D. A. Rajapaksa
Encyclopedia
Don Alwin Rajapaksa (5 November 1905 - 7 November 1967) (known as D. A. Rajapaksa) was a Sri Lanka
n politician and Member of Parliament
, who represented the Beliatta
electorate in Hambantota
district from 1947 to 1965. A founding member of Sri Lanka Freedom Party
and Cabinet Minister of Agriculture
and Land
in Wijeyananda Dahanayake
's government, he was the father of the current Sri Lankan President Dr
Mahinda Rajapaksa
.
region.
He was born on 5 November 1905 in a hamlet called Madamulana and had his early education at Mandaduva School in Weerakatiya. His father, Don David Rajapaksa, who held the post of Vidanaracchi in Ihala Valikada Korale, sent him for secondary education to Richmond College
, Galle
. Having completed his education successfully, he helped his father to manage the family property which consisted of paddy field
s and coconut
plantations.
He also helped his elder brother D. M. Rajapaksa, who was the State Councillor
for Hambantota in attending to affairs of the electorate. Thus he got sufficient experience in the field of politics, but was reluctant to contest the Hambantota seat at the by-election of 1945 on the death of his brother.
Nevertheless, the politically influential people in the area insisted that he should contest the by-election and were finally successful in dragging him into active politics. He won the seat at the by-election and was included in the Committee on Agriculture and Land in the State Council. This gave him a good opportunity to tackle the problem of landlessness of the peasantry of Giruvapattuva. DA adopted a 99-year lease scheme to transfer crown land to landless peasants in 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) plots. For the middle income earners, the land extending from 10 to 50 acres (202,343 m²) was alienated in the same manner. These measures in fact gave a boost to the paddy and coconut cultivations in Giruva Pattuva.
When the first parliamentary general elections were held in 1947 under the new constitution
, the former Hambantota electorate was divided into two, namely, Beliatta
and Tissamaharama
electorate. Most of Western Giruva Pattuva was included in the Beliatta electorate. D. A. Rajapaksa contested in Beliatta on the United National Party
ticket and won the sesat.
When S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, disgruntled over the policies of the United National Party, left the party to form the Sri Lanka Freedom Party in 1951, D. A. Rajapaksa followed suit. The Rajapaksas supported Bandaranaike at the general elections of 1952, winning the Beliatta electorate for the SLFP. Later on, in the historic general elections of 1956, D. A. Rajapaksa was elected MP for Beliatta. In 1959 he was appointed as Cabinet Minister of Agriculture and Lands by Prime Minister Wijeyananda Dahanayake
.
D. A. Rajapaksa's ups and downs in the political arena are follow those of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party at the time. At the general election of 1960, when the SLFP was defeated and the UNP formed a government, DA too lost his seat. But when the UNP government was dissolved and the parliamentary elections were held for the second time in July of the same year, DA once again emerged victorious at Beliatta and was an inspiration to the government led by Sirimavo Bandaranaike
.
He was appointed Deputy Chairman of Committees in Parliament and subsequently Deputy Speaker
. When the SLFP lost to the Dudley Senanayake
- led UNP in the 1965 elections, DA again lost his parliamentary seat.
At the defeat in the 1965 general elections, DA not only lost his political power but was also devoid of material wealth. During this period all his children, Chamal, Mahinda, Basil, Gothabhaya and Dudley were studying in Colombo and he found it difficult to meet their expenses. He sold his vehicle, leased his coconut lands and went through enormous hardships to sustain the family. When he fell seriously ill in November 1967, there wasn't a vehicle nearby to take him to hospital. When transport was arranged belatedly his heart condition had worsened. After admission to hospital, he died November 7, 1967.
He held the feudal post of Vidanarachchi in Ihala Valikada Korale, Giruvapattuva in the Hambantota District.
Don M. (D.M.) Rajapaksa
State councilor for Hambantota District
Don Alwin (D.A.) Rajapaksa (1905–1967)
He was one of the founder members of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and was also a Deputy Speaker of Parliament and Cabinet Minister.
News Media (Sinhala)
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
n politician and Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, who represented the Beliatta
Beliatta
Beliatta is a town located in Hambantota District, southern province Sri Lanka near but inland from the coast about 7 km away.it is the home town of the current president of the Sri Lanka Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa in Hambantota District. the prominent nearest town is Tangalle...
electorate in Hambantota
Hambantota
Hambantota is a coastal city in the south of Sri Lanka. It is the capital of the Hambantota District...
district from 1947 to 1965. A founding member of Sri Lanka Freedom Party
Sri Lanka Freedom Party
The Sri Lanka Freedom Party is one of the major political parties in Sri Lanka. It was founded by S.W.R.D Bandaranaike in 1951 and, since then, has been one of the two largest parties in the Sri Lankan political arena. It first came to power in 1956 and since then has been the predominant party in...
and Cabinet Minister of Agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
and Land
Landscape
Landscape comprises the visible features of an area of land, including the physical elements of landforms such as mountains, hills, water bodies such as rivers, lakes, ponds and the sea, living elements of land cover including indigenous vegetation, human elements including different forms of...
in Wijeyananda Dahanayake
Wijeyananda Dahanayake
Wijeyananda Dahanayake was a Sri Lankan political figure. He was the Prime Minister of Ceylon from 1959 to 1960.-Early Life:...
's government, he was the father of the current Sri Lankan President Dr
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
Mahinda Rajapaksa
Mahinda Rajapaksa
Percy Mahendra "Mahinda" Rajapaksa ; ; born November 18, 1945) is the 6th and current President of Sri Lanka and Commander in Chief of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces. A lawyer by profession, Rajapaksa was first elected to the Parliament of Sri Lanka in 1970, and served as prime minister from April 6,...
.
Biography
Don Alwin Rajapaksa was a democratic politician from the RuhunaRuhuna
Ruhuna is a region of southern Sri Lanka. It was the centre of a flourishing civilization and the cultural and economic centres of ancient Sri Lanka, Magama, Tissamaharama and Mahanagakula , were established here....
region.
He was born on 5 November 1905 in a hamlet called Madamulana and had his early education at Mandaduva School in Weerakatiya. His father, Don David Rajapaksa, who held the post of Vidanaracchi in Ihala Valikada Korale, sent him for secondary education to Richmond College
Richmond College
Richmond College is a primary and secondary school in Galle, Sri Lanka. The school was established in 1814 by Christian missionaries. Richmond College is now a well established institution with a reputation as one of the finest schools in Sri Lanka...
, Galle
Galle
Galle is a city situated on the southwestern tip of Sri Lanka, 119 km from Colombo. Galle is the capital city of Southern Province of Sri Lanka and it lies in Galle District....
. Having completed his education successfully, he helped his father to manage the family property which consisted of paddy field
Paddy field
A paddy field is a flooded parcel of arable land used for growing rice and other semiaquatic crops. Paddy fields are a typical feature of rice farming in east, south and southeast Asia. Paddies can be built into steep hillsides as terraces and adjacent to depressed or steeply sloped features such...
s and coconut
Coconut
The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
plantations.
He also helped his elder brother D. M. Rajapaksa, who was the State Councillor
State Council of Ceylon
The State Council of Ceylon was the unicameral legislature for Ceylon , established in 1931 by the Donoughmore Constitution. The State Council gave universal adult franchise to the people of the colony for the first time...
for Hambantota in attending to affairs of the electorate. Thus he got sufficient experience in the field of politics, but was reluctant to contest the Hambantota seat at the by-election of 1945 on the death of his brother.
Nevertheless, the politically influential people in the area insisted that he should contest the by-election and were finally successful in dragging him into active politics. He won the seat at the by-election and was included in the Committee on Agriculture and Land in the State Council. This gave him a good opportunity to tackle the problem of landlessness of the peasantry of Giruvapattuva. DA adopted a 99-year lease scheme to transfer crown land to landless peasants in 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) plots. For the middle income earners, the land extending from 10 to 50 acres (202,343 m²) was alienated in the same manner. These measures in fact gave a boost to the paddy and coconut cultivations in Giruva Pattuva.
When the first parliamentary general elections were held in 1947 under the new constitution
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
, the former Hambantota electorate was divided into two, namely, Beliatta
Beliatta
Beliatta is a town located in Hambantota District, southern province Sri Lanka near but inland from the coast about 7 km away.it is the home town of the current president of the Sri Lanka Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa in Hambantota District. the prominent nearest town is Tangalle...
and Tissamaharama
Tissamaharama
Tissamaharama is a town in south-eastern Sri Lanka. It used to be the capital of the Sinhalese Kingdom of Ruhuna as early as the 3rd century B.C. Only few buildings from that period can still be seen today. The large artificial Tissa Wewa lake, which was a part of a sophisticated irrigation...
electorate. Most of Western Giruva Pattuva was included in the Beliatta electorate. D. A. Rajapaksa contested in Beliatta on the United National Party
United National Party
The United National Party, often referred to as the UNP ), , is a political party in Sri Lanka. It currently is the main opposition party in Sri Lanka and is headed by Ranil Wickremesinghe...
ticket and won the sesat.
When S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, disgruntled over the policies of the United National Party, left the party to form the Sri Lanka Freedom Party in 1951, D. A. Rajapaksa followed suit. The Rajapaksas supported Bandaranaike at the general elections of 1952, winning the Beliatta electorate for the SLFP. Later on, in the historic general elections of 1956, D. A. Rajapaksa was elected MP for Beliatta. In 1959 he was appointed as Cabinet Minister of Agriculture and Lands by Prime Minister Wijeyananda Dahanayake
Wijeyananda Dahanayake
Wijeyananda Dahanayake was a Sri Lankan political figure. He was the Prime Minister of Ceylon from 1959 to 1960.-Early Life:...
.
D. A. Rajapaksa's ups and downs in the political arena are follow those of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party at the time. At the general election of 1960, when the SLFP was defeated and the UNP formed a government, DA too lost his seat. But when the UNP government was dissolved and the parliamentary elections were held for the second time in July of the same year, DA once again emerged victorious at Beliatta and was an inspiration to the government led by Sirimavo Bandaranaike
Sirimavo Bandaranaike
Sirimavo Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike was a Sri Lankan politician and the world's first female head of government...
.
He was appointed Deputy Chairman of Committees in Parliament and subsequently Deputy Speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
. When the SLFP lost to the Dudley Senanayake
Dudley Senanayake
Dudley Shelton Senanayake was a Ceylonese politician, who became the second Prime Minister of Ceylon and went on to become prime minister on 2 more times during the 1950s and 1960s.-Early life:Dudley was born on 19 June, 1911 as the eldest son to Molly Dunuwila and Don Stephen Senanayake, who...
- led UNP in the 1965 elections, DA again lost his parliamentary seat.
At the defeat in the 1965 general elections, DA not only lost his political power but was also devoid of material wealth. During this period all his children, Chamal, Mahinda, Basil, Gothabhaya and Dudley were studying in Colombo and he found it difficult to meet their expenses. He sold his vehicle, leased his coconut lands and went through enormous hardships to sustain the family. When he fell seriously ill in November 1967, there wasn't a vehicle nearby to take him to hospital. When transport was arranged belatedly his heart condition had worsened. After admission to hospital, he died November 7, 1967.
Family
Don David Rajapaksa VidanarachchiHe held the feudal post of Vidanarachchi in Ihala Valikada Korale, Giruvapattuva in the Hambantota District.
Don M. (D.M.) Rajapaksa
State councilor for Hambantota District
Don Alwin (D.A.) Rajapaksa (1905–1967)
He was one of the founder members of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and was also a Deputy Speaker of Parliament and Cabinet Minister.
Family Tree
1. Don David Rajapaksa Vidanarachchi (feudal post) + Dona Gimara Moonesinghe-
- 1.1. D.M. Rajapaksa (State Councilor / Senator)
-
- 1.1.1. Lakshman Rajapaksa (Member of Parliament)
- 1.1.2. George Rajapaksa (Member of Parliament, Cabinet Minister of Fisheries)
- 1.1.2.1.Nirupama RajapaksaNirupama RajapaksaNirupama Deepika Rajapaksa is a Sri Lankan politician, a member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka and a government minister.-References:...
(currently Deputy Minister and Member of Parliament)
- 1.1.2.1.Nirupama Rajapaksa
-
- 1.1. D.M. Rajapaksa (State Councilor / Senator)
-
- 1.2. D.A. Rajapaksa (Member of Parliament, Deputy Minister, Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Cabinet Minister) + Dandina Samarasinghe Dissanayake
-
-
- 1.2.1. Chamal RajapaksaChamal RajapaksaChamal Jayantha Rajapaksa is the current Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka and former Cabinet Minister of Ports, Aviation, Irrigation and Water Management. He hails from a well known political family in Sri Lanka. His father, D. A...
(Member of Parliament, Deputy Minister,Cabinet Minister,current Speaker) (Children, Sasheendra Rajapaksa, Shameendra Rajapaksa)
- 1.2.1. Chamal Rajapaksa
-
-
-
- 1.2.2. Jayanthi Rajapaksa (Children, Himal Laleendra Hettiarachchi & Rangani Hettiarachhi)
-
-
-
- 1.2.3. DrHonorary degreeAn honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
Mahinda RajapaksaMahinda RajapaksaPercy Mahendra "Mahinda" Rajapaksa ; ; born November 18, 1945) is the 6th and current President of Sri Lanka and Commander in Chief of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces. A lawyer by profession, Rajapaksa was first elected to the Parliament of Sri Lanka in 1970, and served as prime minister from April 6,...
(Member of Parliament, Cabinet Minister, Leader of Opposition, Prime Minister, currently President of Sri Lanka) ( Children, Namal RajapaksaNamal RajapaksaLakshman Namal Rajapaksa is a Sri Lankan politician. He is a current Member of Parliament for Hambantota District and he hails from a well known political family. His father Mahinda Rajapaksa is the current President of Sri Lanka and his grandfather D. A...
, Yoshitha Rajapaksa & Rohitha Rajapaksa) - 1.2.4. Chandra Rajapaksa (Children: Chaminda Rajapaksa)
- 1.2.5. Lieutenant ColonelLieutenant colonelLieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
DrHonorary degreeAn honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
Gotabhaya RajapaksaGotabhaya RajapaksaLieutenant Colonel Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa, RWP, RSP, psc, GR is a retired officer of the Sri Lanka Army and the current Defence Secretary of Sri Lanka. After serving through the early parts of the country's civil war with Tamil Tiger rebels, he retired from the Army in 1992...
(20 years in military, currently Permanent Secretary to Ministry of Defence, Public Security, Law & Order)( Children :Manoj Rajapaksa) - 1.2.6. Basil Rajapaksa (currently Cabinet Minister and Member of Parliament) (Children: Thejani Rajapaksa, Bimalka Rajapaksa, Asanka Rajapaksa)
- 1.2.7. Dudley Rajapaksa (Children: Mihiri Rajapaksa)
- 1.2.8. Preethi Rajapaksa (Children, Malaka Chandradasa,Madhawa Chandradasa, Madini Chandradasa & Malika Chandradasa)
- 1.2.9. Gandani Rajapaksa (Children, Eshana Ranawaka, Nipuna Ranawaka & Randula Ranawaka)
- 1.2.3. Dr
-
External links
- The Rajapaksa Ancestry
- D.A. Rajapaksa Has Gifted Four Worthy Sons to Save the Nation
- D. A. Rajapaksa who felt the heartbeat of the People
- Life and times of D. A. Rajapaksa the reluctant politician
- A tribute to D. A. Rajapaksa
- The modest and Affable Leader of the people of the South
- D. A. Rajapaksa and Mahinda Chintana
News Media (Sinhala)