|
Hon. Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as the Prime
Minister of Sri Lanka for the fourth time on 21st August 2015.
He is the Leader of the United National Party (UNP),
Sri Lanka's largest political party, which is a constituent member of
the National Unity Government led by H.E. the President Maithripala
Sirisena.
Hon. Wickremesinghe was first appointed as the Prime
Minister from 1993 - 1994 after the assassination of President
Ranasinghe Premadasa. He was also elected as the Prime Minister from
2001 - 2004 when the United National Front Government won the general
elections in 2001.
Political Beginnings
Born in 1949 after Sri Lanka gained independence from
the British, Hon. Wickremesinghe, is truly a leader of the new
independent era. A lawyer by profession, he was elected to Parliament in
1977 at the age of 28, having worked in the Youth League of the UNP from
his university days. As the youngest Minister in Sri Lanka at the time,
he held the post of Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs under President
Jayewardene. Very soon, in recognition of his exceptional talents and
unique capacity for work, he was appointed to the Cabinet as the
Minister of Youth Affairs and Employment. Later on, he was given the
portfolio of Education. Then in 1989, as a seasoned legislator, he was
made the Leader of the House under President Premadasa. He also served
as the Minister of Industries, Science and Technology.
Nationwide Achievements
From 1977 to 1994, during the seventeen years that the
UNP was consecutively returned to power, Hon. Ranil Wickremesinghe, as a
dynamic young politician, had a crucial impact on the development of the
country. He is still considered to be the best Education Minister of the
country due to the radical educational reforms he initiated in the 1980s
aimed at the qualitative improvement of school education (with a special
focus on English, Technology and Computer skills) and the Education
Administrative Service. He energised the young people in Sri Lanka with
creative, motivational as well as skill development programs through
youth clubs (Yovun Samajas) and youth camps (Yovunpuras).
Later on, as the Minister of Industries, Science and
Technology, he was responsible for Sri Lanka's second round of economic
liberalisation that commenced in 1989 with the focus on financial
de-regularization and industrial promotion in rural areas through
infrastructure development and the institution of industrial estates. As
the MP for Biyagama, he dramatically developed his electorate to become
a modern model suburb with brand new carpeted roads, electrification
schemes, water and sanitation projects, schools, community centres and
other infrastructure inputs. He also established the Biyagama Free Trade
Zone to provide employment for thousands of young men and women in a
range of industries.
Prime Minister Ranil In 1993 after the untimely demise
of President Premadasa, Hon.Ranil Wickremesinghe was appointed Prime
Minister during the presidency of D. B. Wijetunge. Eveready for a
challenge, the young Prime Minister rose to the responsibility of high
office and he is credited for establishing law, order and stability in
the country at this crucial juncture. During this short period, he
personally drove the economy, and the country recorded its highest
levels of economic growth for the decade.
Leader of the United National Party After the UNP was
voted out in 1994, Hon.Ranil Wickremesinghe became the Leader of the
United National Party and the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament.
Under his leadership, the UNP undertook extensive restructuring at
institutional and grassroots levels and further democratised the Party
to represent a more equitable balance in terms of ethnicity, gender and
youth.
Prime Minister Again
In 2001, Hon. Ranil Wickremesinghe led his party back
to power and was sworn in as Prime Minister once again. In spite of the
fact that the President was from an opposing party exercising full
executive powers and a strong Opposition in Parliament, Hon. Ranil
Wickremesinghe's most significant achievements were to restore full-time
electricity, rejuvenate the ailing economy, break down the many ethnic
barriers in the country, bring the warring LTTE to the negotiating table
for peace talks, and galvanize the goodwill and financial support of the
international community for Sri Lanka.
Family
Hon. Ranil Wickremesinghe was born on 24th March 1949.
He is the second son of Esmond and Nalini Wickremesinghe and has three
brothers and one sister. Esmond Wickremesinghe was an eminent press
magnate and one time President of the International Press Institute and
the winner of the Golden Pen of Freedom (the annual award to individuals
who have made an outstanding contribution to the defence of press
freedom). Nalini Wickremesinghe, the daughter of D R Wijewardene (one of
the country's famed freedom fighters and the press baron who founded Sri
Lanka's largest publishing house Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.),
was a patron of the arts who contributed greatly to the revival of
Sinhala drama, craft and culture from the 1950s - 1980s. In 1995 he
married Maithree Wickramasinghe, a Professor at the Department of
English, and the founding director of the Centre for Gender Studies at
the University of Kelaniya and an internationally known writer / speaker
on gender and women's studies.
Education and Other Pursuits
Hon. Ranil Wickremesinghe received his primary and
secondary education at Royal College, Colombo. Having graduated from the
University of Colombo with a Degree in Law, he enrolled as an Advocate
of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka in 1972, and then, practised as a
lawyer for five years. In recent times, he has been a Robert E. Wilhelm
Fellow at the Centre for International Studies at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, USA. He was also appointed
the Chair of the Asia Pacific Democrat Union and has been a (ex officio)
Vice Chair of the International Democratic Union since 2005.
Commitments and Interests
Outside of politics, Hon. Ranil Wickremesinghe is the
Chair of the Dhayakasabha of one of Sri Lanka's historic temples, the
Kelaniya Vihara and a dhayakaya of Gangaramaya, Walukaramaya and the
Weragodalla (Sedawatte) temples. He has written and spoken widely on Sri
Lankan history, Buddhism and world politics. He is an avid reader -
devouring books and web articles / news relating to regional politics,
international affairs and world history on his cherished Ipad. He is
interested in cutting-edge developments in all fields of knowledge
globally and locally. He appreciates indigenous Sinhala music, western
classics and opera as well as Bollywood songs. Hon. Ranil Wickremesinghe
enjoys native and international cuisine as well as travelling to places
of historical interest along with his wife. |
