Lalith Athulathmudali
Lalith Athulathmudali | |
---|---|
Former Minister of Education, National Security, Trade and Agriculture | |
Member of Parliament for Colombo | |
In office 1977–1993 | |
Personal details | |
Born | November 26, 1936 Colombo, Ceylon |
Died | April 23, 1993 Colombo, Sri Lanka |
Nationality | Sri Lankan |
Political party | Democratic United National Front |
Other political affiliations | United National Party |
Spouse | Srimani Anoma Athulathmudali |
Children | Serela Athulathmudali |
Alma mater | Jesus College, Oxford, Royal College, Colombo |
Occupation | Politician |
Profession | Barrister, University lecturer |
Lalith William Samarasekera Athulathmudali, PC (November 26, 1936 – April 23, 1993) was a Sri Lankan politician of the United National Party and former Cabinet Minister of Trade, National Security, Agriculture, Education and deputy minister of defence.
Early life and teaching career
Born to a family of Lawers, Athulathmudali was educated at the prestigious Royal College, Colombo. He then went on to read Jurisprudence at Jesus College, University of Oxford from 1955, President of the Oxford Union in 1958 and won the Lord Sanky Prize. He was the first Sri Lankan to be elected as the President of the Oxford Union.[1] Thereafter he became a Barrister at Grays Inn, and went on to gain a Law Degree from the Harvard University on scholarship.[2]
After which he went teach law as a lecturer at the University of Singapore, the Hebrew University in Israel, the University of Edinburgh and the University of Allahabad finally as a lecturer in Jurisprudence in the Ceylon Law College. In 1985 he was appointed a President's Counsel.
Political career
Lalith Athulathmudali was elected to Parliament in 1977 and went on to become the Deputy Minister of Defence and Minister of National Security under President J.R. Jayewardene during the 1980s. During this time, he organized several offensives against territories held by the LTTE including Vadamarachchi Operation. He was seriously injured in an 1987 grenade attack in the Sri Lankan Parliament inside the Parliament complex in 1987. Upon Jayewardene's retirement in 1988, Athulathmudali tried to obtain the UNP's nomination for the presidential election, but was defeated by Ranasinghe Premadasa who went on to win the presidency.
Premadasa demoted Athulathmudali to Minister of Agriculture, then Minister of Education. He also tried to have Athulathmudali removed from his UNP party positions. Athulathmudali became disenchanted with Premadasa's leadership.
Athulathmudali and several UNP MPs brought forth a motion to impeach Premadasa. When that failed, he was expelled from the UNP, and began forming a new party, the Democratic United National Front. He announced his candidacy for the presidency, but was assassinated by a gunman on April 23, 1993 after an election rally . Initially, the government blamed the LTTE and produced the body of a Tamil youth named Ragunathan was found near the scene of the shooting the following day. He had apparently died from taking a cyanide capsule. However, these claims were later proved to be false.
A Presidential Commission carried out by the Sri Lankan Government concluded that Sri Lankan President Ranasinghe Premadasa was directly responsible for the assassination. It also concluded that the Tamil youth Ragunathan, was murdered by the same people who killed Athulathmudali, by forcibly administering him with cyanide.[3]
Legacy
Athulathmudali is considered as one of the few distinguished Sri Lankan statesmen of his time. He is still remembered by many in Sri Lanka as a gentlemen and as one of the few well educated politicians of that era. In his honor a staue and memorial has been erected in Colombo. His contribution to the education of the country is eminence, the Mahapola Fund he established has greatly contributed to the development of higher education and provides scholarships for needy students annually. The Lalith Athulathmudali Auditorium at the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology and the Lalith Athulathmudali Memorial Prize which is one of the prestigious prizes awarded annually at Royal College, Colombo (his alma mater) are named in his honor.
See also
- Political Families of The World
- Notable assassinations of the Sri Lankan Civil War
- Sri Lankan Civil War
- Ranasinghe Premadasa
References
- ^ "Old Members' Notes and News". Jesus College Record: 72–3. 1993/4.
{{cite journal}}
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(help)CS1 maint: year (link) - ^ Lalith Athulathmudali - a great son of Lanka
- ^ SRI LANKA: THE UNTOLD STORY Chapter 58: Premadasa indicted
External links
- The Athulathmudali Ancestry
- Article for Lalith Athulathmudali on Sadaharita
- Official Website of United National Party
- Sri Lanka: the Untold Story
- Obiturary at Liberal International
- Lalith Athulathmudali epitome of a pragmatic politician
- He shared his views but never interfered in military matters
- Athulathmudali memorial lecture by Anura Banadaranaike
- We must not give up resolve to fight the LTTE’
- Time to revisit Athulathmudali approach
- Lalith Athulathmudali in Sinhala
- Lalith Athulathmudali in Sinhala
- 1936 births
- 1993 deaths
- Government ministers of Sri Lanka
- Members of 8th Parliament of Sri Lanka
- Sri Lankan academics
- Sri Lankan lawyers
- Sri Lankan politicians
- United National Party politicians
- Deaths by firearm in Sri Lanka
- People assassinated by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
- Assassinated Sri Lankan politicians
- Sri Lankan terrorism victims
- Old Royalists
- Alumni of Jesus College, Oxford
- Harvard University alumni
- Presidents of the Oxford Union
- Members of Gray's Inn
- National University of Singapore faculty
- Academics of the University of Edinburgh
- Members of 9th Parliament of Sri Lanka