Nambukara Helambage Rajitha Harischandra Senaratne (born 29 May 1950) is a
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
n dentist, politician, member of parliament and former cabinet minister. He is currently a member of parliament representing Kalutara district
Early life and family
Senaratne was born 29 May 1950, the son of Dr. N. H. D. A. and D. W. B. Senaratne. He was educated at
Nalanda College, Colombo and
Ananda College
''Appamādo Amathapadan''
(Buddhist quote from the Apramada Vagga in the Dhammapada)
, motto_translation = Heedfulness, Punctuality leads to Nirvana
, location = P De S Kularatne Mawatha
, city = Colom ...
.
After school he joined the
University of Ceylon, Peradeniya
The University of Ceylon was the only university in Sri Lanka (earlier Ceylon) from 1942 until 1972. It had several constituent campuses at various locations around Sri Lanka. The University of Ceylon Act No. 1 of 1972, replaced it with the Univ ...
in 1971, graduating from its successor, the
, in 1974 with a degree in dentistry.
Whilst at university he was president of the student wing of the
Sri Lanka Freedom Party
The Sri Lanka Freedom Party ( si, ශ්රී ලංකා නිදහස් පක්ෂය, translit=Śrī Laṁkā Nidahas Pakṣaya; ta, இலங்கை சுதந்திரக் கட்சி, translit=Ilaṅkai Cutantirak Ka ...
(SLFP).
Senaratne is married to dentist Sujatha.
They have two sons -
Chathura and Eksath.
Career
Senaratne became involved in leftist politics whilst serving as general-secretary of the Government Dentists’ Association/Government Dental Surgeons Association between 1975 and 1989.
He was very critical of the
Jayewardene government and its policies.
When film actor
Vijaya Kumaratunga left the SLFP and founded the
Sri Lanka People's Party (Sri Lanka Mahajana Pakshaya) (SLPP) in the early 1980s Senaratne joined the newly formed party.
The SLPP became a target of the
Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) during its
second insurrection.
Senaratne was critical of the JVP's violence and "eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth" policy and became a target of the JVP.
On 17 October 1988 the JVP attacked an election rally for SLPP
presidential
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese fu ...
candidate
Ossie Abeygunasekera at
Grandpass
Grandpass is a suburb in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is part of an area known as ''Colombo 14''.
History
During the Portuguese administration in Sri Lanka, the area was named Grande Passo. The name was anglicised during the British administration to ...
in
Colombo, killing three. Senaratne sustained injuries in the attack which left two pieces of shrapnel in his skull.
In 1988 the
Communist Party of Sri Lanka
The Communist Party of Sri Lanka ( si, ශ්රී ලංකාවේ කොමියුනිස්ට් පක්ෂය, ''Sri Lankavay Komiyunist Pakshaya'' ta, இலங்கை கம்யூனிஸ்ட் கட்சி, trans ...
(CPSL),
Lanka Sama Samaja Party
The Lanka Sama Samaja Party, often abbreviated as LSSP (Literal translation, literally: Lanka Socialist Party, Sinhalese language, Sinhala: ලංකා සම සමාජ පක්ෂය, Tamil language, Tamil: லங்கா சமசமா ...
(LSSP),
Nava Sama Samaja Party
The Nava Sama Samaja Pakshaya (''New Equal Society Party'') is a Trotskyist political party in Sri Lanka. It was formed through the expulsion from the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) of the Vama Samsamja tendency led by Dr Vickrambahu (Bahu), Suma ...
and SLPP formed the
United Socialist Alliance
The Socialist Alliance was a political alliance and registered political party in Sri Lanka. It was founded in 2006 by five left-wing political parties: the Communist Party of Sri Lanka, Democratic Left Front, Desha Vimukthi Janatha Pakshaya, Lanka ...
(USA). Senaratne was one of the USA's candidates at the 1988 provincial council election and was elected to the
Western Provincial Council
The Western Province ( si, බස්නාහිර පළාත ''Basnāhira Paḷāta''; ta, மேல் மாகாணம் ''Mael Mākāṇam'') is one of the nine provinces of Sri Lanka, the first level administrative division of the c ...
.
He was one of the USA's candidates in
Colombo District
Colombo District ( si, කොළඹ දිස්ත්රික්කය ''kol̠am̆ba distrikkaya''; ta, கொழும்பு மாவட்டம் ''Koḻumpu Māvaṭṭam'') is one of the 25 districts of Sri Lanka, the second level ...
at the
1989 parliamentary election but the USA failed to win any seats in the district.
Abeygunasekera, who had taken over leadership of the SLPP following the assassination of Kumaratunga in February 1988, started moving the SLPP towards the governing
United National Party (UNP).
Kumaratunga's widow
Chandrika Kumaratunga
Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga ( si, චන්ද්රිකා බණ්ඩාරනායක කුමාරතුංග, ta, சந்திரிகா பண்டாரநாயக்க குமாரதுங்க; born 29 Ju ...
was expelled from the SLPP.
Senaratne and other Chandrika loyalists formed the
People's Freedom Front (Bahujana Nidahas Peramuna) (PFF).
Chandrika Kumaratunga was the PFF's leader whilst Senaratne was its general-secretary.
Chandrika Kumaratunga rejoined the SLFP later.
When the PFF and SLPP formed the SLFP dominated
People's Alliance (PA) Senaratne joined the UNP on the invitation of president
D. B. Wijetunga
Sri Lankabhimanya Dingiri Banda Wijetunga ( si, ඩිංගිරි බණ්ඩා විජේතුංග, ta, டிங்கிரி பண்ட விஜேதுங்க; 15 February 1916 – 21 September 2008) was the fourth Presid ...
and was appointed a UNP
National List
The National List ( he, רשימה ממלכתית, ''Reshima Mamlakhtit''), sometimes translated as the State List, was a political party in Israel. Despite being founded by David Ben-Gurion, one of the fathers of the Israeli left, the party is ...
MP in the
Sri Lankan Parliament
The Parliament of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (Sinhala: ශ්රී ලංකා පාර්ලිමේන්තුව ''Shri Lanka Parlimenthuwa'', Tamil: இலங்கை நாடாளுமன்றம் ''Ila ...
in 1994.
Senaratne became a vocal critic of Chandrika Kumaratunga, who had been elected president in November 1994, and her
PA government.
On 31 March 2000 the
Court of Appeal
A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much of t ...
upheld a
petition against Senaratne, ruling that he was disqualified from sitting or voting in Parliament as he had done business with state institutions.
The petition had been brought by deputy minister
Dilan Perera
Boddhiya Baduge Dilan Priyanjan Anslam Perera, MP (born 19 April 1962) (known as ''Dilan Perera'') is a Sri Lankan politician. Current Member of Parliament for Badulla District, he was the former State Minister of Highways, State Minister of Hous ...
who had been represented in court by lawyer
Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe. Using a
legal loophole
A loophole is an ambiguity or inadequacy in a system, such as a law or security, which can be used to circumvent or otherwise avoid the purpose, implied or explicitly stated, of the system.
Originally, the word meant an arrowslit, a narrow verti ...
the UNP re-appointed Senaratne to the vacant National List seat cause by his unseating.
Senaratne was one of the UNP's candidates in
Kalutara District
Kalutara District ( si, කළුතර දිස්ත්රික්කය; ta, களுத்துறை மாவட்டம் ''Kaḷuttuṟai Māvaṭṭam'') is one of the 25 districts of Sri Lanka, the second level administrative ...
at the
2000 parliamentary election. He was elected and re-entered Parliament.
He was re-elected at the
2001 parliamentary election as a
United National Front (UNF) candidate.
The UNF defeated the PA at the election after which Senaratne was appointed Project Minister of Land. Senaratne contested the
2004 parliamentary election as one of the UNF's candidates in Kalutara District. He was elected and re-entered Parliament.
He however lost his ministerial position after the UNF was defeated by the newly formed
United People's Freedom Alliance
The United People's Freedom Alliance (abbreviated UPFA; si, එක්සත් ජනතා නිදහස් සන්ධානය ''Eksath Janathā Nidahas Sandānaya''; ta, ஐக்கிய மக்கள் சுதந்திரக ...
(UPFA).
In January 2007 several UNF MPs including Senaratne
defected
In politics, a defector is a person who gives up allegiance to one state in exchange for allegiance to another, changing sides in a way which is considered illegitimate by the first state. More broadly, defection involves abandoning a person, ca ...
to the SLFP dominated
UPFA government. Senaratne was rewarded by being appointed Minister of Construction and Engineering Services. Senaratne contested the
2010 parliamentary election as one of the UPFA's candidates in Kalutara District. He was elected and re-entered Parliament.
He was appointed
Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development after the election. Senaratne was awarded an
honorary doctorate from the St. Petersburg Fundamental International Educational Institute in 2011.
Senaratne's wife Sujatha was appointed director of the
National Hospital of Sri Lanka
The National Hospital of Sri Lanka (sometimes General Hospital) is a government hospital in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Founded in 1864 as the General Hospital, it is the leading hospital in Sri Lanka and is controlled by the central government. The hosp ...
, a move that was seen a political
nepotism
Nepotism is an advantage, privilege, or position that is granted to relatives and friends in an occupation or field. These fields may include but are not limited to, business, politics, academia, entertainment, sports, fitness, religion, an ...
.
The appointment was nullified by the
Supreme Court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
but she was subsequently appointed Additional Secretary (Public Health Services).
Senaratne left the UPFA in November 2014 to support common opposition candidate
Maithripala Sirisena at the
2015 presidential election. Senaratne and other SLFP MPs who supported Sirisena were stripped of their ministerial positions and expelled from the SLFP. After the election newly elected President Sirisena rewarded Senaratne by appointing him
Minister of Health and Indigenous Medicine. Sirisena became chairman/leader of the SLFP on 16 January 2015. Subsequently, Sirisena supporters, including Senaratne, who had been expelled from the SLFP were readmitted to the SLFP and Senaratne became a vice president of the SLFP in February 2015. In March 2015 Gamini Ranasinghe and his wife accused Senaratne's son Eksath of abducting their teenage daughter Dinithe Aloka, who was sixteen years old at the time of abduction in February 2014, and keeping her at Senaratne's official residence in
Colombo. Senaratne denied the accusations of abduction, saying that Dinithe Aloka had "come willingly".
In July 2015 Senaratne and other supporters of President Sirisena formed the
United National Front for Good Governance (UNFGG) to contest the
parliamentary election. Senaratne was one of the UNFGG's candidates in Kalutara District at the
2015 parliamentary election. Senaratne and other SLFP members, who accepted nominations by the UNFGG in response to former President
Mahinda Rajapaksa
Mahinda Rajapaksa ( si, මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ, ta, மஹிந்த ராஜபக்ஷ; born Percy Mahendra Rajapaksa; 18 November 1945) is a Sri Lankan politician. He served as the President of Sri Lanka from 2005 to ...
being granted SLFP nomination to contest the election, had their SLFP membership suspended by President Sirisena, leader of the SLFP and UPFA They subsequently joined the Democratic National Movement. Senaratne was re-elected at the election and re-entered Parliament. His cabinet portfolio was changed to
Minister of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine after the election.
Senaratne suffered a heart attack on 19 February 2016 and was initially treated at a private hospital in Colombo. He was flown to the private
Mount Elizabeth Hospital in
Singapore where he underwent a three-hour
heart bypass
Coronary artery bypass surgery, also known as coronary artery bypass graft (CABG, pronounced "cabbage") is a surgical procedure to treat coronary artery disease (CAD), the buildup of plaques in the arteries of the heart. It can relieve chest pai ...
surgery on 19 February 2016. After a period of recovery, Senaratne returned to Sri Lanka on 17 March 2016.
Electoral history
Controversies
Corruption
Rajith has been accused of multiple cases of corruption. The Bribery Commission had filed indictments against him for causing unlawful loss to the government when leasing out the Modara Fisheries harbor to a private company during his time as fisheries minister in 2014 under the Rajapaksa administration. During his time as health minister under the Yahapalana administration he was accused of large stock sof medicine which were accused of being below standards without issuing tenders.
Conspiracy Theories during 2019 Easter Bombings
Rajitha Senaratne was accused of spreading conspiracy theories during the 2019 Sri Lanka Easter Bombings where he claimed the Presidential Candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa had funded some members of the National Tawheed Jamaath (NTJ) terrorist group.
"White Van" Interview
During the 2019 Presidential Election Rajitha organised a "dramatic" interview where two people one claiming to be a White Van driver and another claiming to be a Victim of White Van abductions claimed that White Vans were used to kidnap people under the orders of Presidential candidate
Gotabaya Rajapaksa
Lieutenant Colonel Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa ( si, නන්දසේන ගෝඨාභය රාජපක්ෂ; ta, நந்தசேன கோட்டாபய ராஜபக்ஷ; born 20 June 1949) is a former Sri Lankan militar ...
when he was defence secretary and the corpses fed to crocodiles. Further they claimed that they transported 7000 metric tons of Gold owned by the LTTE which is higher than the gold stored in the
United States Bullion Depository
The United States Bullion Depository, often known as Fort Knox, is a fortified vault building located next to the United States Army post of Fort Knox, Kentucky. It is operated by the United States Department of the Treasury. The vault is used ...
. After the SLPP lawyers association complained to the police both the actors claiming to be White Van Drivers and Rajitha was arrested.
Misinformation during COVID-19 Pandemic
In May 2019 Rajitha falsely claimed that the virus had spread to school children in Colombo. Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) opened investigations and questioned him in the Negambo Prison where he is being detained by a court order due to another separate incident.
Notes
See also
*
List of political families in Sri Lanka
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Senaratne, Rajitha
1950 births
Alumni of Ananda College
Alumni of Nalanda College, Colombo
Alumni of the University of Sri Lanka (Peradeniya)
Fisheries ministers of Sri Lanka
Health ministers of Sri Lanka
Living people
Members of the 10th Parliament of Sri Lanka
Members of the 11th Parliament of Sri Lanka
Members of the 12th Parliament of Sri Lanka
Members of the 13th Parliament of Sri Lanka
Members of the 14th Parliament of Sri Lanka
Members of the 15th Parliament of Sri Lanka
Members of the 16th Parliament of Sri Lanka
Members of the Western Provincial Council
Prisoners and detainees of Sri Lanka
Sinhalese dentists
Sinhalese politicians
Sinhalese trade unionists
Sri Lanka Freedom Party politicians
United National Party politicians
Sri Lankan Buddhists
Sri Lankan prisoners and detainees
United People's Freedom Alliance politicians
Samagi Jana Balawegaya politicians