Dinesh Gunawardena
Encyclopedia
Dinesh Chandra Rupasinghe Gunawardena ( born 2 March 1949) is a Sri Lanka
n socialist politician. He is a Member of Parliament
, Cabinet Minister, Govt Chief Whip
and as well as leader of the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna
(People's United Front). He is the third son of Philip Gunawardena
and Kusuma Gunawardena.
, where he received a Diploma
in International Business from the Netherlands School of Business
and to the USA, obtaining a BBA
degree from the University of Oregon
.
(MEP) that year. He contested the general election
of 1977 unsuccessfully, but won a bye-election for the Maharagama
constituency in May, 1983 and was elected a Member of Parliament
. He was an active member of the Opposition, which was outnumbered 5:1 in the House.
In 1989, he contested the General Election from the MEP in the Colombo District
, and was successful in returning to Parliament under the Proportional Representation
.
In 1994 he contested the General Election in the Colombo District once again, but was unsuccessful.
In 2000, MEP was a constituent party of the People's Alliance
(PA), and he was again elected in the General Election from Colombo District
. He was appointed Minister of Transport on 19 October 2000. On 14 September 2001, the subject of environment was added to his portfolio.
In 2001 he was elected again from the Colombo District in the General Election, but the defeat of the PA meant that he once more sat in the Opposition.
In 2004, MEP as founding and constituent party formed the United People's Freedom Alliance
(UPFA), and was elected as the vice-president of UPFA. He again contested the General Election successfully from the Colombo District. He was appointed Minister of Urban Development and Water Supply and Deputy Minister of Education on 4 October 2004. On 22 November 2005, he resigned from the position of Deputy Minister of Education.
In the Cabinet re-shuffle of February 2007, he was appointed Minister of Urban Development and Sacred Areas Development.
He is also the Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee of Electoral Reforms.
In 2008 he was appointed as the Chief Government Whip of Sri Lanka Parliament and immesnly contributed towards the success of the Government while leading the government benches in Parliament at crucial and decisive debates and votes.
He has always played dominant and significant roles at presidential elections in Sri Lanka in support of candidature of the main progressive party, maintaining the firebrand oratorics on political platform while immensely contributing to the success of Hon Hector Kobbekaduwa in 1983, Hon Sirimavo Bandaranaike in 1988, HE Chandrika Kumaranatunga in the decisive 1999 elections, and in the triumphant of HE Mahinda Rajapakse in 2005 & 2010.
On 8 February 2010, Dinesh Gunawardena was awarded the 'Leadership Award for Pro-Poor Policy Implementation' in Mumbai, India.
In 2010, he contested the General Election from the Colombo District under the UPFA banner, and was successful in obtaining over one-hudred thousand preferential votes and be elected to the Parliament for the 6th time. Subsequently, the he was appointed as the Minister of Water Supply and Drainage, and remains to be the Chief Government Whip of the 7th Parliament of Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
n socialist politician. He is a Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, Cabinet Minister, Govt Chief Whip
Chief Whip
The Chief Whip is a political office in some legislatures assigned to an elected member whose task is to administer the whipping system that ensures that members of the party attend and vote as the party leadership desires.-The Whips Office:...
and as well as leader of the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna
Mahajana Eksath Peramuna
The Mahajana Eksath Peramuna is a left-wing political party in Sri Lanka. Today the party is led by Dinesh Gunawardena, son of Philip Gunawardena....
(People's United Front). He is the third son of Philip Gunawardena
Philip Gunawardena
Don Philip Rupasinghe Gunawardena introduced Trotskyism to Sri Lanka, where he is a national hero, known as 'the Father of Socialism' and as 'the Lion of Boralugoda'.-Early life & education:...
and Kusuma Gunawardena.
Early life
He received his schooling at Royal College, Colombo. He went for higher studies to the NetherlandsNetherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, where he received a Diploma
Diploma
A diploma is a certificate or deed issued by an educational institution, such as a university, that testifies that the recipient has successfully completed a particular course of study or confers an academic degree. In countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia, the word diploma refers to...
in International Business from the Netherlands School of Business
Nyenrode Business Universiteit
Nyenrode Business Universiteit, also spelled as Nijenrode, is a Dutch business school and the only private university in the Netherlands. Founded in 1946, it is located on a large estate in the town of Breukelen, between Amsterdam and Utrecht.-History:...
and to the USA, obtaining a BBA
Bachelor of Business Administration
The Bachelor of Business Administration is a bachelor's degree in Commerce and business administration. In most universities, the degree is conferred upon a student after four years of full-time study in one or more areas of business concentrations; see below...
degree from the University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
.
Political career
Returning to Sri Lanka, he entered politics in 1973, becoming Leader of the Mahajana Eksath PeramunaMahajana Eksath Peramuna
The Mahajana Eksath Peramuna is a left-wing political party in Sri Lanka. Today the party is led by Dinesh Gunawardena, son of Philip Gunawardena....
(MEP) that year. He contested the general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
of 1977 unsuccessfully, but won a bye-election for the Maharagama
Maharagama
Maharagama is a Town, Municipal Area in the Colombo District and a suburb of Colombo Sri Lanka. Situated on the High-Level Road about 15 km away from the centre of the commercial capital Colombo, Maharagama is the city with the third largest population , in Sri Lanka. It developed rapidly in...
constituency in May, 1983 and was elected a Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
. He was an active member of the Opposition, which was outnumbered 5:1 in the House.
In 1989, he contested the General Election from the MEP in the Colombo District
Colombo District
Colombo District is the smallest district in Sri Lanka with an area of 642 km². It is located in the Western Province, on the western coast of the island. Sri Lanka’s commercial capital, Colombo and the political capital, Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte are located in this district...
, and was successful in returning to Parliament under the Proportional Representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
.
In 1994 he contested the General Election in the Colombo District once again, but was unsuccessful.
In 2000, MEP was a constituent party of the People's Alliance
People's Alliance (Sri Lanka)
The People's Alliance is a front of political parties in Sri Lanka, formed in 1994.It comprises the following parties:* Sri Lanka Freedom Party* Lanka Sama Samaja Party* Communist Party of Sri Lanka* Sri Lanka Mahajana Party...
(PA), and he was again elected in the General Election from Colombo District
Colombo District
Colombo District is the smallest district in Sri Lanka with an area of 642 km². It is located in the Western Province, on the western coast of the island. Sri Lanka’s commercial capital, Colombo and the political capital, Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte are located in this district...
. He was appointed Minister of Transport on 19 October 2000. On 14 September 2001, the subject of environment was added to his portfolio.
In 2001 he was elected again from the Colombo District in the General Election, but the defeat of the PA meant that he once more sat in the Opposition.
In 2004, MEP as founding and constituent party formed the United People's Freedom Alliance
United People's Freedom Alliance
The United People's Freedom Alliance is a political alliance in Sri Lanka. The current leader of the United People's Freedom Alliance is Mahinda Rajapaksa and Susil Premajayantha is the general secretary of UPFA.The alliance was formed by:...
(UPFA), and was elected as the vice-president of UPFA. He again contested the General Election successfully from the Colombo District. He was appointed Minister of Urban Development and Water Supply and Deputy Minister of Education on 4 October 2004. On 22 November 2005, he resigned from the position of Deputy Minister of Education.
In the Cabinet re-shuffle of February 2007, he was appointed Minister of Urban Development and Sacred Areas Development.
He is also the Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee of Electoral Reforms.
In 2008 he was appointed as the Chief Government Whip of Sri Lanka Parliament and immesnly contributed towards the success of the Government while leading the government benches in Parliament at crucial and decisive debates and votes.
He has always played dominant and significant roles at presidential elections in Sri Lanka in support of candidature of the main progressive party, maintaining the firebrand oratorics on political platform while immensely contributing to the success of Hon Hector Kobbekaduwa in 1983, Hon Sirimavo Bandaranaike in 1988, HE Chandrika Kumaranatunga in the decisive 1999 elections, and in the triumphant of HE Mahinda Rajapakse in 2005 & 2010.
On 8 February 2010, Dinesh Gunawardena was awarded the 'Leadership Award for Pro-Poor Policy Implementation' in Mumbai, India.
In 2010, he contested the General Election from the Colombo District under the UPFA banner, and was successful in obtaining over one-hudred thousand preferential votes and be elected to the Parliament for the 6th time. Subsequently, the he was appointed as the Minister of Water Supply and Drainage, and remains to be the Chief Government Whip of the 7th Parliament of Sri Lanka.