Ranasinghe premadasa biography of michael

He became a member of parliament again when his party, the UNP, won a majority in the general elections held in His party appointed him as their chief government whip. Concurrently, he acted as the Parliamentary Secretary of Local Government and later on he was made a minister of local government. He was responsible for overseeing the building of a million affordable homes.

He was elected to parliament from Colombo Central in the elections but his party could not form the government. He retained his seat from Colombo Central in the elections that were held seven years later and was made the minister of local government. He had his secondary education at St. His admission to St. Even though his biographical data stated that he studied up to the SSC; having served under him for 07 years as Additional Secretary and Secretary to the Ministries of Local Government, Housing and Construction and Highways and as Secretary to the Prime Minister and as Secretary to the President for 10 years, my assessment of his intellectual capacity and universality of knowledge far exceeded that of all his highly qualified colleagues and top officials.

In fact he often told us in lighter vein that he graduated from the "University of Life.

Ranasinghe premadasa biography of michael: Ranasinghe Premadasa is a

Later in life he proved his resolve to bring about religious harmony by constructing multi religious places of worship in each and every reawakened village established under the Gam Udawa Programme. Living amidst the squalor, ignorance and lawlessness of the slums and shanties of Keselwatta, young Premadasa soon realized the need for a movement for social and moral regeneration.

Thus in he founded the Sucharita Movement which gave umbrella cover to several activities of moral and social regeneration such as a free night school, the temperance movement and many religious and literary activities. InPremadasa joined the Labour Party of A. Goonasinha and entered municipal politics in as a Member of the Colombo Municipal Council.

He gained fame as a fearless debator and a non-partisan and genuine advocate of the voiceless and downtrodden people. In he joined the United National Party and unsuccessfully contested the Ruwanwella seat in Parliament against the Marxist stalwart Dr. He once again served as a member of the Colombo Municipal Council from to Entry into National Politics It is said that fortune favours the brave.

But, in the case of Premadasa it was not bravery that pushed him up the ladder to those dizzy Himalayan heights of the Presidency. Many people believe that you should have both pluck and luck in equal measure. As for pluck his determination and perseverance were remarkable. He had a great capacity to inspire people.

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He was a man of tremendous courage and self confidence who could take up any defeat and look ahead unabated. He was full of new ideas and new concepts and wanted them tested. He was quick on the uptake. He was impatient and restless until his objectives were realized. He was ruthless to those who shirked their duties and responsibilities. He silently acknowledged and admired efficiency and innovation.

He made optimum use of time; in fact every second and every minute of it. In the process he set time targets which looked demonic. Prime Minister Dudley Senanayake who was leading a seven party coalition appointed M. It was a tricky appointment as the Federal Party had the avowed objective of achieving federalism for the Tamil people of the Northern, Eastern and Central Provinces, whereas Premadasa, the patriot stood for amity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka.

However, Premadasa remained loyal to the Prime Minister and did not cross swords with Tiruchelvam.

Ranasinghe premadasa biography of michael: Former Prime Minister and President

So, within three years of being elected a Member of Parliament Premadasa had leapfrogged to a position of power and strength. Premadasa believed that his marriage to Hema Wickrematunga on his 40th birthday on June 23,brought him good luck. After he never suffered a political reversal. It was a steady rise to the top without any slip but of course in the process encountering many challenges and obstacles on the way.

During the two years as Minister of Local Government in the Dudley Senanayake government Premadasa made his mark as a man of action charged with grit and determination. His instant bridges programme using pre stressed concrete components and the Maligawatta Housing Scheme; a city within a city that rose from a swamp became the talking point of even his opponents.

The UNP strength in Parliament was reduced to 17 members. Seven years in the opposition from to gave Premadasa an opportunity to reflect on past mistakes; formulate an action plan for the future, travel about freely and engage in writing. While in the opposition he published two novels, namely "Ranminimuthu" and "Pemwathiya" and thereafter "Peramaga Lakunu" incorporating his socio political vision.

In his book "Peramaga Lakunu" which was published in he confessed that his vision was greatly inspired by the age old "Tank, Paddy Field and Dagoba" concept symbolic of prosperity, plenty and tranquility.

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He was obsessed by the great stupas and the massive irrigation works built by the Sinhala Kings relying heavily on human ingenuity. His modus operandi was to unleash the latent forces of human energy and ingenuity through moral and economic empowerment of the people. His vision of national development was essentially home grown. On October 3,Ranasinghe Premadasa became an integral part of a protest organized by J.

R Jayawardene who later became president. The much was however disrupted politicians and thugs as they marched through Imbulgoda. InRanasinghe Premadasa was re-elected as a Member of Parliament for the Ruwanwella constituency. Ranasinghe Premadasa later served as the Minister of Broadcasting. He later became the Minister of Local Government.

Jayawardene became the first Executive President of Sri Lanka. His death was only confirmed two hours later by his personal physician when the remains of the president were identified by his ring and watch. The May Day parade continued even after the explosion for some time. Prime minister Dingiri Banda Wijetunga was sworn in as the acting president in the afternoon.

The government did not announce the death of President Premadasa until 6 p. A period of national mourning was announced until the funeral. Police claimed that they recovered the severed head of a young man suspected to be the bomber, which was found to have a cyanide suicide capsule, bearing LTTE tradecraft in his mouth. While he was seen as a spokesperson of the poor, common man, his handling of the country's two civil conflicts, the JVP insurrection and the Sri Lankan Civil Warhave been heavily criticised.

The R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadiumwhich was built under Premadasa's supervision instill remains named after him.