On October 23, 1994, an LTTE suicide bomber took the lives of Opposition Leader and Presidential candidate Gamini Dissanayake, former Minister of Food and Co-operatives Weerasinghe Mallimaratchi, UNP General Secretary Dr. Gamini Wijesekera, DUNF leader G.M. Premachandra and several others at an election rally in Thotalanga sending shock waves through the country.
Malli as he was popularly known was introduced to politics by former Sports Minister V.A.
Sugathadasa in 1962, to contest the Bloemendhaal ward of the Colombo Municipal Council. He became Deputy Minister in 1970 and was appointed organizer of the Kolonnawa electorate in 1973 by the Leader of the Opposition J.R. Jayewardene. Till his tragic death, he had the enviable record of having never lost an election he contested.
He was a loyal supporter of President Jayewardene and during the satyagraha campaign he took JR who was then Opposition Leader to the CMC to put up a white flag in the CMC flagpost. The Police barricaded the area but JR smoothly walked in to lead the satyagraha campaign after a nap at the CMC building. During JR’s time the UNP’s annual conventions were always organized by Mallimaratchi at the Sugathadasa indoor stadium.
In 1988 when the JVP was trying to disrupt the government the country almost came to a standstill with a shortage of fuel. Appointed Minister of Petroleum Services, he settled the issue within three days.
He provided thousands of jobs and built at least 4 to 5,000 houses, many vocational training centres, improving schools and the road network in Kolonnawa. He built the Henry Olcott Vidyalaya which provides education for more than 2000 students today.The people of Kolonnawa and Janasaviya benefited from his social work and his commitment to the downtrodden.
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