Clifford Senaka Ratwatte (19 March 1927 – 10 February 2009) was a
Sri Lankan politician. He was a former
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture, Food, Co-operatives and Fisheries in 1964 Member of Parliament for
Balangoda
Balangoda is a large town in Ratnapura District, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka, governed by an urban council located away from Colombo and from Ratnapura on Colombo - Batticaloa Highway(A4). It is one of the largest towns of the Sabaragamuw ...
, Chairman of the State Plantations Corporation and the Sri Lanka Tea Board.
Early life
Ratwatte was born to a prominent
Radala
Radala refers to a small minority group in Sri Lanka in the former provinces of the Kingdom of Kandy, who are either descendants of chiefs and courtiers of the King of Kandy of Nayaks of Kandy or descendants of native headmen appointed by the ...
family, who were descended from Ratwatte Dissawa,
Dissawa
The Mahâ Dissâvas was a Great Officer in the Amātya Mandalaya, or Sinhalese Council of State, in the Sinhalese Kingdoms of monarchical Sri Lanka. Like many of the existing high offices at the time it had combined legislative and judicial ...
of
Matale
Matale ( Sinhala: මාතලේ, ta, மாத்தளை, translit=Māttaḷai) is the administrative capital city of the Matale District. It is the most urbanised and populated centre in the district. Matale is also the second largest muni ...
, a signatory on behalf of the
Sinhalese
Sinhala may refer to:
* Something of or related to the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka
* Sinhalese people
* Sinhala language, one of the three official languages used in Sri Lanka
* Sinhala script, a writing system for the Sinhala language
** Sinha ...
to the
Kandyan Convention of 1815. Ratwatte was born on 19 March 1927 in
Balangoda
Balangoda is a large town in Ratnapura District, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka, governed by an urban council located away from Colombo and from Ratnapura on Colombo - Batticaloa Highway(A4). It is one of the largest towns of the Sabaragamuw ...
, one of six children to
Barnes Ratwatte
Barnes Ratwatte (''known as Barnes Ratwatte Dissawa '') (1883 – 20 September 1957) was a Ceylonese colonial-era legislator and a headman. He was a member of the State Council and the Senate of Ceylon. He was appointed to the posts of Rate Maha ...
Dissawa
The Mahâ Dissâvas was a Great Officer in the Amātya Mandalaya, or Sinhalese Council of State, in the Sinhalese Kingdoms of monarchical Sri Lanka. Like many of the existing high offices at the time it had combined legislative and judicial ...
(later a member of the
State Council of Ceylon and the
Senate of Ceylon
The Senate was the upper chamber of the parliament of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) established in 1947 by the Soulbury Commission. The Senate was appointed and indirectly elected rather than directly elected. It was housed in the old Legislative Coun ...
) and Rosalind Mahawelatenne Kumarihamy , daughter of Mahawalatenne
Rate Mahatmaya
Rate Mahatmaya was a traditional office and title from the Kandian Kingdom which became part of the British colonial administration within the Kandian and central region of Ceylon.
History
Persons were appointed to the title and office by the Ki ...
of
Balangoda
Balangoda is a large town in Ratnapura District, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka, governed by an urban council located away from Colombo and from Ratnapura on Colombo - Batticaloa Highway(A4). It is one of the largest towns of the Sabaragamuw ...
. His eldest sister was
Sirimavo Bandaranaike, who was the 7th
Prime Minister of Ceylon
The Prime Minister of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the head and most senior member of parliament in the cabinet of ministers. It is the second-most powerful position in Sri Lanka's executive branch behind the president, w ...
and the modern world's first female
head of government
The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presides over a cabinet, ...
.
Ratwatte had his primary school education at St. Agnus’ Convent in Balangoda and his secondary school education at
S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia
, motto_translation = Be Thou Forever
, song = Thomian Song
, athletics = Yes
, sports = Yes
, nickname = Thora
, denomination = Anglican
, patron ...
.
He married a distant cosine,
Mallika Ellawala and began his career as a tea planter in Balangoda.
Political career
In 1954 he was elected as a Councillor to the Balangoda Town Council. In 1957 he became the president of the
Balangoda Urban Council until he resigned in 1968.
Ratwatte was elected to Parliament in
March 1960, from the
Balangoda electorate. He was subsequently re-elected at the
general election in July. He was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation. However, he was unseated in 1965 in an election petition. His wife
Mallika Ellawala Ratwatte contested his seat in the by-election in 1966 and won and was re-elected in 1970. But was defeated in 1977.
Later work
He produced the 1974 film, ''
The God King
''The God King'' is a 1974 British–Sri Lankan historical film directed by Lester James Peries. The film is based on the historical clash between brothers Kasyapa and Moggalana on Sigiriya Rock.
Producer Dimitri de Grunwald financed the epic fi ...
'' and the 1975 film ''
Kaludiya Dahara''. He also served as the Chairman of the State Plantations Corporation and the Sri Lanka Tea Board.
Family
Ratwatte had two children, Kamal and Heshani. His son Kamal Ratwatte, served as the Chairman, Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment; Deputy Chairman, Airport & Aviation Services and Basnayake Nilame
(Lay Custodian) of the
Sabaragamuwa Maha Saman Devalaya in
Ratnapura
Ratnapura (; ) ("City of Gems" in Sinhala and Tamil) is a major city in Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of Sabaragamuwa Province, as well as the Ratnapura District, and is a traditional centre for the Sri Lankan gem trade. It is located o ...
.
See also
*
List of political families in Sri Lanka
This is a partial listing of prominent political families in Sri Lanka.
Abdul Majeed
*A. L. Abdul Majeed (15 November 1933 – 13 November 1987) also known as Mutur Majeed, former Deputy Minister of Information and Broadcasting and Member Parl ...
References
External links
The Ratwatte Ancestry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ratwatte, Clifford
Sri Lankan Buddhists
Members of the 6th Parliament of Ceylon
Clifford
Sinhalese politicians
1927 births
2009 deaths