Death of former Polls chief [March 21 2015]

R.K. Chandrananda de Silva, most famous as a long-time Commissioner of Elections during many controversial polls, passed away yesterday morning at his resident at Rajagiriya. He was 78 years of age.

After retiring from a lengthy career in elections administrator, De Silva later served briefly as Secretary Defence and as an Advisor to President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga.

A former student of Rahula College, Matara de Silva was appointed an Assistant Elections Commissioner in 1960 and thereafter held several senior administrative positions such as Government Agent, Polonnaruwa and Kurunegala and additional GA Matara in addition to being Senior Assistant Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs. He assumed duties as Elections Commissioner in May 1982 and conducted Presidential Elections in 1982 and 1988 and Parliamentary Elections in 1982, 1989 and 1994. He was the first civilian to head the Defence Ministry after the separatist insurgency broke out in 1980s.

Publicity-shy, but a friend of media he once said, “My doors are open to anyone from the Press”. He defied President J.R. Jayawardene calling the 1982 referundum a mockery of democracy. His tenure as Defence Secretary was marked with turbulence when he was cited as a respondent in many Fundamental Rights cases and pressure exerted on him in view of the military setbacks during the LTTE attacks on Pooneryn and Mullaitivu security camps and the Kolonnawa Oil installations.

He resigned from the Defence Secretary post in December 2001 when he was nominated Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner for Canada, the Canadian Government declined to accept him due to pressure by the LTTE lobby.

He was appointed Advisor to President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga.

He is one of those who advocated that the present voting system should be replaced by something similar to the German system.