- Mahinda Rajapaksa
Percy Mahendra a.k.a “Mahinda” Rajapaksa is a Sri Lankan MP and currently the leader of the opposition; the Sri Lankan Freedom Party. He formerly served as Sri Lanka’s 6th President for two terms, from 2005 to 2015.
Early Life
Mahinda was born in Weerakatiya, Southern Province, Sri Lanka on 18 November 1945. He is heir to a well-established political family. His father is an ex-politician, MP and Cabinet Minister. He uncle was also a State Councillor. Mahinda has attended Richmond, Nalanda and Thurstan College. He has also been at student at Sri Lanka Law College from where he graduated as a fully qualified lawyer. He married Shiranthi Wickremasinghe, child-psychologist and educator in 1983. The couple have three sons together; Namal, Yoshitha and Rohitha, the eldest of whom is also an MP.
Business and Career
Mahina took over as the SLFP candidate for the Beliatta constituency after his father’s death, becoming the youngest MP the country had seen at the age of 24. After the 2004 elections, Mahinda was sworn in as Prime Minister, and also held control over the Ministry of Highways & Road Development at this time. Despite representing himself as a peaceful person, Mahinda has highlighted signs of ending the peace pact in Sri Lanka by forging agreements which called for a revision of ceasefire in regards to the country’s Civil war, during his first-term of presidency. Mahinda has also been accused of election fraud during his third failed attempt into presidency, and his previous runnings as PM as well. His estimated net worth is at $18 billion.
- Arjuna Ranatunga
Deshamanya Arjuna Ranatunga is a Sri Lankan ex-cricketer and 96’ Cricket World Cup champion. Due to his position as captaincy when his team took the title, he is often nick-named as ‘Captain Cool.’ Asides from being a successful cricketer, he is now also a mainstream politician for his country’s government.
Early Life
Deshamanya Arjuna Ranatunga was born in Grampaha, Sri Lanka on 1 December 1963. His father Reggie was a politician for the Sri Lankan Freedom Party. His brothers, Nishantha, Dammika and Sanjeeva have played cricket for their home country at an international level as well. Ranatuga became married to Samadara, the couple have a son called Dhyan.
Business and Career
From 1988 and 11 years thereafter, Ranatunga transformed the Sri Lankan cricket team completely. The squad went from a frail and poorly organised team that were repeatedly defeated, to a cohesive and highly successful unit. After retiring from Cricket in 2001, he decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and Join the Sri Lankan Freedom Party. After the electoral success of the UPFA in 2004, he was given the position of Deputy Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment. He has since left the UPFA and is currently affiliated with the Democratic National Alliance, as the Minister of Highways, Ports and Shipping. His net worth is priced at $68 million.
- Maithripala Sirisena
A politician and current 7th serving president of Sri Lanka, since 2015. He is the country’s first PM from the north-province, and shockingly one that was not born into a historically political family either. He has been surprising citizens of Sri Lanka by issuing gazettes every Friday since late October 2018.
Early Life
Maithripala Sirisena was born on 3 September 1951 in a village named Yagoda within the Gampaha District in Sri Lanka. His father Pallewatte Gamaralalage Albert served as a Veteran in WWII. His mother Yapa Appuhamilage Dona Nandawathi, was a simple school teacher. After the family moved to Polonnaruwa, Sirisena jr. attended Royal College, where he first accumulated his love of Politics. Sirisena studied at the Sri Lanka School of Agriculture for three years, from where he graduated with a diploma in agriculture in 1973.Seven years later he was awarded with a Diploma in political science, which he earned from the Maxim Gorky Literature Institute in Russia.
Business and Career
At the young age of 17, Sirisena has worked as a secretary for the SLFP Youth Organisation. A couple years after, he became involved with politics at a national level. He has been a Village Officer, President, Chief Organiser and also Treasurer of the SLFP. He has formerly been the Minister of Mahaweli Development as well. He was appointed as general secretary of the SLFP in 2001. In 2005 and 2010, he was voted in as the Minister of Agriculture and Health respectively, before resigning and running for his current position in presidency. His net worth at present is valued at a total of $14 million.
- Arumugam Thondaman
A member of Sri Lankan Parliament, Thondaman is the current Cabinet Minister of Livestock and Rural Community Development (farm-welfare).
Early Life
Thondaman was born on May 29 1964 in Sri Lanka. Unlike the Prime Minister of his nation, he belongs to an established political family, with his grandfather having been the famous Unionist Saumyamoorthi Thondaman. He studied at the Royal College Colombo, and currently still resides in the country’s commercial capital.
Business and Career
Thondaman assumed office for the Ceylon Worker’s Congress Party in 1999. He is also a representative of the Nuwara Eliya District, and an advocate for the Indian Tamils residing in Sri Lanka. Aside from his political career, Thondaman’s accumulation of wealth includes sources such as stocks, properties, and share-holdings. He also holds private yachts and planes. His net worth is prized at an approximate $1.9 million.
- Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan
Ex-militant and present politician, Muralitharan has certainly had what would be considered as an unusual career path for some.
Early Life
Muralitharan was born in a village called Kiran, within the Batticaloa of Eastern Sri Lanka in 1966. He was born to Vinayagamoorthy, an agriculturist from the farming and business caste of the Vaisyas. He has formerly been a fighter for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, an insurgency seeking to create an independent state of Tamil, for two decades. He is married to a woman called Nira, the couple have three children together.
Business and Career
After giving up gunfire and armed combat, Muralitharan was placed as a list member for the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA). During 2008, he was sworn into becoming the Minister of National Integration. Shortly after he joined the SLFP and was appointed as its Vice President in 2009. He was in office from that time up until 2015. Muralitharan’s net worth stands at around a current $1.7 billion.
- H. M. Fowzie
Abdul Hameed Mohamed Fowzie is a Sri Lankan MP and Minister of Government. He suffered injuries whilst being immersed in a crowd during the Akuressa suicide bombing.
Early Life
Fowzie was born on 13 October 1937 in Sri Lanka. He is married, a successful businessman and also a practicing Muslim. His son, Nauzer Fowzie is also a Politician and a member of the Western Provincial Council.
Business and Career
Fowzie was formerly the Mayor of Colombo, from 1974 to 1977. He became a member of the National Government through the United National Party, and assumed the position of Minister of Disaster Management from 2010 to 2015. He has been the Minister of Highways from 2000 to 2001. He has also been the Minister of Environment & Natural Resources, and of Petroleum Resources & Development as well. His estimated net worth of $1.4 million.
- Chandrika Kumaratunga
Kumartatunga was Sri Lanka’s 5th reigning President, the only woman in the country who has been honoured with the position until date. She served two terms, from 1994 to 2005. Bandaranaike is a fluent speaker of Sinhala, English and French.
Early Life
Chandrika Bandaranaike was born on June 29, 1945 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Her parents, S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike and Sirima Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike were former Ministers. Chandrika came from a privileged and well-off background, she was the middle child of three in her family. Bandaranaike deserted her Law studies at Roman Catholic College in order to fly to France under a scholarship programme. After studying to improve her competency in the French language, she earned a degree in Political Science and a PhD in Development Economics.
Business and Career
After stepping down from Presidency and as head of the SLFP, Bandaranaike exited the country on a self-inflicted exile to the UK. She is an involved member of the Global Leadership Foundation and the Council of Women World Leaders. She is also a director of the Club De Madrid and a panellist of the Clinton Global Initiative in the USA. Her net worth is summed up to an average of $1.4 million.
- Anura Kumara Dissanayaka
Dissanayaka Mudiyanselage Anura Kumara Dissanayaka is a politician from Sri Lanka, present leader of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna and one of the country’s MPs.
Early Life
Anura Kumara Dissanayaka was born on 24 November 1968 in Thambuthegama, Anuradhapura district, Sri Lanka. He came from a common working class background; his father was a labourer and his mother a housewife. He completed his A levels at Thambuthegama Central College. Dissanayaka was the first student from his college to be chosen for admission into university. However, he left Peradeniya University just after a couple of months due to receiving threats, shortly before transferring to Kelaniya University instead.
Business and Career
Dissanayaka’s involvement with the JVP began during his days at school. He is an ex-Cabinet Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation. As well as being appointed JVP party-leader in 2014, he has been the Chief Opposition Whip of Sri Lanka for the past three years up until December 2018. His net worth is around $1.3 million.
- L. M. Athaullah
Ahamed Lebbe Maraikkar Athaullah is a Politician and representative of Ampara for the United People’s Freedom Alliance in Sri Lanka. He is the country’s ex-Minister of Water Supply and Drainage.
Early Life
Athaullah was born on 6 October 1957 in Sri Lanka. He attended Akkaraipattu Muslim Central College where he is now a member of the old boy society. He is a fully qualified teacher, which is the profession he was involved in before he joined politics.
Business and Career
Athaullah was the country’s Deputy Minister of Education from 2000 to 2001. He was the Minister of Highways shortly after that until 2004. Between 2010 and 2012 he has been the Minister of Local Government and Provincial Councils. Athaullah currently resides in Colombo, his net worth is prized at a total of $900,000.
- Ranil Wickremesinghe
Ranil Wickremesinghe, MP is a Sri Lankan politician who has served as the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka since 9 January 2015. He has been Leader of the United National Party since 1994 and the Member of Parliament for Colombo District from 1977.
Early Life
Ranil Wickremesinghe was born on 24 March 1949 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. He is the son of Esmond Wickremesinghe, an ex-lawyer, and Nalini Wickremesinghe née Wijewardena. Wickremesinghe attended Royal College, Colombo where he completed his formal studies. He graduated from the University of Ceylon, where he was a student under the Faculty of Law. After graduation, he undertook his exams and then his oath at the Sri Lanka Law College in 1972. Wickramasinghe has an honorary doctorate from Deakin University in Australia for his prominent contributions to the reform of economy, human rights and education.
Business and Career
Wickremesinghe began his political career by becoming the youngest Cabinet Minister of Sri Lanka, when he was appointed as Minister of Youth Affairs and Employment. Wickremesinghe has served two former terms as Prime Minister, between 1993 and 1994, and 2001 until 2004. During his terms he has improved Sir Lanka’s Foreign Policy. He has vouched for the use of Peaceful Negotiations in solving the country’s Ethnic Problem. His current net worth is $860,000.
By Manisha Bhanot.
