D. M. Jayaratne

Dissanayaka Mudiyanselage Jayaratne (Sinhala: දිසානායක මුදියන්සේලාගේ ජයරත්න, Tamil: திசாநாயக்க முதியன்சேலாகே ஜயரத்ன; 4 June 1931[1] – 19 November 2019[2]), known as D. M. "Di Mu" Jayaratne,[3] was a veteran Sri Lankan politician who was Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 2010 to 2015. A founding member of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, Jayaratne was first elected to parliament in 1970. He was sworn in as Prime Minister on 21 April 2010.[4]

Dissanayaka Mudiyanselage Jayaratne
දිසානායක මුදියන්සේලාගේ ජයරත්න
திசாநாயக்க முதியன்சேலாகே ஜயரத்ன
14th Prime Minister of Sri Lanka
In office
21 April 2010 – 9 January 2015
PresidentMahinda Rajapaksa
Preceded byRatnasiri Wickremanayake
Succeeded byRanil Wickremesinghe
Minister of Buddhasasana & Religious Affairs
In office
8 July 2010 – 7 July 2015
PresidentMahinda Rajapaksa
Prime MinisterHimself
Minister of Plantations
In office
6 August 2007 – 6 August 2010
PresidentMahinda Rajapaksa
Prime MinisterRatnasiri Wickremanayake
Minister of Posts, Telecommunications & Upcountry Development
In office
8 August 2004 – 6 September 2007
PresidentMahinda Rajapaksa
Chandrika Kumaratunga
Prime MinisterRatnasiri Wickremanayake
Mahinda Rajapaksa
Minister of Agriculture
In office
1 June 2000 – 9 July 2001
PresidentChandrika Kumaratunga
Prime MinisterRanil Wickremesinghe
Member of Parliament
for Kandy District
In office
5 January 2004 – 7 January 2010
In office
1 July 1989 – 29 December 2001
Member of Parliament
for National List
In office
7 January 2010 – 6 June 2015
In office
30 December 2001 – 2 January 2004
Personal details
Born
Dissanayaka Mudiyanselage Jayaratne

(1931-06-04)4 June 1931
Colombo, Sri Lanka
Died19 November 2019(2019-11-19) (aged 88)
Kandy, Sri Lanka
Political partySri Lanka Freedom Party
Other political
affiliations		United People's Freedom Alliance
ChildrenAnuradha Jayaratne
EducationDoluwa Maha Vidyalaya, Gampola
Zahira College, Gampola
Occupation
  • Teacher
  • postmaster
  • politician

Early life

D. M. Jayaratne was born on 4 June 1931. He was educated at Doluwa Maha Vidyalaya and at Zahira College in Gampola, a town just outside Kandy. Following the founding of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party in Kandy in 1951 by S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, Jayaratne worked as a teacher at Doluwa Maha Vidyalaya. He later worked as Postmaster at Doluwa from 1960 to 1962.[5]

Political career

Jayaratne started his political career having been elected a member of the Village Council of Doluwa, where he later became the Chairman of the Village Council. He also become the President of the Kandy District Village Council Chairmen Association and a Member of the Federation of All Ceylon Village Council.

He first entered parliament following the 1970 general election, obtaining 14,463 votes as the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) candidate in the Gampola electorate, and defeating W.P.B. Dissanayake of the United National Party (UNP).[6] He was subsequently defeated by Dissanayake in the 1977 election in which just 8 members of the SLFP were returned to parliament.[7] He was again re-elected to parliament in 1989 from the Kandy District under the new preferential voting system. He obtained 54,290 preferential votes, topping the SLFP list in the Kandy District.[5]

Re-elected to parliament under the People's Alliance in 1994, Jayaratne was appointed Minister of Land, Agriculture and Forestry by President Chandrika Kumaratunga, entering the cabinet for the first time.[5] He held several senior party positions such as Secretary General of People's United Front and Senior Vice President of Sri Lanka Freedom Party. Ministerial appointments he held included:

  • Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Forestry and Livestock (1994)
  • Minister of Agriculture, Land and Forestry (1997)
  • Minister of Agriculture and Land (1999)
  • Minister of Agriculture (2000)
  • Minister of Agriculture Land Forestry Food and Cooperative Development (2001 Probationary Government)
  • Minister of Post and Communication (2004 while being in the Opposition)
  • Minister of Post and Telecommunication (2004)
  • Minister of Telecommunication and Rural Economic Promotion (2005)
  • Minister of Telecommunication and Upcountry Development (2006)
  • Minister of Plantation Industries (2007)

Prime Minister

Following the election victory of the United People's Freedom Alliance at the 2010 general election, Jayaratne, the most senior member of the SLFP, was sworn in as Prime Minister on 21 April 2010. Under the constitution of Sri Lanka, the role of Prime Minister is largely a ceremonial post. Along with it, he also held the Ministry of Buddha Sasana (Buddhism) and Religious Affairs.[8]

Personal life

Jayaratne had three children. His youngest Anuradha Jayaratne, is a former State Minister and current member of parliament, his daughter is a graduate from Manipal University, Manipal campus, India.[9]

See also

References
  1. "MP profile". Parliament of Sri Lanka.
  2. "Former Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne passes away". Hiru News. 19 November 2019. Archived from the original on 5 December 2019. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  3. :.News Line: Di Mu is new Prime Minister Archived 21 April 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  4. "D.M Jayaratne sworn in as PM" Archived 8 January 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Daily Mirror, 21 April 2010.
  5. "Sri Lanka's new Prime Minister is D. M Jayaratne". News.lk. 7 June 1931. Retrieved 21 April 2010.
  6. "Results of Parliamentary General Election −1970" (PDF). Department of Elections. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 December 2009. Retrieved 21 April 2010.
  7. "Results of Parliamentary General Election −1977" (PDF). Department of Elections. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 June 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2010.
  8. VIDEO: Cabinet Ministers
  9. "We must enhance our friendship, says Sri Lankan PM DM Jayaratne". Deccan Chronicle. 9 November 2014.
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