DA- An exemplary figure in politics

By Reggie FERNANDO

Don Alwin Rajapaksa (better known as D. A. Rajapaksa) was born on November 05, 1905 and was a Sri Lankan politician, Member of Parliament, who represented the Beliatta electorate in Hambantota district from 1947 to 1965. More than that he was a founding member of Sri Lanka Freedom Party.

He was the father of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.Don Alwin Rajapaksa was a democratic politician from the Ruhuna region. He advocated the cause of the Ruhuna peasants throughout his career.

He was born on November 5, 1905 in a hamlet called Madamulana and had his early education at Mandaduva School in Weerakatiya.

His father, Don David Rajapaksa, who held the post of Vidanarachchi in Ihala Valikada Korale, sent him for secondary education to Richmond College, Galle. Having completed his education successfully, he helped his father to manage the family properties which consisted of paddy fields and coconut plantations.

He also helped his elder brother, D. M. Rajapaksa, who was the State Councillor for Hambantota in attending to affairs of the electorate. Thus he got sufficient experience in the field of politics, but was reluctant to contest the Hambantota seat at the by-election of 1945 on the death of his brother.

Nevertheless, the politically influential people in the area insisted that he should contest the by-election and were finally successful in dragging him into active politics. He won the seat at the by-election and was included in the Committee on Agriculture and Lands in the State Council.

This gave him a good opportunity to tackle the problem of landlessness of the peasantry of Giruvapattuva. DA adopted a 99-year lease scheme to transfer crown land to landless peasants in five acre plots. For the middle income earners, the land extending from 10 to 50 acres was alienated in the same manner.

These measures in fact gave a boost to the paddy and coconut cultivations in Giruvapattuva. When the first parliamentary general elections were held in 1947 under the new constitution, the former Hambantota electorate was divided into two, namely, Beliatta and Tissamaharama electorates.

Most of Western Giruva Pattuva was included in the Beliatta electorate. D. A. Rajapaksa contested Beliatta on the UNP ticket and won. When S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, disgruntled over the policies of the United National Party, left the party to form the Sri Lanka Freedom Party in 1951, D. A. Rajapaksa followed suit.

Rajapaksa supported Bandaranaike at the general elections of 1952, winning the Beliatta electorate for the SLFP. Later on, at the historic general elections of 1956, D. A. Rajapaksa was elected MP for Beliatta.

In 1959 he was appointed Minister of Agriculture and Lands.D. A. Rajapaksa’s ups and downs in the political arena follow those of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party at the time. At the general election of 1960, when the SLFP was defeated and the UNP formed a government, DA too lost his seat.

But when the UNP government was dissolved and the parliamentary elections were held for the second time in July of the same year, DA once again emerged victorious at Beliatta and became an inspiration to the government led by Sirimavo Bandaranaike.

He was appointed Deputy Chairman of Committees in Parliament and subsequently Deputy Speaker. When the SLFP lost to the Dudley Senanayake-led UNP in the 1965 elections, DA again lost his parliamentary seat.

The Rajapaksas were never bent on making money out of politics. On the contrary, they had sacrificed their material wealth for the sake of politics.

At the defeat in the 1965 general elections, DA not only lost his political power but also his material wealth. During this period all his children, Chamal, Mahinda, Basil, Gothabhaya and Dudley were studying in Colombo and he found it difficult to meet their expenses.

He sold his vehicle, leased his coconut lands and went through enormous hardships to sustain the family. When he fell seriously ill in November 1967, there wasn’t a vehicle nearby to take him to hospital. When transport was arranged belatedly his heart condition had worsened. After admission to hospital, he died on November 7, 1967.

D. A. Rajapaksa, through his exemplary political career and through wise counselling by his beloved wife Palatuwe Dandina Dissanayake, guided his children over pitfalls and over rough terrain which politicians encounter in pursuing their objectives.

D. A. Rajapaksa Foundation, United Kingdom and Europe branch elects new office -bearers The D. A. Rajapaksa Foundation UK and Europe branch inaugurated some years ago by London based Sri Lankan solicitor Sarath Wijesinghe in remembrance of this most venerated politician from the south recently elected its new office bearers.

Mrs. Nanda Karunanayake who was unanimously elected President is in Sri Lanka presently, observed that it was time Sri Lankans living abroad gathered together and supported the government in its bid to resolve the ongoing ethnic problem.

She said; “We hope to muster more support from British and EU parliamentarians and erase the tarnished Human Rights image which is a result of absolute untruths about our land being publicised in foreign newspapers.”

While in Colombo Mrs. Karunanayake met President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the Chairman of D. A. Rajapaksa Foundation Minister Chamal Rajapaksa and received their blessings to forge ahead with the agenda of the UK and Europe branch.

The meeting to elect new office bearers was held at the Community Centre, Harrall Road, London and the packed house included Sri Lankans from all corners of the British Isles and a few from Europe.

Following were elected office-bearers: Patrons: Chamal Rjapaksa, Shashindra Rajapaksa (Basnayaka Nilame-Kataragama) and Mrs. Chandra Rajapaksa. President: Mrs. Nanda Karunanayake, Vice Presidents: Lal Yapa Abeywardana and G. B. Ratnayaka. Secretaries: Don Dolawatta and Sujeewa Yapa Abeywardana, Treasurer: Mahinda Perera P.R.O.: Don Dolawatta. Media: Mrs. Nanda Karunanayake, Committee Members: Mrs. Ajantha Dolawatta, Mrs. Sriyani Jayalath, Mrs. Julia Yapa Abeywardana, Mrs. Susila Dolawatta, Gamini Nanayakkara, Mrs. Sriyani Senanayake and Nihal Emmanuel