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Wijayapala Mendis

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The Honourable
Wijayapala Mendis
MP
Personal details
Born16 December 1928
British Ceylon
Died1 September 2012(2012-09-01) (aged 83)
Sri Lanka
NationalitySri Lankan
Political partyUnited National Party
Other political
affiliations		People's Alliance
Alma materMaris Stella College, Negombo
Harischandra National College, Negombo
OccupationPolitician

Thenahandi Wijayapala Hector Mendis (16 December 1928 – 1 September 2012) was a Sri Lankan politician and a member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka.

Life and career

Mendis was born on 16 December 1928, third child of the former mayor of Negombo and Magilin, Mudliyar David Mendis.[1] He began his political career by joining UNP Youth League of Negombo at age 19 and was elected the Mayor of Negombo in 1954.[1]

In 1960 he entered Parliament from the Katana electorate as a UNP candidate, and was re-elected in 1965[2] when he was promoted to Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Works, Post and Telecommunications.[3] Except for a brief period after the defeat at the 1970 general election[4] he represented the seat until 1989. After the landslide victory by the UNP in the 1977 general election, he was appointed Minister of Textile Industries in 1977 and in 1989 he was Minister of Transport and Highways.[3] In 1993 after the assassination of President Premadasa and Ranil Wickremesinghe became Prime Minister, he was appointed Leader of the House.[5]

Mendis became the Chief Opposition Whip[6] after the 1994 parliamentary election until 1998 when he joined the People's Alliance Government with the UNP alternative group in opposition to the UNP leadership.[3] He lost his seat in 2001.

References

  1. ^ a b Wimalaratne, Sarath (16 December 2012). ""Devout Buddhist, extraordinary husband and father, and man of the people"". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka).
  2. ^ ""RESULTS OF PARLIAMENTARY GENERAL ELECTION - 22/03/1965"" (PDF). Election Commission of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  3. ^ a b c ""Wijayapala Mendis passes away"". Sunday Observer (Sri Lanka). 2 September 2012.
  4. ^ ""RESULTS OF PARLIAMENTARY GENERAL ELECTION - May 27, 1970"" (PDF). Election Commission of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  5. ^ "Leaders of the House". Parliament of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  6. ^ "Chief Opposition Whips". Parliament of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
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