M. M. Mustapha

Al-Haj Meeralebbe Poddy Mohamed Mustapha (10 July 1924– 3 October 2000) was a Ceylonese lawyer and politician.[1][2]

Hon.

M. M. Mustapha
Deputy Minister of Justice
In office
1970–1975
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Social Services
In office
1965–1970
Member of the Ceylon Parliament
for Pottuvil
In office
1956–1960
Preceded byM. M. Ebrahim
Succeeded byM. A. Abdul Majeed
Member of the Ceylon Parliament
for Nintavur
In office
1965–1977
Preceded byM. I. M. Abdul Majeed
Succeeded byM. A. Abdul Majeed
Personal details
Born(1924-07-16)16 July 1924
Nintavur, Ceylon
Died3 October 2000(2000-10-03) (aged 76)
Political partyUnited National Party
RelationsMeeralebbe Podi Vanniar (father), Meera Ummah (mother)
Alma materBatticaloa Methodist Central College, Ceylon Law College
OccupationLawyer, politician

Meeralebbe Poddy Mohamed Mustapha was born in Nintavur on 16 July 1924, the son of Meeralebbe Podi Vanniar and Meera Ummah. He received his early education in Nintavur, before attending Batticaloa Methodist Central College. Following which he graduated from the Ceylon Law College as an advocate. Mustapha then passed the Inter-Law Exam at the London University.[3]

In 1948 he commenced as a lawyer, practicing in Batticaloa.[3]

Mustapha married the eldest daughter of Gate Mudaliyar Mohammed Samsudeen Kariapper, the chairman of Kalmunai Town Council and the member for Kalmunai.[4][5]

He first ran for parliament at the 1952 Ceylonese parliamentary election in the Pottuvil electorate, held in May 1952, running as the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (Federal Party) candidate. He was narrowly defeated by the sitting member, Meerakuddy Mohamed Ebrahim, with a margin of 559 votes.[6]

At the 3rd parliamentary election, held in April 1956, Ebrahim chose not to run due to poor health and Mustapha was successful in securing the seat for the Federal Party,[5][7] receiving 8,355 votes (51.8% of the total vote) defeating his nearest opponent, M. I. M. Abdul Majeed, by 3,729 votes.[8] He resigned from the Federal Party in 1958 as he opposed the party's proposed satyagraha movement.[9] In June 1959 Prime Minister S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike appointed Mustapha as the deputy Minister of Finance in his cabinet. Following Bandaranaike's assassination in September, Wijeyananda Dahanayake who took over as Prime Minister appointed Mustapha as the Minister of Finance in November, becoming the first Muslim Minister of Finance.[3]

At the 4th parliamentary election, held in March 1960, Mustapha contested the newly created seat of Nintavur. He failed to get elected and was defeated by M. I. M. Abdul Majeed by 4,627 votes.[10] He re-contested the seat at the subsequent parliamentary elections in July, where he lost again to Majeed, this time by 7,776 votes. He was ultimately successful at the 6th parliamentary election, held in March 1965, as the United National Party candidate, defeating Majeed by 4,3899 votes.[11][12] Following the election he was appointed by Prime Minister Dudley Senanayake as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Social Services.[3][13]

Mustapha was re-elected at the 7th parliamentary election, held in May 1970, by only 75 votes, securing 13,481 votes (49% of the total vote).[14] He switched political allegiances and joined the Sri Lanka Freedom Party.[15] In 1976 he was appointed as the deputy Minister of Justice by Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike after she elevated Ratnasiri Wickremanayake to the position of Minister.[3][15]

At the 1977 Sri Lankan parliamentary election he contested the Pottuvil electorate as the Sri Lanka Freedom Party candidate. Whilst he polled 22,378 votes (25% of the total vote), he was defeated by the United National Party candidate, A. M. Mohamed Jalaldeen, who received 30,318 votes (34% of the total vote) and the Tamil United Liberation Front candidate, Mylvaganam Canagaratnam, with 23,990 votes.[16]

He was a member of the Eastern University Council.[3]

References
  1. "Hon. Mustapha, Meeralebbe Poddy Mohamed, M.P." Directory of Past Members. Parliament of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  2. Members of the Legislatures of Sri Lanka, 1931-83: Record of Service. Parliament of Sri Lanka. 1983. p. 130.
  3. "Al-Haj M M Mustapha - Tenth death anniversary : Political colossus in Eastern Province". The Daily News. 4 October 2010. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  4. Navaratnam, V. (1991). The fall and rise of the Tamil nation: events leading to the Tamil war of independence and resumption of Eelam sover[e]ignty. Kaanthalakam. p. 104.
  5. "Tribune". 22 (27–52). Ceylon News Service. 1977: 48–49. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  6. "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1952" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  7. de Silva, K. M. (2000). Reaping The Whirlwind: Ethnic Conflict, Ethnic Politics in Sri Lanka. Penguin. ISBN 9789351184287.
  8. "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1956" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.
  9. Ferguson’s Ceylon Directory. Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited. 1958. p. 67.
  10. "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1960 (March)" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.
  11. "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1965" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.
  12. Report on the Sixth Parliamentary General Election of Ceylon, 22d March, 1965. Government Press. 1966. p. 41.
  13. Ferguson's Ceylon Directory 1969-70 (111th Edition). Associated Newspapers of Ceylon. 1970. p. 127.
  14. "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1970" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.
  15. "Tribune". 21 (1–26). Ceylon News Service. 1976: 84. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  16. "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1977" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.
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