Kusumasiri Gunawardena

Kusumasiri Gunawardena (née Amarasinghe) (1912–1986) was a Ceylonese politician.[1]

Hon. Kusumasiri Gunawardena
Member of the Ceylon Parliament for Avissawella
In office 1948–1956
Preceded by	Philip Gunawardena
Succeeded by	Philip Gunawardena
Member of the Ceylon Parliament for Kiriella
In office 1956–1960
Preceded by	A. E. B. Kiriella
Succeeded by	A. E. B. Kiriella
Personal details
Born	Kusumasiri Amarasinghe (1912-05-26)26 May 1912 Medaketiya (Tangalle)
Died	30 May 1986(1986-05-30) (aged 74)
Nationality	Sri Lankan
Political party	Lanka Sama Samaja Party
Other political affiliations	Viplavakari Lanka Sama Samaja Party
Spouse(s)	Philip Gunawardena
Children	Indika, Prasanna, Dinesh, Gitanjana, Lakmali
Alma mater	Rahula Maha Vidyalaya, Tangalle, St. Mary's Convent Matara, Musaeus College, Colombo
Occupation	Politician

Kusumasiri was born in Medaketiya (Tangalle) on 26 May 1912, the daughter of Don Davith Amarasinghe and Sophinona.[2] She was educated at Rahula Maha Vidyalaya, Tangalle, St. Mary's Convent Matara and Musaeus College, Colombo.[3] She later participated in the Suriya Mal movement and joined the Lanka Sama Samaja Party.[2]

On 30 June 1939 she married Philip Gunawardena, one of the founders of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party. During the Second World War, when her husband escaped from detention in Ceylon to India, she followed in disguise. They were both later arrested by Indian police in 1943 and after several months deported back to Ceylon.[2][3]

In 1947 Phillip was elected at 1st parliamentary election as the member for Avissawella, representing the Lanka Sama Samaja Party.[4] In 1948 however he was dismissed from parliament due to his involvement in the General Strike in 1947, losing his civic rights for seven years. He was replaced by Kusumasiri, who was elected unopposed in the 1948 by election,[3][5] making her the second elected female Member of Parliament in Sri Lanka.[6] She retained the seat at the 2nd parliamentary elections in 1952, representing the Viplavakari Lanka Sama Samaja Party.[7][8] She did not contest the seat of Avissawella following 1956 parliamentary elections in favour of her husband, instead she ran for the seat of Kiriella Electoral District, where she was duly elected.[9] She failed to retain the seat at the March 1960 parliamentary elections.

As a member of parliament she campaigned for equal treatment of women, pushing for women to be recruited to the civil service and be appointed to senior positions in government departments.[3]

Her eldest son, Indika, was a member of parliament and a cabinet member, her second son, Prasanna, was the Mayor of Colombo between 2002 and 2006, her third son, Dinesh, is a member of parliament, representing the Colombo Electoral District and the current leader of the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP), whilst her fourth son, Gitanjana was also a member of parliament and a deputy minister.

References

1. "Hon. (Mrs.) Gunawardena, Kusumasiri, M.P." Directory of Past Members. Parliament of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
2. "Glossary of People". Encyclopedia of Marxism. Marxists Internet Archive. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
3. Gunawardena, Charles A. (2005). Encyclopedia of Sri Lanka. Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd. pp. 172–173. ISBN 9781932705485.
4. "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1947" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
5. "Results of By-Elections subsequent to Parliamentary General Election 1947" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
6. "Lady Members". Parliament of Sri Lanka. 26 November 2010. Archived from the original on 26 November 2010. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
7. "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1952" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
8. Alexander, Robert Jackson (1991). International Trotskyism, 1929-1985: A Documented Analysis of the Movement. Duke University Press. p. 188. ISBN 9780822310662.
9. "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1956" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 9 August 2017.