Susil Premajayantha

Achchige Don Susil Premajayantha (born 10 January 1955) is a Sri Lankan politician and a member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka.[1]

Hon. Susil Premajayantha MP
Minister of Technology and Research [lower-alpha 1]
In office 4 September 2015 – 12 April 2018
President	Maithripala Sirisena
Prime Minister	Ranil Wickremesinghe
Preceded by	Champika Ranawaka
Minister of Environment and Renewable Energy
In office 28 January 2013 – 12 January 2015
President	Mahinda Rajapaksa
Prime Minister	D. M. Jayaratne
Succeeded by	Maithripala Sirisena
Minister of Petroleum Industries
In office 23 April 2010 – 28 January 2013
President	Mahinda Rajapaksa
Prime Minister	D. M. Jayaratne
Succeeded by	Anura Priyadharshana Yapa
Minister of Education
In office 23 November 2005 – 23 April 2010
President	Mahinda Rajapaksa
Prime Minister	Ratnasiri Wickremanayake
Succeeded by	Bandula Gunawardane
In office 2000–2001
President	Chandrika Kumaratunga
Prime Minister	Ratnasiri Wickremanayake
Preceded by	Richard Pathirana
Succeeded by	Sarath Amunugama
Minister of Power and Energy
In office 10 April 2004 – 23 November 2005
President	Chandrika Kumaratunga
Prime Minister	Mahinda Rajapaksa
Preceded by	Karu Jayasuriya
Succeeded by	John Seneviratne
General Secretary of the United People's Freedom Alliance
In office 20 January 2004 – 14 August 2015
Leader	Maithripala Sirisena Mahinda Rajapaksa Chandrika Kumaratunga
Preceded by	Office Created
Succeeded by	Wiswa Warnapala
Member of the Sri Lankan Parliament for Colombo District
Incumbent
Assumed office 2001
Member of the Sri Lankan Parliament for Gampaha District
In office 2000–2001
Personal details
Born	(1955-01-10) January 10, 1955 Sri Lanka
Nationality	Sri Lankan
Political party	Sri Lanka Freedom Party
Other political affiliations	United People's Freedom Alliance (2004 - Present) People's Alliance (Before 2004)
Alma mater	St. John's College, Nugegoda
Occupation	Politician
Profession	Attorney at Law

Education

Premajayantha received his primary and secondary education at St. John's College, Nugegoda.[2] After that he attended the University of Colombo and received a Bachelor of Laws in 1982 and became an Attorney at Law in 1984.[3] Later on in 2004 he also gained a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura.[4]

Political career

Premajayantha began his political career in 1991 being elected as the Deputy Chairman of Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte Urban Council.[3] In 1993 he was elected to the Western Provincial Council and was elected Chief Minister in 1995.[3][4]

In 2000 he entered parliament for the first time from Gampaha District and became the Minister of Education.[3] Even though the People's Alliance was defeated in the 2001 general elections, Premajayantha was elected back into the Parliament from Colombo District and held his seat in subsequent elections.

With the formation of the United People's Freedom Alliance in 2004, Premajayantha was made its inaugural General Secretary of the party.[3] When the United People's Freedom Alliance won the 2004 general elections he was given the post of Minister of Power and Energy[5] When Mahinda Rajapaksa became President, he was again appointed Minister of Education[6] and after the 2010 general elections as the Minister of Petroleum Industries[7] and in a 2013 cabinet reshuffle he became the Minister of Environment and Renewable Energy[8]

On 25 August 2015, few days after general elections he resigned as the General Secretary of the United People's Freedom Alliance. Few days prior to the elections he was removed from the position by the party Chairman, President Maithripala Sirisena.[9] After the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and United National Party signed a Memorandum of Understanding to form a National unity government,[10] Premajayantha became the Minister of Technology and Research[11][12][13]

See also

• Cabinet of Sri Lanka

Notes

1. Portfolio changed names from Minister of Technology, Technical Education and Employment, on 21 September 2015, but still the same ministry

References

1. "Biographies of Present Members". The Parliament of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 14 April 2010.
2. Herath, Mervyn; Savanadasa, Jagath (13 April 2004), "St. John's College Nugegoda - 70 years of service to the community", Daily News (Sri Lanka), archived from the original on 14 September 2005, retrieved 17 March 2016
3. Premajayantha, Susil (3 August 2015), Message from Susil Premajayantha, retrieved 17 March 2016
4. "Speaker at Asia Energy Security Summit 2012". Retrieved 17 March 2016.
5. "PART I : SECTION (I) — GENERAL Appointments & c., by the President" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary. 1335/24. 10 April 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015.
6. "PART I : SECTION (I) — GENERAL Appointments & c., by the President" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary. 1420/28. 23 November 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 March 2007.
7. "PART I : SECTION (I) — GENERAL Appointments & c., by the President" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary. 1681/02. 22 November 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 February 2014.
8. "PART I : SECTION (I) — GENERAL Appointments & c., by the President" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary. 1795/43. 31 January 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 May 2013.
9. "Susil resigns as UPFA General Secretary". AdaDerana. 25 August 2015. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
10. "SLFP, UNP sign MOU on National Government". Colombo Gazette. 21 August 2015. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
11. "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.
12. "New Cabinet". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). 4 September 2015.
13. "The new Cabinet". Ceylon Today. 4 September 2015. Archived from the original on 7 September 2015.