Champika Ranawaka

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Hon.
Patali Champika Ranawaka
පාඨලී චම්පික රණවක
பாடலி சம்பிக்க ரணவக்க
Minister of Megalopolis and Western Development
In office
4 September 2015 – 17 November 2019
PresidentMaithripala Sirisena
Prime MinisterRanil Wickremesinghe
Preceded byMinistry established
Minister of Power and Energy
In office
12 January 2015 – 17 August 2015
PresidentMaithripala Sirisena
Prime MinisterRanil Wickremesinghe
Preceded byPavithra Devi Wanniarachchi
Succeeded byRanjith Siyambalapitiya
Member of Parliament
for Colombo District
In office
22 April 2010 – 24 September 2024
Majority65,574 Preferential Votes
Member of Parliament
for National List
In office
01 February 2007 – 09 February 2010
Preceded byOmalpe Sobhitha Thero
Personal details
Born (1965-08-04) 4 August 1965 (age 59)
Kalutara, Sri Lanka
Political partyUnited Republican Front (since 2023)
Other political
affiliations		Jathika Hela Urumaya (until 2023)
Samagi Jana Balawegaya (2020-2024)
Alma materUniversity of Moratuwa
Taxila Central College, Horana
OccupationPolitician
ProfessionMember of Parliament[1]
WebsiteOfficial website

Achchige Patali Champika Ranawaka (Sinhala: පාඨලී චම්පික රණවක; born 4 August 1965) is a Sri Lankan electrical engineer and a politician. He is a Member of Parliament from the Colombo District of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya. He is currently the leader of a civil society named "43rd Brigade", after declaring himself as an independent Member of Parliament on 8 June 2022.[2] He was the Cabinet Minister of Megapolis and Western Development, as well as Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Power and Energy and Technology, Research and Atomic Energy.[3][4]

Early life

Champika Ranawaka born in Bulathsinghala in the Kalutara district and entered Taxila Central College after being qualified from the Scholarship Examination. Been an all-rounder at different extra curricular activities, Ranawaka completed the GCE Advanced Level examination ranking first from the Kalutara District to the engineering faculty of the University of Moratuwa where he spent four years as an undergraduate.[5] His family name Achchige is of Malayalam origin, achchi being the feminine form (mother) of the Malayalam word achchan meaning father, and is a name associated with the Kerala origin Kuruppu clan indicating matrilineal inheritance.[6]

Political career

Ranawaka was active in politics while in university in the late 1980s as a member of a pro-Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna student union, having spent over eight years as an undergraduate in the university engaged in politics. He was arrested as part of the crackdown student activists during the second JVP insurrection in 1988 and again in 1991.[5]

He formed the non-political organization known as 'Janatha Mithuro' with some of his colleagues including Athuraliye Rathana Thero, Nishantha Warnasinghe and Malinda Seneviratne. Janatha Mithuro was criticized for its right-wing anti-Tamil ideology and actions.[7] In the 1994 general and presidential elections the organization backed the People's Alliance led by Chandrika Kumaratunga.

Ranawaka later joined the Sihala Urumaya, a Sinhalese nationalist party. In 1998 he took part in forming the National Movement Against Terrorism (NMAT). The Sihala Urumaya evolved into the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), fielding Buddhist priests in the 2004 parliamentary elections and supporting UPFA candidate Mahinda Rajapaksa in the 2005 presidential elections.[5] In the 2015 presidential elections, Ranawaka supported Maithripala Sirisena and the JHU later joined the United National Party-led alliance, the UNFGG.[8]

Member of Parliament

Thereafter it becomes a partner in the Rajapaksa government in 2007. With it one of its Buddhist members of parliament/priest, Omalpe Thero, resigned and his place was taken by Ranawaka as a national list MP (appointed by the party and not elected) who was thereafter appointed Cabinet Minister of Environment and Natural Resources by Rajapaksa.[5]

Ranawaka contested the 2010 General Election under the UPFA from Colombo District and was placed third place by obtaining 120,333 votes securing membership in the Sri Lanka Parliament and appointed to Minister of Power and Energy.[5] In 2015 General Election Ranawaka contested under UNP from Colombo District. He was appointed the Minister of Megapolis and Western Development.[citation needed] He resigned on 18 November 2019.[citation needed]

Allegations of racism

In 2008 Ranawaka called the Muslim community in Sri Lanka 'outsiders' sparking widespread protests.[9]

In 2012, Ranawaka warned the Tamil people that they would receive a hundred Mullivaikkals if they continued to support the TNA self determination policies. He stated:

"One Mullivaikkal is enough. Don't try to get 100 more."[10]

Criticism of international interventions

Ranawaka has also been critical of international intervention in Sri Lanka stating that anyone who takes action against Sri Lanka will be supporting terrorism.[11] In April 2011 Ranawaka called the United Nations' report on alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka 'diplomatic terrorism'.[12] Ranwaka has also opposed airstrikes against Libya.[13]

Arrest

On 18 December 2019, he was arrested regarding his alleged involvement in a hit and run case injuring two people in 2016.[14][15] He is alleged to have been connected to the abduction of family members of a major witness.[16] He was summoned in the Magistrate court the same day he was arrested and was initially remanded until 19 December 2019.[17] He was further ordered by the court to be remanded until 24 December 2019.[18]

Books

  • 1991– End of Modern Development Paradigm (club of Rome) limit to growth elaboration in sustainable development.
  • 1993– Relational Relativity.
  • Sihala Abhiyogaya (The Challenge of the Sinhalese)
  • Koti Viniwideema (An insight of the LTTE ) Book Pre-view Book Download
  • Nagenahira Sinhala Urumaya (Sinhala Heritage in the East) Book Pre-view Book Download
  • Thrastha Virodi Jathika Salasma (The way to defeat the Tiger) Pre-view Book Download
  • Al Jihad- Al Queida (The past, present & the future of Islamic fundamentalism) Pre-view
  • Sangwardanaye Thunveni Yamaya (The Sunset of Development) Pre-view Book Download
  • Patisothagamiwa Tis Wasak (A self written Autobiography) Pre-view Book Download

Electoral history

Electoral history of Patali Champika Ranawaka
Election Constituency Party Alliance Votes Result
2010 parliamentary Colombo District Jathika Hela Urumaya United People's Freedom Alliance 120,333 Elected
2015 parliamentary Colombo District Jathika Hela Urumaya United National Front for Good Governance 100,444 Elected
2020 parliamentary Colombo District Jathika Hela Urumaya Samagi Jana Balawegaya 65,574 Elected

See also

References

  1. ^ Hon. Patali Champika Ranawaka, M.P.
  2. ^ News Desk, Colombo Page (8 June 2022). "MP Patali Champika Ranawaka becomes independent in Parliament". Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  3. ^ "Technology, Research to be national priority". Archived from the original on 2 February 2013. Retrieved 2013-01-29.
  4. ^ "Work on Megapolis from 2016". Archived from the original on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
  5. ^ a b c d e Champika bravely walks political tight rope
  6. ^ Pathmanathan, S. (2015). Facets of Sri Lankan History and culture, Kerala and Sri Lanka. p. 435.
  7. ^ "Sri Lanka: State-owned newspaper publishes death threat against SEP". World Socialist Website. 8 May 2010.
  8. ^ "MoU of 'Good Governance' alliance signed". 13 July 2015.
  9. ^ "Muslims protest 'racist' remarks". BBC.
  10. ^ Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka, 2012, Sri Lankan Minister threatens Tamils with hundreds of massacres. http://www.jdslanka.org/index.php/news-features/politics-a-current-affairs/10-sri-lanka-minister-threatens-tamils-with-hundreds-of-massacres
  11. ^ "Champika: Action Against SL Will Be Supportive Of Terrorists". The Sunday Leader.
  12. ^ "UN unleashes diplomatic terrorism". Daily News. Archived from the original on 23 August 2011.
  13. ^ "Air strikes against Libya wrong". Daily News. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012.
  14. ^ "Champika Ranawaka remanded until today over 2016 road accident | Daily FT". www.ft.lk. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  15. ^ "Sri Lanka ex-Minister Champika Ranawaka arrested over 2016 accident". EconomyNext. 19 December 2019. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  16. ^ "instead of Champika driver his mother wife and infant abducted". www.lankaenews.com. 17 December 2019.
  17. ^ Elladeniya, Chameera. "Champika remanded over 2016 hit-and-run". Daily News. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  18. ^ admin (19 December 2019). "Patali Champika Ranawaka remanded till 24th December". Colombo Gazette. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
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