Second Sirimavo Bandaranaike cabinet

Second Sirimavo Bandaranaike cabinet

9th Cabinet of Ceylon
Date formed29 May 1970
Date dissolved23 July 1977
People and organisations
MonarchElizabeth II (1970–72)
PresidentWilliam Gopallawa (1972–77)
Prime MinisterSirimavo Bandaranaike
Member parties
  •   Sri Lanka Freedom Party
  •   Lanka Sama Samaja Party (1970–75)
  •   Communist Party of Sri Lanka (1970–77)
Status in legislatureMajority coalition
116 / 151 (77%)
Opposition party
Opposition leaderJ. R. Jayewardene
History
Election1970
Outgoing election1977
Legislature term7th
PredecessorDudley Senanayake III
SuccessorJayewardene

The Second Sirimavo Bandaranaike cabinet was the central government of Ceylon led by Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike between 1970 and 1977. It was formed in May 1970 after the parliamentary election and it ended in July 1977 after the opposition's victory in the parliamentary election. The second Sirimavo Bandaranaike cabinet saw Ceylon severing the last colonial ties with Britain as the country became a parliamentary republic in May 1972. The country was also renamed Sri Lanka.

By July 1970, a Constitutional Assembly replaced the British-drafted constitution with one drafted by the Ceylonese. Policies were introduced requiring that permanent secretaries in the government ministries have expertise in their division. For example, those serving in the Ministry of Housing had to be trained engineers, and those serving in the Ministry of Health, medical practitioners. All government employees were allowed to join Workers Councils and at the local level, she established People's Committees to allow input from the population at large on government administration. The changes were intended to remove elements of British colonisation and foreign influence from the country's institutions.

The Cabinet was made up of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) and the Communist Party of Sri Lanka in a coalition government as the United Front. Key members of the LSSP were given cabinet roles, including Leslie Goonewardene, N. M. Perera, Colvin R. de Silva and others. The LSSP was dismissed from the cabinet by Bandaranaike in September 1975, ending the United Front, and in February 1972 the Communist Party also left the government.

Cabinet members

Name Portrait Party Office Took office Left office Refs
Senator Sirimavo Bandaranaike Sri Lanka Freedom Party Prime Minister 29 May 1970 23 July 1977 [1]
Minister of Defence and External Affairs 31 May 1970 [2]
Minister of Defence and Foreign Affairs [3]
Minister of Planning and Employment 31 May 1970 [2]
Minister of Planning and Economic Affairs [3]
Minister of Plan Implementation [3]
W. P. G. Ariyadasa Minister of Local Government [3]
Felix Dias Bandaranaike Sri Lanka Freedom Party Minister of Public Administration, Local Government and Home Affairs 31 May 1970 [2]
Minister of Justice 1970 1975 [3][4]
Minister of Finance 3 September 1975 18 May 1977 [3][4][5]
Colvin R. de Silva Lanka Sama Samaja Party Minister of Plantation Industries 31 May 1970 2 September 1975 [2][4]
Minister of Constitutional Affairs 2 September 1975 [2][4]
M. P. de Zoysa Minister of Labour [3]
Leslie Goonewardene Lanka Sama Samaja Party Minister of Communications 31 May 1970 [2]
Minister of Transport 2 September 1975 [4]
T. B. Ilangaratne Sri Lanka Freedom Party Minister of Foreign and Internal Trade [6]
Minister of Trade [3]
Minister of Public Administration and Home Affairs [3]
P. B. G. Kalugalla Sri Lanka Freedom Party Minister of Shipping, Aviation and Tourism [3]
Pieter Keuneman Communist Party Minister of Housing and Construction 31 May 1970 February 1977 [2][3][4]
Hector Kobbekaduwa Sri Lanka Freedom Party Minister of Agriculture and Lands [3][4]
S. S. Kulatileke Minister of Social Services [3]
Senator Chelliah Kumarasuriar Minister of Posts and Telecommunications 31 May 1970 [2][3]
Badi-ud-din Mahmud Sri Lanka Freedom Party Minister of Education 31 May 1970 [2][3]
N. M. Perera Lanka Sama Samaja Party Minister of Finance 31 May 1970 2 September 1975 [2][4][5]
R. S. Perera Minister of Information and Broadcasting [3]
George Rajapaksa Sri Lanka Freedom Party Minister of Health [3]
Minister of Fisheries [3]
K. B. Ratnayake Sri Lanka Freedom Party Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Sports 1972 1976 [3]
Minister of Transport [3]
Maithripala Senanayake Sri Lanka Freedom Party Minister of Irrigation, Power and Highways 31 May 1970 [2][3]
T. B. Subasinghe Sri Lanka Freedom Party Minister of Industries and Scientific Affairs 1 March 1977 [3][4]
S. K. K. Suriarachchi Sri Lanka Freedom Party Minister of Food, Co-operatives and Small Industries [3]
T. B. Tennekoon Minister of Cultural Affairs [3]
Ratnasiri Wickremanayake Sri Lanka Freedom Party Minister of Plantation Industries [3]
Minister of Justice 1975 1977 [3][4]

Parliamentary secretaries and deputy ministers

Name Portrait Party Office Took office Left office Refs
A. L. Abdul Majeed Sri Lanka Freedom Party Deputy Minister of Information and Broadcasting [3]
C. A. Atapattu Sri Lanka Freedom Party Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Post and Telecommunication
B. H. Bandara Deputy Minister of Housing and Construction [3]
Neal de Alwis Deputy Minister of Finance 1 October 1975 4 February 1977 [3][5]
Vivienne Goonewardene Lanka Sama Samaja Party Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Local Government 1970 1975 [7]
T. B. M. Herath Deputy Minister of Transport [3]
Lakshman Jayakody Sri Lanka Freedom Party Deputy Minister of Defence and External Affairs [3]
S. D. R. Jayaratne Deputy Minister of Fisheries [3]
Albert Kariyawasam Deputy Minister of Plantation Industries [3]
V. T. G. Karunaratne Deputy Minister of Posts and Telecommunications [3]
H. M. Navaratne Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Lands [3]
Siva Obeyesekere Deputy Minister of Health [3]
P. R. Ratnayake Deputy Minister of Trade [3]
G. W. Samarasinghe Deputy Minister of Social Services [3]
Ratna Deshapriya Senanayake Deputy Minister of Planning and Economic Affairs [3]
Deputy Minister of Plan Implementation [3]
Senerath Somaratne Deputy Minister of Irrigation, Power and Highways [3]
Hemachandra Sirisena Deputy Minister of Labour [3]
B. Y. Tudawe Communist Party Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Education 1977
Deputy Minister of Education February 1977 [3][4][6]
Ratnasiri Wickremanayake Sri Lanka Freedom Party Deputy Minister of Justice 1970 1975 [3]
M. M. Mustapha Deputy Minister of Justice 1975 1997
D. P. Wickremasinghe Deputy Minister of Shipping and Tourism [3]

References

  1. ^ "Prime Ministers". Parliament of Sri Lanka.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Rajasingham, K. T. "Chapter 21: A further lack of perspicuity". Sri Lanka: The Untold Story. Archived from the original on 27 January 2002.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as Sri Lanka Year Book 1975 (PDF). Department of Census and Statistics, Sri Lanka. pp. 18–19.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Rajasingham, K. T. "Chapter 24: Tamil militancy – a manifestation". Sri Lanka: The Untold Story. Archived from the original on 13 February 2002.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. ^ a b c "List of Ministers and Deputy Ministers". Ministry of Finance. Archived from the original on 27 September 2015.
  6. ^ a b Rajasingham, K. T. "Chapter 22: 'Only God Can Save the Tamils'". Sri Lanka: The Untold Story. Archived from the original on 16 April 2002.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  7. ^ Encyclopedia of Sri Lanka. New Dawn Press INC. 2005. ISBN 9781932705485.