Sri Lankabhimanya Ranasinghe Premadasa ( Raṇasiṃha Premadāsa; Raṇaciṅka Pirēmatācā; 23 June 1924 – 1 May 1993) was a Sri Lankan politician and statesman who served as the third president of Sri Lanka from 1989 until his assassination in 1993. He previously served as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 1978 to 1989, with his tenure making him the longest-serving uninterrupted Prime Minister of Sri Lanka.

Amongst Sri Lankans, Premadasa has left behind a mixed legacy. While he was seen as a spokesperson of the poor, common man, his handling of the country's two civil conflicts, the JVP insurrection and the Sri Lankan civil war, have been heavily criticised. He was the first person to be conferred with the Sri Lankabhimanya, Sri Lanka's highest civilian award, in 1986 by president J. R. Jayewardene.

Early life

left|upright|thumb|One-year-old R. Premadasa with his parents in 1925

left|upright|thumb|R. Premadasa in 1930

Ranasinghe Premadasa was born on 23 June 1924 at Dias Place, Colombo 11, to the family of Richard Ranasinghe (Ranasinghe Mudalali) of Kosgoda and Battuwita Jayasinghe Arachchige Ensina Hamine of Batuwita, Horana. Premadasa was the oldest of five children, with three sisters and one brother. His father was engaged in the transport business in Colombo employing rickshaws.

He received his early education at the Purwarama temple under Ven. Welitara Sri Pannananda and secondary education at Lorenz College, Skinner's Road, South Maradana and at St. Joseph's College, Colombo under Rector Fr. Le Goc.

From the UNP, Premadasa contested the 1956 general election from the Ruwanwella electorate but lost to N. M. Perera. Following his defeat, he joined J. R. Jayewardene in working for the party reorganization under Dudley Senanayake and served as the secretary of the Religious Affairs Committee of the Buddhist Council appointed by the government to organize the 2500th Buddha Jayanthi celebrations. The following year he joined the protest march to Kandy on 3 October, which had been organized by J. R. Jayewardene. The march was disrupted at Imbulgoda by thugs led by S. D. Bandaranayake.

Premadasa was elected as the third Member of Parliament from Colombo Central in the March 1960 general election. The short-lived Dudley Senanayake government was defeated in three months and in the July 1960 general election he polled fourth in the three-member constituency of Colombo Central. In 1961, he re-entered the Colombo Municipal Council having been elected from the Cinnamon Gardens Ward and served until 1965. During this time, he worked to open preschools for poor families and initiated vocational training centres in sewing and tailoring for the youth.

Minister of Local Government, Housing and Construction (1977–1978)

Premadasa was re-elected as the first member of parliament for Colombo Central in the 1977 general election and was appointed Leader of the House and Minister of Local Government, Housing and Construction. Security forces brutally put down the revolt and killed many of its leaders.

Monetary policy

Premadasa concentrated on a grassroots-level economic development drive, focusing on the provision of housing, poverty alleviation and the upliftment of the poor. He encouraged the building of model villages with clean water, transport infrastructure, schools and health centres. He encouraged the establishment of small-scale industries (mostly garment-related) in poor areas by giving factory owners low-interest loans and a share in textile quotas for the United States and Europe. While the IPKF was recalled by New Delhi in 1990, the government's war with the LTTE resumed, beginning Eelam War II, which ended in a stalemate five years later. The 1990 massacre of Sri Lankan Police officers, which occurred after the policemen were asked to surrender to the LTTE in Batticaloa at Premadasa's request, was later established to have been performed with the same weapons he had supplied them.

Impeachment attempt

In September 1991, Premadasa faced an impeachment attempt in parliament led by his two formidable rivals in the UNP, Lalith Athulathmudali and Gamini Dissanayake. He defeated the attempt by adjourning Parliament and Speaker M. H. Mohamed dismissed the impeachment stating a lack of signatures after several parliamentarians who supported the impeachment later withdrew their support after facing threats. Premadasa expelled Athulathmudali and Dissanayake from the party, who then went on to form their own political party, the Democratic United National Front (DUNF).

Country name change

In 1992, Premadasa changed the country's English name from Sri Lanka to Shri Lanka on the advice of soothsayers, who predicted it would improve the country's fortunes. The change was reverted after his assassination in 1993.

Assassination

Ranasinghe Premadasa was killed along with 23 others on 1 May 1993, around 12.45 p.m. during the UNP's May Day rally in Colombo by an LTTE suicide bomber. The explosion took place at Armour Street-Grandpass Junction in Hulftsdorp, Colombo while President Premadasa was unofficially supervising the procession as it was heading towards the Galle Face Green from Sugathadasa Stadium. The suicide bomber was later identified as Kulaveerasingam Veerakumar alias 'Babu', a close friend of the president's valet E. M. P. Mohideen. He rode a bicycle towards the president, left it near the president's Range Rover and walked towards the president when security personnel attempted to stop him. Despite this, Mohideen allowed him to get close to the President, when Veerakumar detonated the explosive device. Killed in the explosion were Mohideen, SSP Ronnie Gunasinghe and most of Premadasa's personal staff. Another 38 people were injured in the bombing including seven who were seriously wounded. Confusion prevailed as it was unclear what had happened, with Premadasa and his security detail missing. His death was only confirmed two hours later by his personal physician when the remains of the president were identified by his ring and watch.

The site of the explosion was cleaned within hours before a proper investigation was conducted. The May Day parade continued even after the explosion for some time. An island-wide curfew was imposed hours after the assassination. Prime minister Dingiri Banda Wijetunga was sworn in as the acting president in the afternoon. The government did not announce the death of President Premadasa until 6 p.m. local time when state television Rupavahini broadcast a tape of BBC's report of the incident. A period of national mourning was announced until the funeral. Police claimed that they recovered the severed head of a young man suspected to be the bomber, which was found to have a cyanide suicide capsule, bearing LTTE tradecraft in his mouth. Premadasa's state funeral took place at Independence Square, Colombo on 9 May 1993.

Legacy

thumb|right|200px|The Sri Lankabhimanya Ranasinghe Premadasa Memorial in Colombo, Sri Lanka

Amongst Sri Lankans, Premadasa has left behind a mixed legacy. While he was seen as a spokesperson of the poor, common man, his handling of the country's two civil conflicts, the JVP insurrection and the Sri Lankan civil war, have been heavily criticised.

R. Premadasa Stadium, which was built under Premadasa's supervision in 1986, still remains named after him.

The Sri Lankabhimanya Ranasinghe Premadasa Memorial is a statue depicting Premadasa, which stands in Hulftsdorp, Colombo.

The Former President Sri Lankabhimanya Ranasinghe Premadasa Memorial Monument stands at the location of the bomb blast, at the junction of Armour Street and Grandpass Road in Hulftsdorp.

Ranasinghe Premadasa's son, Sajith Premadasa, went on to become a politician in his own right. Sajith ran for presidency twice unsuccessfully in 2019 and 2024, winning 41.99% and 32.76% of the vote respectively. He is the current Leader of the Opposition and leader of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya, a breakaway party of the United National Party his father once led.

  • The 1993 Indian Tamil-language film Gentleman was rewritten by the director S. Shankar based on the assassination of Ranasinghe Premadasa after a request by film producer K. T. Kunjumon. The film was in the post-production stage when Premadasa was assassinated, and the film was released on 30 July 1993.

Personal life

Premadasa married Hema Wickramatunge, the only daughter of Mr and Mrs Wickramatunge Arachchige Charles Appuhamy of Bandarawela on 23 June 1964. They had a son, Sajith, and a daughter, Dulanjali. A hard worker, Premadasa was known for rising early and following a strict routine. He lived and worked from his private residence and office, Sucharitha even during his tenure as prime minister and president.

Further reading

See also

  • Sajith Premadasa
  • List of political families in Sri Lanka
  • List of assassinations of the Sri Lankan Civil War
  • List of assassinated and executed heads of state and government

References

  • Website of the Parliament of Sri Lanka
  • Official Website of United National Party (UNP)
  • Remembering Premadasa
  • Methek Kathawa Divaina

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