Srima Dissanayake
Sri Lankan politician and lawyer (1943–2019) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wajira Srimathi Dissanayake (Sinhala: වජිර ශ්රීමති දිසානායක, romanized: Wajira Srīmati Disānāyaka; 7 January 1943 – 29 March 2019) was a Sri Lankan lawyer, politician and 1994 UNP presidential candidate.
Srima Dissanayake | |
|---|---|
ශ්රීමා දිසානායක | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 7 January 1943 |
| Died | 29 March 2019 (aged 76) Colombo, Sri Lanka |
| Political party | United National Party |
| Spouse | Gamini Dissanayake |
| Children | Navin Dissanayake, Mayantha Dissanayake, Varuni Dissanayake |
| Alma mater | Ceylon Law College |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
Early life and family
Dissanayake was born in 1943.[1][a] She was the daughter of Piyasena Lenaduwa from Galle in southern Ceylon.[2] She was educated at Ladies' College, Colombo.[2]
After school Dissanayake joined Ceylon Law College where she met her future husband Gamini Dissanayake.[2][3] They had two sons, Navin and Mayantha, both of whom are Members of Parliament, and a daughter, Varuni.[4][5]
Career
Summarize
Perspective
Dissanayake was a lawyer by profession and was a member of the Central Provincial Council.[6][7] Her husband Gamini Dissanayake, who was the Leader of the Opposition, was chosen by the United National Party to be its candidate at the 1994 presidential election.[8] However, he was killed in a suicide bombing on 24 October 1994, sixteen days before the election.[9] The UNP, hoping to capitalise on the sympathy vote, chose Srima Dissanayake over former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and former first lady Hema Premadasa to be Gamini Dissanayake’s replacement.[10] However, many UNP officials refused to campaign for Srima Dissanayake who, for security reasons, campaigned through the media only.[9][11] Dissanayake was heavily defeated by Prime Minister Chandrika Kumaratunga who swept the polls, winning in all but one of the 160 polling divisions.[12] Dissanayake received 2,715,283 votes (35.91%), the lowest share for a major party candidate in any Sri Lankan presidential election.[13][14]
Dissanayake left politics afterwards and devoted herself to her family, the Gamini Dissanayake Foundation and the Gamini Dissanayake Institute of Technology and Vocational Studies.[2][15]
Dissanayake died at a private hospital in Colombo on 29 March 2019.[16][17]
See also
Notes
- Another source gives Dissanayake's year of birth as 1941.[2]
References
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