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Richard Gotabhaya Senanayake | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theCeylon Parliament forDambadeniya | |
| In office 14 October 1947 – May 1970 | |
| Succeeded by | P. B. Wettewe |
| Member of theCeylon Parliament forKelaniya | |
| In office 10 April 1956 – 19 March 1960 | |
| Preceded by | J. R. Jayewardene |
| Succeeded by | J. R. Jayewardene |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 4 November 1911 |
| Died | 22 December 1970(1970-12-22) (aged 59) |
| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Political party | United National Party |
| Spouse | Erinnée Subasinghe |
| Children | Jayantha |
| Residence | Grassmere |
| Alma mater | Royal College Colombo, Downing College, Cambridge |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Profession | Barrister |
Richard Gotabhaya Senanayake (4 November 1911 – 22 December 1970; popularly known asR.G. Senanayake) was aSri Lankan politician. He was Minister of Trade and Commerce during the period 1952-56 and 1956-60. He was elected aMember of Parliament fromDambadeniya in 1952 and in 1956 fromKelaniya, thus holding concurrent seats from two constituencies, while he retained his seat from Dambadeniya in 1960 and 1965. He was the eldest son of the freedom fighterFredrick Richard Senanayake and was educated at theRoyal College, Colombo and atDowning College, Cambridge and had become abarrister.[1]
Richard Gotabhaya Senanayake, was born on 4 November 1911 toFredrick Richard Senanayake, abarrister and Ellen Senanayakenee Attygalle, the youngest daughter ofMudaliyarDon Charles Gemoris Attygalle. He was the eldest son, amount eight siblings. A member of theSenanayake family, his cousins included futureprime ministersDudley Senanayake andSirJohn Kotelawala.[2]
Like his father, R.G. Senanayake was educated atRoyal College, Colombo and atDowning College, Cambridge, where he gained aBA and anLL.B. degree. He wascalled to the bar as abarrister from theLincoln's Inn,London. On his return he was enrolled as anadvocate and started hislegal practice in civil law atHulftsdorp.[2]
R.G. Senanayake left his legal practice and entered mainstream politics in 1943, when he contested a by-election for the Naranwala electorate, which had been made vacate by the sudden death of his brother-in-lawSiripala Samarakkody. He was elected from Naranwala to theState Council of Ceylon.[2]
In the1947 general election, he contested theDambadeniya constituency and was elected toParliament of Ceylon from theUnited National Party. His uncleD. S. Senanayake, who became the firstprime minister of Ceylon and held theportfolio of Defence and External Affairs as prime minister, appointed R.G. Senanayake asParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of External Affairs and Defence.[2]
Following the sudden death of D.S. Senanayake, his cousinDudley Senanayake succeeded his father as Prime Minister. The new Prime Minister offered R.G. Senanayake the post ofMinister of Trade and Commerce. As Minister of Trade and Commerce, R. G. Senanayake initiated many of the first major post-independence trade policies such as theCeylon-China Rubber-Rice Pact and the tripartite Trade agreement between Ceylon, Egypt and Japan. He initiated the Ceylonese enterprise in commerce that was dominated by Europeans in the British colonial era. TheCeylon-China Rubber-Rice Pact, signed in 1952, which had a five-year term and renewable proved to be a cornerstone Ceylon foreign policy, establishingclose relations with the People's Republic of China and Sri Lanka. The pact was beneficial to Ceylon that depended on rice exports, but came into conflict with the pro-western government. He continued to hold the post of Minister of Trade and Commerce under his cousinSirJohn Kotelawala, who succeeded Dudley Senanayake. However, he opposed Kotelawela's plans to join theSouth East Asia Treaty Organisation (SEATO), which resulted in Kotelawela dropping the idea. He further opposed Kotelawela's plans to grant citizenship to foreigners. With mounting differences of opinions, notably with tension mounting between United National Party strongman and distant relativeJ. R. Jayawardene, Senanayake resigned his Ministerial portfolio on 10 July 1954 and was later expelled from the United National Party.[2]
As an independent candidate, he contested the1956 general election from two constituenciesKelaniya and Dambadeniya. He won in both, defeating J. R. Jayewardene in the Kelaniya electorate. Re-elected to parliament, Senanayake now represented two electorates, a first in Ceylon. However, theAttorney General ruled that he was entitled for only one vote and allowance.
He joined the government ofS. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, having been appointed again Minister of Trade and Commerce. He along withPhilip Gunawardena, Minister for Agriculture and Food; was instrumental in convincing Bandaranaike to award the lucrative shipping contract to import rice from Burma and Thailand to the government-owned Ceylon Shipping Corporation and the lucrative sugar manufacturing contract to the government-owned Sugar Cooperation, preventing these going to companies created byMapitigama Buddharakkitha Thero and his associate H. P. Jayawardene. This was found to be the reason for theassassination of Bandaranaike in 1959. Following the assassination, Senanayake served under his successorW. Dahanayake as Minister of Food, Commerce and Trade.[2]
R.G. Senanayake retained his seat in parliament in the1960 March general election and1960 July general election as well as in the1965 general election as an independent candidate from Dambadeniya. In 1968, he formed his own partyThe Sinhala Mahajana Pakshaya (the Sinhala Peoples Party) and contested the1970 general election from the Dambadeniya and Trincomalee electorates. He polled third in Dambadeniya and fourth in Trincomalee, losing his seat after 27 years in parliament.[3]
He died on 22 December 1970.[2] In 2013, Gregory's Road in Colombo was renamedR G Senanayake Mawatha in his memory.[4]
R.G. Senanayake married Erin Senanayakenée Subasinghe, they had one son Jayantha.[2]
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