasa • Dingiri Banda Wijetunga • Chandrika Kumaratunga • Mahinda Rajapaksa |
