Community hub
Recent from talks
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Suranimala Rajapaksha
Rajapakse Mohottige Don Suranimala Rajapaksha (Sinhala:සුරනිමල රාජපක්ෂ) (5 January 1949 – 14 March 2016) was a Sri Lankan politician. Rajapaksha was first elected to the Parliament of Sri Lanka in 1994 and he was the Minister of School Education in the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka from 2001 to 2004. He was a member of the United National Party (UNP) and a member of the UNP Working Committee. He was also appointed as the Coordinating secretary to the prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in 2015. At the time of his death he acted as the special envoy (representative) to the Prime Minister. His younger son Kanishka Rajapaksha was also appointed as the Coordinating Assistant to the Prime Minister after the death of Rajapaksha. Kanishka is an attorney at law.
He was born to Saranelis Rajapaksha and D.P. Rajapaksha Hamine. His father was a well-respected landowner in the village of Samanabeddha, Thitthapatthara, in Gampaha District. He was the youngest son in a family of three. In 1983, he married Chandani Jayakodi.
Rajapaksha completed his primary education at Mayadunna Maha Vidyalaya and Rajasingha Maha Vidyalaya. He later entered Ananda College at Colombo to complete his secondary education.
In 1973, he was appointed a working committee member in the Youth League of the UNP. Ranil Wickremesinghe was the treasurer of the Youth League.
With the 13th amendment to the constitution in 1988, the government established Provincial Councils for each province. The First Provincial Council election was held in 1988, and Rajapaksha was elected as a member of the Provincial Council representing the Gampaha district.
In the 1994 general election, UNP lost to Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga's PA and she was appointed as the Prime Minister and soon after elected as the 5th executive President of the country. However, in 1994, Rajapaksha was elected as a member of parliament (MP) of the opposition for the very first time at the general election.
In 2001 UNP called for a general election after PA lost their vote of confidence in the Parliament. After 7 years, UNP defeated the PA at the 2001 general election and Ranil Wickremesinghe was appointed as the PM of Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. Rajapaksha was re-elected to the Parliament in that election and he was appointed as the Minister of School Education in 2001.
In 2003, Rajapaksha who was a non-cabinet Education Minister would frequently undermine his senior Cabinet Minister Karunasena Kodituwakku resulting in a rift within the UNP. According to prominent Sri Lankan academic and political analyst Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha, Suranimala Rajapaksa, as Project Ministers of Education was exercising equal powers with Karunasena Kodituwakku who was in theory his superior leading to the party facing an internal conflict.
Hub AI
Suranimala Rajapaksha AI simulator
(@Suranimala Rajapaksha_simulator)
Suranimala Rajapaksha
Rajapakse Mohottige Don Suranimala Rajapaksha (Sinhala:සුරනිමල රාජපක්ෂ) (5 January 1949 – 14 March 2016) was a Sri Lankan politician. Rajapaksha was first elected to the Parliament of Sri Lanka in 1994 and he was the Minister of School Education in the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka from 2001 to 2004. He was a member of the United National Party (UNP) and a member of the UNP Working Committee. He was also appointed as the Coordinating secretary to the prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in 2015. At the time of his death he acted as the special envoy (representative) to the Prime Minister. His younger son Kanishka Rajapaksha was also appointed as the Coordinating Assistant to the Prime Minister after the death of Rajapaksha. Kanishka is an attorney at law.
He was born to Saranelis Rajapaksha and D.P. Rajapaksha Hamine. His father was a well-respected landowner in the village of Samanabeddha, Thitthapatthara, in Gampaha District. He was the youngest son in a family of three. In 1983, he married Chandani Jayakodi.
Rajapaksha completed his primary education at Mayadunna Maha Vidyalaya and Rajasingha Maha Vidyalaya. He later entered Ananda College at Colombo to complete his secondary education.
In 1973, he was appointed a working committee member in the Youth League of the UNP. Ranil Wickremesinghe was the treasurer of the Youth League.
With the 13th amendment to the constitution in 1988, the government established Provincial Councils for each province. The First Provincial Council election was held in 1988, and Rajapaksha was elected as a member of the Provincial Council representing the Gampaha district.
In the 1994 general election, UNP lost to Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga's PA and she was appointed as the Prime Minister and soon after elected as the 5th executive President of the country. However, in 1994, Rajapaksha was elected as a member of parliament (MP) of the opposition for the very first time at the general election.
In 2001 UNP called for a general election after PA lost their vote of confidence in the Parliament. After 7 years, UNP defeated the PA at the 2001 general election and Ranil Wickremesinghe was appointed as the PM of Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. Rajapaksha was re-elected to the Parliament in that election and he was appointed as the Minister of School Education in 2001.
In 2003, Rajapaksha who was a non-cabinet Education Minister would frequently undermine his senior Cabinet Minister Karunasena Kodituwakku resulting in a rift within the UNP. According to prominent Sri Lankan academic and political analyst Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha, Suranimala Rajapaksa, as Project Ministers of Education was exercising equal powers with Karunasena Kodituwakku who was in theory his superior leading to the party facing an internal conflict.