Cyril Mathew

Hon.
Caluadewage Cyril Mathew
Minister of Industry and Scientific Affairs
In office
July 1977 – 1984
Preceded by Tikiri Banda Subasinghe
Succeeded by Ranil Wickremesinghe
Member of the Sri Lanka Parliament
for Kelaniya
In office
1977–1989
Preceded by R. S. Perera
Succeeded by seat abolished
Personal details
Born (1912-09-30)30 September 1912
Died 17 October 1989(1989-10-17) (aged 80)
Nationality Sri Lankan
Political party United National Party
Profession politician

Caluadewage Cyril Mathew (30 September 1912 – 17 October 1989) was a United National Party member of parliament,[1] representing the Kelaniya electorate,[2] and served as the Minister of Industry and Scientific Affairs in the Jayewardene cabinet (1977 – 1986).

Mathew was the author of the book Sinhalese! Rise to Protect Buddhism, which urged Sinhalese to stand up for their rights and protect their values. He also issued a pamphlet Who is the Tiger, a collection of his inflammatory speeches made in 1979.

Mathew was elected at the 8th parliamentary elections, held on 21 July 1977, representing the Kelaniya electorate for the United National Party.[3] He was known for his hard-line position against the Tamil's political aspirations.[4] He was appointed as the Minister of Industry and Scientific Affairs in July 1977.[5] He is widely regarded as one of the key ministers responsible for instigating the anti-Tamil riots of July 1983, which subsequently resulted in the outbreak of a 26 year civil war.[6] Mathew was expelled from the cabinet and the governing United National Party by President J. R. Jayewardene in 1984 after publicly criticising a conference called by Jayewardene to redress grievances of the Tamil minority.[7] Jayewardene's successor, Ranasinghe Premadasa, subsequently reinstated Mathew's party membership.

His son Nanda was also a member of the parliament[8] and later held several ministerial posts, including Minister of Sports and Youth affairs, under successive UNP governments. He was later appointed by President Chandrika Kumaratunga and President Mahinda Rajapaksa as Governor of the Uva Province.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Hon. Mathew, Caluwadewage Cyril, M.P." Parliament of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  2. ↑ Peebles, Patrick (22 October 2015). Historical Dictionary of Sri Lanka. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 229. ISBN 9781442255852.
  3. ↑ "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1977" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  4. ↑ The Peoples Alliance Government in Sri Lanka
  5. ↑ Sri Lanka Year Book 1977 (PDF). Department of Census and Statistics, Sri Lanka. pp. 17–18.
  6. ↑ Hoole, Rajan (3 September 2013). "July 1983: Ranil Wickremasinghe Followed Cyril Mathew". Colombo Telegraph. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  7. ↑ "Deaths". Washington Post  – via HighBeam Research (subscription required) . 19 October 1989. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
  8. ↑ "Hon. Mathew, Caluadewagey Nanda, M.P." Parliament of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 16 October 2017.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.