Wasantha Senanayake

Hon.
Wasantha Senanayake
MP
Member of the Sri Lankan Parliament
for Polonnaruwa District
Assumed office
2015
State Minister of Foreign Affairs
Assumed office
31 May 2017
President Maithripala Sirisena
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe
State Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Management
In office
9 September 2015 – 31 May 2017
President Maithripala Sirisena
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe
Deputy Minister of Tourism and Sports
In office
12 January 2015 – 17 August 2015
President Maithripala Sirisena
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe
Member of the Sri Lankan Parliament
for Gampaha District
In office
2010–2015
Personal details
Born (1973-06-28) June 28, 1973
Political party United National Party

Wasantha Senanayake (Sinhala:වසන්ත සේනානායක) also spelt as Vasantha (born 28 June 1973) is a Sri Lankan politician, a member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka. He belongs to the United National Party.[1][2] He is the great grand son of D. S. Senanayake and cousin of Ruwan Wijewardene.[3]

Senanayake was appointed State Minister of Foreign Affairs in the United National Party led national government on May 31, 2017. He was the State Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Management from 2015 to 2017. He was the Deputy Minister of Tourism and Sports in the United National Party 100 days government. Senanayake served as acting Foreign Minister when the Minister Ravi Karunanayake resigned on 10 August 2017. [4] [5]

Political career

During the term of President Chandrika Kumaratunge, He served as an advisor to the President and was Chairman of the National Lotteries Board. He was also the Chairman of Water Resources Board and Janatha Fertilizers. He has always supported the temperance cause, advocating strict laws on sales and abuse of alcohol and tobacco and was one of the few MPs that physically went to courts to have the pictorial warning on cigarette packets made mandatory. Vasantha Senanayake, when a backbencher in the Mahinda Rajapaksa government proposed the controversial Private Members bill asking that the Cabinet be constitutionally limited. He has also advocated changes to the electoral system stating many reasons as to its manifest injustices including the under representation of women. He has been vocal in his efforts to curb domestic violence and violence against women. He has stressed on the need to limit executive presidential powers and has constantly upheld that powers of Parliament be strengthened. A keen wild life enthusiast and photographer was after being appointed Deputy Minister for Tourism and Sports engaged in initiatives in promoting wild life related tourism and also trying to bring about sustainable solutions to the Human - Elephant conflict. He has been a great force in curbing the practice of the illicit trade in wild elephants and rare species. He also sees Sri Lanka as an ideal destination for the promotion of Eco- tourism and sports tourism .Since being appointed State Minister for irrigation and water management after his August 2015 election to Parliament, he has been focusing his energies into tackling issues of groundwater contamination, protecting aquifers and flood prevention activity . He has also been a great advocate in Diaspora engagement activities and has throughout his political career maintained that overseas persons of Sri Lankan origin must as far as possible be involved in the rebuilding of Sri Lanka after the war, and that efforts at reconciliation must also focus on Diaspora communities. Since accepting his new position as State Minister Foreign Affairs, he has stressed that Sri Lanka must never isolate itself from the world, and seek to integrate itself into the global community but retaining its national identity. His voice was a powerful one at the ASEAN Regional Forum in Manila in August 2017, where he emphasized that DPRK ought to act respecting the rights of neighboring ROK and Japan. Attending the BIMSTEC meeting in Nepal he cautioned that the advantages envisioned by the regional grouping can only come to fruition only after the Free Trade Agreements were concluded.

Education

Senanayake completed his primary and secondary education at S. Thomas' Preparatory School, Undergraduate of University of Buckingham (LLB) and Postgraduate of General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (LLM)

Family background

Vasantha Naresh Parakrama Senanayake, following his great grandfather’s footsteps entered Parliament in 2010. Vasantha Senanayake is the great grandson of the father of the nation Rt. Hon. D.S. Senanayake and grand nephew of four times prime minister Dudley Senanayake. As an elected member of the Gampaha district and acting as organizer for the Mirigama,constituency, from where the Senanayake’s hail.

He is the only fourth generation parliamentarian, the predecessors, all descendents of Don Spater Senanayake being, Don Stephen the first prime minister, Dudley Senanayake (four times prime minister) R.G Senanayake (a notable minister) and his father’s brother Rukman Senanayake a former minister of Environment. Vasantha Senanayake has become the new face of an old family in the political arena. Sri Lanka’s first Prime Minister and the father of Independence Don Stephen Senanayake (D.S.) was his great- grandfather. Dudley Senanayake was the second.

References

  1. ↑ "VASANTHA SENANAYAKE". Directory of Members. Parliament of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
  2. ↑ "Parliamentary Elections -2010" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
  3. ↑ "Family jewels on parade in new parliament". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka). 23 August 2015.
  4. ↑ http://www.asianmirror.lk/news/item/24902-tilak-marapana-reluctant-to-swear-in-as-new-foreign-minister-with-ravi-s-personal-staff-handling-ministry-affairs
  5. ↑ http://www.adaderana.lk/news/42509/new-foreign-minister-to-be-appointed-in-two-days
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