1. Dissanayake Mudiyanse Ralahamilage Lionel Gamini Dissanayake, PC was a prominent Sri Lankan politician, a powerful minister of the United National Party, and Leader of the Opposition.
17 Facts About Gamini Dissanayake
1. 2.
Gamini Dissanayake was designated as the UNP candidate in the 1994 presidential election, but was assassinated during election campaign by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
3.
Gamini Dissanayake was born in Kandy as the second-born son of a family of seven children.
4.
The wealthy Dissanayake family resided in both Kandy as well as Nuwara Eliya.
5.
Gamini Dissanayake had his schooling at the prestigious Trinity College, Kandy.
6.
Gamini Dissanayake later completed an MPhil in International Relations at the Wolfson College, Cambridge in 1992.
7.
Gamini Dissanayake apprenticed under Neville Samarakoon, QC and call to the bar an Advocate in July 1967.
8.
Gamini Dissanayake instead contested from the United National Party and was elected as a member of parliament under United National Party candidature and was one of the 18 UNP members in the parliament at a time when his party has faced an humiliating defeat.
9.
That year a modification of the law by Minister of Justice, Felix Dias Bandaranaike to benefit Nanda Ellawala, allowed for Gamini Dissanayake to retain his civic rights and contest the by-election regaining his seat in parliament in 1972.
10.
Gamini Dissanayake comfortably secured his Nuwaraeliya-Maskeliya multielectorate seat in the 1977 general elections and was appointed as the minister of Mahaweli Development.
11.
Gamini Dissanayake was the chairperson of the Sri Lanka Cricket Board in the early 1980s and helped his country to gain the Test Status in cricket.
12.
Gamini Dissanayake played a pivotal role in signing the Indoo-Lanka Peace Accord in 1987.
13.
Gamini Dissanayake was the Minister of Estate Development during Premadasa regime.
14.
Gamini Dissanayake was not awarded a portfolio in 1990 cabinet reshuffle and remained as a back-seat MP in the parliament.
15.
Prof Rohan Goonarathne in an interview with Hasitha Kuruppu told that Gamini Dissanayake did that as Bultjens in his lectures accused Gamini Dissanayake for swindling of money.
16.
Gamini Dissanayake played a major role in the aborted impeachment motion against President Premadasa and as a result was expelled from UNP in 1991.
17.
Wijetunga indicated he would not run in the 1994 presidential election, Gamini Dissanayake was selected as the UNP candidate.