Kusumasiri Gunawardena | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theCeylon Parliament forAvissawella | |
| In office 1948–1956 | |
| Preceded by | Philip Gunawardena |
| Succeeded by | Philip Gunawardena |
| Member of theCeylon Parliament forKiriella | |
| In office 1956–1960 | |
| Preceded by | A. E. B. Kiriella |
| Succeeded by | A. E. B. Kiriella |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Kusumasiri Amarasinghe (1912-05-26)26 May 1912 Medaketiya (Tangalle) |
| Died | 30 May 1986(1986-05-30) (aged 74) |
| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Political party | Lanka Sama Samaja Party |
| Other political affiliations | Viplavakari Lanka Sama Samaja Party |
| Spouse | Philip Gunawardena |
| Children | 5, includingIndika,Prasanna,Dinesh,Gitanjana |
| Alma mater | Rahula Maha Vidyalaya,Tangalle,St. Mary's Convent Matara,Musaeus College, Colombo |
| Occupation | Politician |
Kusumasiri Gunawardena (née Amarasinghe) (1912–1986) was a Ceylonese politician.[1]
Kusumasiri was born in Medaketiya (Tangalle) on 26 May 1912, the daughter of Don Davith Amarasinghe and Sophinona.[2] She was educated at Rahula Maha Vidyalaya,Tangalle,St. Mary's Convent Matara andMusaeus College, Colombo.[3] She later participated in theSuriya Mal movement and joined theLanka Sama Samaja Party.[2]
On 30 June 1939 she marriedPhilip Gunawardena, one of the founders of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party. During theSecond World War, when her husband escaped from detention in Ceylon to India, she followed in disguise. They were both later arrested by Indian police in 1943 and after several months deported back to Ceylon.[2][3]
In 1947 Phillip was elected at1st parliamentary election as the member forAvissawella, representing the Lanka Sama Samaja Party.[4] In 1948 however he was dismissed from parliament due to his involvement in the General Strike in 1947, losing his civic rights for seven years. He was replaced by Kusumasiri, who was elected unopposed in the 1948 by-election,[3][5] making her the second elected female Member ofParliament in Sri Lanka.[6] She retained the seat at the2nd parliamentary elections in 1952, representing theViplavakari Lanka Sama Samaja Party.[7][8] She did not contest the seat of Avissawella following1956 parliamentary elections in favour of her husband, instead she contested and won the seat ofKiriella Electoral District.[9] She failed to retain the seat at theMarch 1960 parliamentary elections. She then unsuccessfully contested the seat ofDehiowita Electoral District in theJuly 1960 parliamentary elections, polling third behindSoma Wickremanayake andA. F. Wijemanne.
As a member of parliament she campaigned for equal treatment of women, pushing for women to be recruited to the civil service and be appointed to senior positions in government departments.[3]
Her eldest son,Indika, was a member of parliament and a cabinet member, her second son,Prasanna, was theMayor of Colombo between 2002 and 2006, her third son,Dinesh, served as the prime minister of Sri Lanka from 2022 to 2024, representing theColombo Electoral District and the current leader of theMahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP), whilst her fourth son,Gitanjana was also a member of parliament and a deputy minister. One of her grandsons,Yadamini Gunawardena, is also a member of parliament.
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