Chamal Rajapaksa is a Sri Lankan politician and former parliamentarian known as the elder brother of Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Chamal Jayantha Rajapaksa was born on Sunday 30 October 1942 (age 80; as of 2022) in Palatuwa, Matara, British Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). After completing his formal education at Richmond College, Chamal joined the police force in 1964.
Physical appearance
Height (approx): 5′8″
Hair color: salt and pepper
Eye color: dark brown
Chamal Rajapaksa with Mahinda Rajapaksa
family
Chamal Rajapaksa belongs to a Sri Lankan Sinhalese family.
parents and siblings
His father, DA Rajapaksa, was a freedom fighter and politician. Mother’s name is Dandina Rajapaksa (deceased).
Photo of DA Rajapaksa and Dandina Rajapaksa
Chamal Rajapaksa has eight siblings. His younger brother Mahinda Rajapaksa was the President of Sri Lanka from 2005 to 2015. He was also the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 2019 to 2022. His brother Gotabaya Rajapaksa is the former president of Sri Lanka who fled the country in July 2022 amid an economic crisis. Gotabaya returned to the country in September 2022. His younger brother Basil Rajapaksa is a former Member of Parliament who served as Minister of Finance from 8 July 2021 to 3 April 2022.
Photo of Chamal Rajapaksa with Gotabaya Rajapaksa (right) and Mahinda Rajapaksa (left)
His younger brother Dudley Rajapaksa is Vice President of QA/RA/Technical Services at Hart GmbH in Berlin.
Dudley Rajapaksa, brother of Chamal Rajapaksa
His brother Chandra Tudor Rajapaksa died in July 2022.
Chandra Tudor Rajapaksa, Chamal’s late brother
His younger sister Gandini Rajapaksa died on 8 May 2017. His younger sister Jayanthi Rajapaksa is a former Member of Parliament of Sri Lanka and former Deputy Minister of Water Supply and Drainage (2010 – 2015). His sister Preeti Rajapaksa was a teacher. His other sister’s name is Gandini Rajapaksa.
wife and children
His wife’s name is Chandra Malani Rajapaksa. The couple got married in 1975. His eldest son, Shashendra Rajapaksa, was the chief minister of Uva province and the guardian of Sri Skanda Kumara Maha Devalaya, Kataragama. His younger son’s name is Shamindra Rajapaksa.
Photo of Chamal Rajapaksa with his wife and sons
religion
Chamal Rajapaksa follows Buddhism.
Address
He lives in house no. B90, Gregory’s Road, 7th Lane, Colombo 07, Sri Lanka.
Career
as a policeman
Chamal Rajapaksa joined the Ceylon Police in 1964 as a Sub-Inspector. He served in the police force for more than eight years. As a police officer, Chamali served as a bodyguard for Sirimavo Bandaranaike, the world’s first female prime minister, who became prime minister of Sri Lanka (then the dominion of Ceylon) in 1960. In 1972, Chamal left the police and joined the State Trading General Corporation (STC). He left the corporation in 1985 as assistant general manager. After leaving the corporation, Chamal Rajapaksa for some time gravitated towards a coconut estate in Beliat.
politics
In the 1983 by-election, the UNP candidate Ananda Kularatne was elected MP from Mulkirigala. However, the defeated candidate Nirupama Rajapaksa filed an election petition against him, necessitating another by-election. In 1985, Chamal Rajapaksa joined the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and contested the 1985 by-elections in Sri Lanka from the Mulkirigala electorate; However, he lost by a narrow margin of 1,300 votes. In 1989, Chamal Rajapaksa contested and won the parliamentary elections from Hambantota constituency. Between 1989 and 2022, Chamal Rajapaksa held several key ministerial posts such as Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Lands, Deputy Minister of Ports and Southern Development, Deputy Minister of Plantation Industries, Minister of Agricultural Development, Minister of Irrigation and Water Management and Minister of Ports and Aviation. As Minister of Irrigation and Water Management, Chamal Rajapaksa implemented several irrigation projects in Maw Ara, Weheragala, Weli Oya, Menik Ganga, Uma Oya, Deduru Oya, Kekiriobadakan Oya and Yan Oya. In 2010, Chamal Rajapaksa was appointed Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka by his younger brother, President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Chamal Rajapaksa served as the Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka
He served as Speaker of the House until 2015. He later left the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and joined Mahinda’s Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP). On 9 November 2018, Chamal Rajapaksa was appointed as the Minister of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine.
Chamal Rajapaksa is acting Minister of Health, Food and Local Medicine.
On August 17, 2020, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa reappointed the Minister of Irrigation and Water Management.
Chamal Rajapaksa signs a document after being sworn in as the Minister of Irrigation
In November 2020, he was sworn in as the Minister of State for National Security, Home Affairs and Disaster Management.
Chamal Rajapaksa signs a document after being sworn in as Minister of State for National Security, Home Affairs and Disaster Management
Chamali resigned as a cabinet minister on 3 April 2022 amid violent protests in Sri Lanka over Sri Lanka’s economic crisis. Throughout his political career, Chamal held several non-ministerial appointments such as President of the Sri Lanka-Russia Parliamentary Friendship Association, President of the Sri Lanka-Hungary Parliamentary Friendship Association and Chairman of the District Development Committee, Hambantota. Chamal Rajapaksa never lost a general election from 1989 to 2022 and remained a Member of Parliament (MP) from Hambantota constituency for over 32 years.
Chamal Rajapaksa’s photo taken during his speech in Parliament
As a parliamentarian, he served on several parliamentary committees, including the National Security Sector Oversight Committee, the Transport and Communications Sector Oversight Committee, the Prison Reforms Sub-Committee on the National Security Sector Oversight Committee, the Liaison Committee, the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Ports and Shipping and Southern Development and many others.
Facts/Trivia
- Chamal Rajapaksa is also known by his other name ‘The Bodyguard’.
- During his school days, he played football and even represented his school in various football tournaments.
- While a Member of Parliament, Chamal Rajapaksa received the Sri Lanka Janaseva Vibushana, an honorary title conferred on him by the Government of Sri Lanka.
- In May 2022, Chamal Rajapaksa issued a statement to the Sri Lankan Parliament in which he said that Mahinda Rajapaksa, his younger brother, should retire after completing his second term as President of Sri Lanka. Speaking about this, he said:
Must be ready to give up positions. I believe Mahinda should have gone when he finished his second term as President of Sri Lanka. Failure to do so led him to face the current situation. Greed for power leads to the situations we have today.”
Categories: Politics
Source: dienchau2.edu.vn
