Mangala Samaraweera

Hon.
Mangala Samaraweera
MP
Minister of Finance
Assumed office
22 May 2017
President Maithripala Sirisena
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe
Preceded by Ravi Karunanayake
Minister of Media
Assumed office
22 May 2017
President Maithripala Sirisena
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe
Preceded by Gayantha Karunathilaka
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office
12 January 2015 – 22 May 2017
President Maithripala Sirisena
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe
Preceded by Gamini L Peiris
Succeeded by Ravi Karunanayake
In office
23 November 2005 – 28 January 2007
President Mahinda Rajapaksa
Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake
Preceded by Anura Bandaranaike
Succeeded by Rohitha Bogollagama
Member of the Sri Lanka Parliament
for Matara District
Assumed office
15 February 1989
Personal details
Born Mangala Pinsiri Samaraweera
(1956-04-21) 21 April 1956
Matara, Sri Lanka
Nationality Sri Lankan
Political party Sri Lanka Freedom Party (1983-2007)
United National Party
(2010-present)
Parents Mahanama Samaraweera
(father)
Khema Padmawathi Samaraweera (mother)
Occupation Politician
Ethnicity Sinhalese
Religion Theravada Buddhism

Mangala Pinsiri Samaraweera (Sinhalese: මංගල පින්සිරි සමරවීර, Tamil: மங்கள சமரவீர; pronounced [mˈʌŋgɘlɘ pinsiri sˈʌmɘrɘviːrɘ]; born 21 April 1956), better known as Mangala Samaraweera, is an MP of UNP party Sri Lanka and Minister of Finance and Media, appointed 2017. He previously held that post of Foreign Minister two terms from 2005 to 2007 and 2015 to 2017. He created a stir in Sri Lankan politics when he was sacked as a minister by President Mahinda Rajapakse in 2007, after which he formed a new political party called the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (Mahajana) Wing which merged into the United National Party in 2010.[1] Samaraweera is also called a kingmaker in Sri Lankan politics from the 1990s to now.

Personal life

Mangala Samaraweera is the son of Mahanama Samaraweera, who was a Cabinet Minister of Local Government, Housing,Communications,Posts and Telecommunications in Sirimavo Bandaranaike's government, and Khema Samaraweera, a member of the Matara Urban Council. A graduate in Clothing Design and Technology from St. Martin's School of Art in London, he served as a design consultant to the National Design Center of Sri Lanka prior to his political career.

Political career

He was the Sri Lanka Freedom Party's chief organizer for the southern city Matara beginning in 1983 and Assistant Secretary of the SLFP Coordinating Secretary of the Mother’s Front.

He first entered the Parliament of Sri Lanka as a representative of the Matara District in 1989, and he was appointed as Minister of Post & Telecommunications in the cabinet of President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga in 1994. He also served as the Minister of Urban Development, Construction and Public Utilities in the same Cabinet after a reshuffle and was later given the Deputy Minister of Finance portfolio.

Following the election defeat of his party in 2001, he was made the Chief Opposition Whip and the Treasurer of the SLFP. In 2004 he became the Minister of Ports, Aviation and Media in the new cabinet of President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga.

In June 2005, after conflicts with Kumaratunga, he dropped the Media Ministry, but remained Cabinet Minister of Ports and Aviation. He became the campaign manager for Presidential candidate and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse. When Rajapakse won and took office in November 2005, he surprised many by appointing Samaraweera to the additional post of Foreign Minister instead of Prime Minister; Samaraweera maintained his other posts.

In late January 2007, Samaraweera was replaced as Foreign Minister, but remained as Minister of Ports and Aviation.[2] On 9 February 2007, he was sacked from the cabinet together with ministers Anura Bandaranaike and Sripathi Sooriyarachchi after falling out with the president. He then went on to create a new political party, the SLFP (Mahajana) wing.

In October 2013, the Matara Magistrate's Court issued a Court order to arrest him and 10 others for their alleged involvement in obstructing a peaceful protest march in Matara by UNP activists, to oust its leader Ranil Wickramasinghe.[3]

On 12 January 2015 Samaraweera was again appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs under newly elected President Maithripala Sirisena.[4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Daily Mirror, SLFP (M) unveils ‘policy’
  2. ↑ "Sri Lankan president reshuffles cabinet", Xinhua, January 29, 2007.
  3. ↑ "ARREST MANGALA ORDERS COURT". Dailymirror.lk. 15 Oct 2013.
  4. ↑ "Sri Lankan foreign minister Mangala Samaraweera to visit India". The Times of India. 13 January 2015. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
Government offices
Preceded by
Gamini L Peiris		 Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka
2015–2017		 Succeeded by
Ravi Karunanayake
Preceded by
Anura Bandaranaike		 Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka
2005-2007		 Succeeded by
Rohitha Bogollagama
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