News
Politics runs in their blood
Wednesday’s election saw a number of third-generation MPs elected to serve in the 9th parliament of Sri Lanka.
Family members of some MPs had even served in the state councils of pre-Independence Ceylon.
The Rajapaksa family has the largest number of MPs in the new parliament, with five members elected on the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) ticket.
Undoubtedly the most powerful political family in the country, its journey in politics began as far back as 1936, when D.M. Rajapaksa served as a member of the second State Council of Ceylon under British rule. His sudden death propelled his brother, D.A. Rajapaksa, into politics and he served as an MP from 1947 to 1965, even serving as deputy speaker of parliament.
D.A. Rajapaksa’s sons, former president Mahinda Rajapaksa and former speaker Chamal Rajapaksa, and grandsons Namal Rajapaksa and Shasheendra Rajapaksa, have all been elected this week, as has a fifth member of the Rajapaksa family, Nipuna Ranawaka, son of Gandini Rajapaksa, a sister of Mahinda and Chamal.
Hailing from Boralugoda, the Gunawardena family has also been a powerful force in politics. Former minister Dinesh Gunawardena will serve in this parliament with his son, Yadamini, who has been nominated from the National List.
Dinesh Gunawardena’s father, Philip Gunawardena, was a member of the second State Council in 1936 while his mother was elected to the first parliament in 1947. His brothers, Indika and Geethanjana, have also served as MPs in the past.
Another third-generation MP is Jeevan Thondaman, son of late Ceylon Workers’ Congress (CWC) leader and former minister Arumugam Thondaman. The sudden death of his father a month before the election elevated Jeevan as an SLPP candidate from Nuwara Eliya, and he came in first in the district with the highest number of preferential votes.
Jeevan’s grandfather and former CWC leader, Savumiamoorthy Thondaman, served for more than 20 years as a cabinet minister in different governments.
Lohan Ratwatte, elected from the SLPP in the Kandy district, is the son of former minister General Anuruddha Ratwatte and grandson of Harris Ratwatte, who served in the State Council. Former prime minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike was also a cousin of General Anuruddha Ratwatte.
SLPP Anuradhapura district MP Shehan Semasinghe is the son of former Minister H.B.A. Semasinghe, who was elected to parliament in 1994. Shehan’s grandfather (mother’s father), K.B. Ratnayake, was a former speaker of parliament.
Tharaka Balasuriya, elected from Kegalle on the SLPP ticket, is the son of former minister Dr. Jagath Balasuriya and the grandson of former minister P.B. Balasuriya.
While not a third-generation MP, the election of Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, who won a seat in Jaffna with the Ahila Ilankai Thamil Congress (AITC), is also significant in that he is the grandson of the AITC’s founder G.G. Ponnambalam, who had a legendary career in politics starting from the colonial-era State Council to successive parliaments in post-independence Sri Lanka. Gajendrakumar’s father, the late Kumar Ponnambalam, contested unsuccessfully for the Presidency in 1982. Gajendrakumar himself will be serving his second stint in parliament, having been first elected to the legislature in 2004.