Jayaweera Kuruppu

Jayaweera Kuruppu (20 January 1908 – 1962) was a Ceylonese politician.[1][2]

Hon.

Jayaweera Kuruppu
1st Minister of Culture & the Arts
In office
1956–1959
Prime MinisterS. W. R. D. Bandaranaike
Succeeded byP. B. G. Kalugalla
Member of the Ceylon Parliament
for Balangoda
In office
1951–1952
Preceded byAlexander Francis Molamure
Succeeded byA. F. Molamure
Member of the Ceylon Parliament
for Ratnapura
In office
1956–1959
Preceded byC. E. Attygalle
Succeeded byHarold Weragama
Personal details
Born(1908-01-20)20 January 1908
Ratnapura, Sri Lanka
NationalitySri Lankan
Political partyUnited National Party, Sri Lanka Freedom Party
Spouse(s)Clara née Wijesuriya
ChildrenChitral Ranjith (son)
Professionpolitician

In 1936 he served as the vice chairman of the Provincial Council of Ratnapura and in 1944 he was elected as the chairman of the Ratnapura Urban Council.[3]

At the 1st parliamentary election, held between 23 August 1947 and 20 September 1947, Kuruppu contested the Nivitigala electorate, as the United National Party (UNP) candidate, where he was narrowly defeated by 24 votes, by the Lanka Sama Samaja Party candidate, Don Frank Hettiarachchi.[4][5]

Following the death of Sir Alexander Francis Molamure, the member for Balangoda, in January 1951,[6] the UNP selected Kuruppu as its candidate in the subsequent by-election, in preference to his nephew, A. F. Molamure. Following the by-election, held 28 April 1951, Kuruppu was elected to parliament, receiving 60% of the total votes, 8,722 votes clear of the LSSP candidate.[7] Two months later in July in support of S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike he and four other members of the Sinhala Maha Sabha faction resigned from the UNP and crossed the floor.[8][9] On 2 September Bandaranaike held the inaugural meeting of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), of which Kuruppu was a founding member.[8]

Rather than re-contest Balangoda at the 2nd parliamentary election, Kuruppu ran in the Kiriella electorate, as the SLFP candidate, securing 7,369 votes, a shortfall of 2,609 votes to his UNP rival, A. E. B. Kiriella (who received 48% of the total vote).[10]

Kurrupu then ran for election at the 3rd parliamentary election, held between 5 April 1956 and 10 April 1956, in Ratnapura electorate, where he polled 16,644 votes (70.75% of the total vote), comprehensively beating the UNP candidate and sitting member, Cyril Eugene Attygalle, by 10,358 votes.[11] He was subsequently appointed as the Minister of Local Government and Cultural Affairs in the S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike cabinet.[12][13][14]

In 1959 he was elected the president of the All Ceylon Buddhist Congress, a position he served in for a year.[15]

References
  1. "Hon. Kuruppu, Jayaweera, M.P." Parliament of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  2. Jātika Rājya Sabhāva. Pustakālaya (1972). Members of the Legislatures of Ceylon: 1931-1972. National State Assembly Library. p. 154.
  3. "About Us". Ratnapura Municipal Council. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  4. "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1947" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  5. Goonetilleke, T. V. (Ed) (1983). Members of the Legislatures of Sri Lanka, 1931-83: Record of Service. Library of Parliament. p. 203.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  6. "Molamure is elected Speaker of First Parliament". Sunday Times. 14 October 2007. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  7. "Results of the Parliamentary By Elections held between 1947 - 1988" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  8. Sahabandu, S. S. (16 November 2009). "Charting a new course for Sri Lanka's success". Daily News. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  9. "The silent revolution of 1956". Sunday Times. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  10. "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1952" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  11. "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1956" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  12. Ceylon Year Book 1956 (PDF). Department of Census and Statistics, Ceylon. pp. 10–11.
  13. Ceylon Year Book 1957 (PDF). Department of Census and Statistics, Ceylon. pp. 10–11.
  14. Ceylon Year Book 1959 (PDF). Department of Census and Statistics, Ceylon. pp. 9–10.
  15. "Former Presidents". All Ceylon Buddhist Congress. Retrieved 25 October 2017.


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