M. K. A. D. S. Gunawardana

Munasinghe Kariyawasam Appuhamilage Don Somadasa Gunawardana (6 March 1947 – 19 January 2016) was a Sri Lankan politician and a former member of Parliament and government minister.

Hon.

M. K. A. D. S. Gunawardana
Gunawardana in May 2014
Minister of Lands
In office
12 January 2015 – 19 January 2016
PresidentMaithripala Sirisena
Prime MinisterRanil Wickremesinghe
Preceded byJanaka Bandara Tennakoon
Succeeded byJohn Amaratunga
Deputy Minister of Buddha Sasana and Religious Affairs
In office
22 November 2010 – 21 November 2014
PresidentMahinda Rajapaksa
Prime MinisterD. M. Jayaratne
Succeeded byTissa Karalliyadde
Member of the Sri Lankan Parliament
for National List
In office
2015 – 19 January 2016
Succeeded bySarath Fonseka
Member of the Sri Lankan Parliament
for Trincomalee District
In office
2010 – 26 June 2015
In office
2000 – 7 February 2004
In office
1989 – 24 June 1994
Member of the Eastern Provincial Council for Trincomalee District
In office
2008–2010
Succeeded byN. G. Hewawitharana
Personal details
Born(1947-03-06)6 March 1947
Died19 January 2016(2016-01-19) (aged 68)
Colombo, Sri Lanka
Political partyDemocratic National Movement
Other political
affiliations		United National Front for Good Governance
EthnicitySinhalese

Early life

Gunawardana was born 6 March 1947.[1][2] He was educated at Doranagoda Maha Vidyalaya.[3] After completing his GCE Ordinary Level education he obtained a certificate in agriculture.[2]

Career

Gunawardana was an overseer at the Land Commissioner's Department from 1966 to 1968 when he joined the police as a constable.[2][4] He was a police investigator between 1974 and 1984.[2] He had reached the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police by the time he retired.[3] During the second JVP insurrection Gunawardana was arrested for "anti-government activities" and detained between September 1987 and May 1988.[2]

Gunawardana joined the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and in 1982 became active in politics.[3] He was the SLFP's organiser for the Seruvila electorate.[5][6] He contested the 1989 parliamentary election as one of the SLFP's candidates in Trincomalee District. He was elected and entered Parliament.[7] In 1993 the SLFP and United Socialist Alliance formed the People's Alliance (PA).[8][9] Gunawardana was one of the PA's candidates in Trincomalee District at the 1994 parliamentary election but the PA failed to win any seats in the district.[10][11] Gunawardana organised illegal colonisation in the Kantalai area.[11] Gunawardana was one of the PA's candidates in Trincomalee District at the 2000 parliamentary election. He was elected and re-entered Parliament.[12] He was re-elected at the 2001 parliamentary election.[13]

On 20 January 2004 the SLFP and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna formed the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA).[14] Gunawardana was one of the UPFA's candidates in Trincomalee District at the 2004 parliamentary election but failed to get re-elected after coming second amongst the UPFA candidates.[15] Gunawardana contested the 2008 provincial council election as one of the UPFA's candidates in Trincomalee District and was elected to the Eastern Provincial Council (EPC).[4][16] He was elected deputy chairman of EPC unopposed on 4 June 2008.[17]

Gunawardana contested the 2010 parliamentary election as one of the UPFA's candidates in Trincomalee District. He was elected and re-entered Parliament.[18] He was appointed Deputy Minister of Buddha Sasana and Religious Affairs in November 2010.[19] Gunawardana was hospitalised in July 2012 following a minor heart attack at his home in Kantalai.[20][21]

Gunawardana left the UPFA in November 2014 to support common opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena at the 2015 presidential election.[22][23][24] Gunawardana and other SLFP MPs who supported Sirisena were stripped of their ministerial positions and expelled from the SLFP.[25][26][27][28] After the election newly elected President Sirisena rewarded Gunawardana by appointing him Minister of Lands.[29][30][31] Gunawardana became a vice president of the SLFP in February 2015.[32][33]

In July 2015 Gunawardana and other supporters of President Sirisena formed the United National Front for Good Governance (UNFGG) to contest the parliamentary election.[34][35][36] Gunawardana did not contest the 2015 parliamentary election but was instead placed on the UNFGG's list of National List candidates.[37][38] Gunawardana and other SLFP members, who accepted nominations by the UNFGG in response to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa being granted SLFP nomination to contest the election, had their SLFP membership suspended by President Sirisena, who had become leader of the SLFP and UPFA following the presidential election.[39][40] They subsequently joined the Democratic National Movement.[41][42] Gunawardana was appointed as a UNFGG National List MP following the parliamentary election in August 2015.[43][44] He was re-appointed Minister of Lands after the parliamentary election.[45][46][47]

In late 2015 Gunawardana travelled to the United Kingdom, where his daughter and son live, for medical treatment, staying with his daughter in Reading.[48][49] On 11 December 2015 Parliament granted Gunawardana three months leave of absence for health reasons.[50][51] Gunawardana returned to Sri Lanka but his condition deteriorated.[49] Gunawardana died at a private hospital in Colombo on 19 January 2016.[52][53][54]

Electoral history
Electoral history of M. K. A. D. S. Gunawardana
Election Constituency Party Votes Result
1989 parliamentary[7]Trincomalee DistrictSLFP11,260Elected
1994 parliamentaryTrincomalee DistrictPANot elected
2000 parliamentary[12]Trincomalee DistrictPA15,392Elected
2001 parliamentary[13]Trincomalee DistrictPA14,938Elected
2004 parliamentary[15]Trincomalee DistrictUPFA15,060Not elected
2008 provincialTrincomalee DistrictUPFAElected
2010 parliamentary[18]Trincomalee DistrictUPFA19,734Elected
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References
  1. "Directory of Members: M. K. A. D. S. Gunawardana". Parliament of Sri Lanka.
  2. de Silva, W. P. P.; Ferdinando, T. C. L. 9th Parliament of Sri Lanka (PDF). Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited. p. 273. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-06-23.
  3. Santiago, Melanie (20 January 2016). "Final rites of late Minister M.K.A.D.S.Gunawardena to take place". News First.
  4. "The people are grateful to the UPFA". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka). 4 May 2008.
  5. "Battle for SLFP leadership postponed to May". The Sunday Leader. 9 April 2006.
  6. "Jathika Saviya compensates Muttur Muslims". Daily News (Sri Lanka). 26 September 2006.
  7. "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1989" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-03-04.
  8. Peebles, Patrick (2015). Historical Dictionary of Sri Lanka. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 267. ISBN 978-1-4422-5584-5.
  9. East, Roger; Thomas, Richard J. (2003). Profiles of People in Power: The World's Government Leaders. Europa Publications. p. 486. ISBN 1-85743-126-X.
  10. "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1994" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-10-06.
  11. "Eastern colonisation ongoing- UNP". TamilNet. 25 April 1998.
  12. "General Election 2000 Preferences" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-08-26.
  13. "General Election 2001 Preferences" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-03-04.
  14. "SLFP-JVP alliance signed in Colombo". TamilNet. 20 January 2004.
  15. "General Election 2004 Preferences" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-03-04.
  16. "PART I : SECTION (I) — GENERAL Government Notifications PROVINCIAL COUNCILS ELECTIONS ACT, No. 2 OF 1988 Eastern Province Provincial Council" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary. 1549/17. 15 May 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 May 2014.
  17. "UNP, SLMC councilors boycott EPC first sitting". TamilNet. 5 June 2008.
  18. "Parliamentary General Election - 2010 Trincomalee Preferences" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-05-13.
  19. "PART I : SECTION (I) — GENERAL Appointments & c., by the President" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary. 1681/2. 22 November 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 February 2014.
  20. "Deputy Minister hospitalized". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). 18 June 2012.
  21. "Dy. Minister in ICU". The Island (Sri Lanka). 19 June 2012.
  22. "Maithripala named common candidate". The Nation (Sri Lanka). 21 November 2014. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014.
  23. Dalima, Bella (21 November 2014). "I am the common candidate: Maithripala Sirisena". News First.
  24. "Chandrika, Rajitha, Arjuna, Rajeeva, M K D S and Dumindha Dissanayaka join Maithripala". Hiru News. 21 November 2014. Archived from the original on 21 November 2014. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  25. "PART I : SECTION (I) — GENERAL Government Notifications NOTIFICATION" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary. 1890/14. 26 November 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 January 2015.
  26. "SLFP rebels stripped of posts and party membership". The Nation (Sri Lanka). 21 November 2014. Archived from the original on 25 January 2015.
  27. "Sri Lanka Presidential Election Set for January 8 Next Year". NDTV. Press Trust of India. 21 November 2014.
  28. "Maithripala and others sacked". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). 21 November 2014.
  29. "PART I : SECTION (I) — GENERAL Appointments & c., by the President" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary. 1897/16. 18 January 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 January 2015.
  30. "New Cabinet ministers sworn in". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). 12 January 2015.
  31. "New Cabinet takes oaths". The Nation (Sri Lanka). 12 January 2015. Archived from the original on 18 January 2015.
  32. Paranamanna, Lakna (14 February 2015). "Susil appointed as national organizer of SLFP". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka).
  33. "SLFP appoints new National Organiser, Treasurer and VP". adaderana.lk. 14 February 2015.
  34. Perera, Yohan (13 July 2015). "Good Governance MoU signed". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka).
  35. "Disillusioned supporters of Sri Lanka President form a new front with UNP to contest parliamentary elections". Colombo Page. 11 July 2015.
  36. Rajasingham, K. T. (12 July 2015). "A Broad Holy Alliance for Good Governance – Minus Maithripala Srisena". Asian Tribune.
  37. "PART I : SECTION (I) — GENERAL Government Notifications PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS ACT, No. 1 OF 1981 List of Persons submitted under Article 99A of the Constitution" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary. 1923/02. 13 July 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015.
  38. "UPFA, UNP national lists announced". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). 13 July 2015.
  39. Ariyawansha, Niranjala (29 July 2015). "MS suspends SLFP Dissidents". Ceylon Today. Archived from the original on 29 January 2016.
  40. Santiago, Melanie (28 July 2015). "Breaking: SLFP membership of Rajitha Senaratne and four others suspended". News First.
  41. Edirisinghe, Dasun (22 January 2016). "DNM demands vacant UNP seat". The Island (Sri Lanka).
  42. Gooneratne, Lankesh (2 February 2016). "Ekanayake scotches rumours". Ceylon Today.
  43. "PART I : SECTION (I) — GENERAL Government Notifications PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION — 2015 Declaration under Article 99A of the Constitution" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary. 1928/25. 21 August 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015.
  44. "UNP national list". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). 21 August 2015.
  45. "PART I : SECTION (I) — GENERAL Appointments & c., by the President" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary. 1932/07. 14 September 2015.
  46. "New Cabinet". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). 4 September 2015.
  47. "The new Cabinet". Ceylon Today. 4 September 2015. Archived from the original on 7 September 2015.
  48. "MKDS is in good health". Hiru News. 10 December 2015.
  49. "M.K.D.S. Gunawardena -Another stalwart who came forward come what may to support good governance passes away". Lanka-e-News. 20 January 2016.
  50. "Parliamentary Debates: Official Report" (PDF). Hansard. Parliament of Sri Lanka. 241 (8): 1482. 11 December 2015.
  51. "Parliament approves leave for ailing Minister". Ceylon Today. 11 December 2015. Archived from the original on 29 January 2016.
  52. Riza, Shaahidah (20 January 2016). "M.K.D.S. no more". Ceylon Today. Archived from the original on 29 January 2016.
  53. "Minister M.K.A.D.S Gunawardana passes away". The Nation (Sri Lanka). 19 January 2016. Archived from the original on 4 February 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  54. "MKDS Gunawardena's last rites to be held in Kanthale". Hiru News.
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