Dingiri Banda Wijetunga

His Excellency
Sri Lankabhimanya
Dingiri Banda Wijetunga
His Excellency; Sri Lankabhimanya Dingiri Banda Wijetunga
ඩිංගිරි බණ්ඩා විජේතුංග; டிங்கிரி பண்ட விஜேதுங்க
4thPresident of Sri Lanka
	In office; 7 May 1993 – 12 November 1994; Acting: 1 May 1993 – 7 May 1993
Prime Minister	Himself; Ranil Wickremasinghe; Chandrika Kumaratunga
Preceded by	Ranasinghe Premadasa
Succeeded by	Chandrika Kumaratunga
9thPrime Minister of Sri Lanka
	In office; 6 March 1989 – 7 May 1993
President	Ranasinghe Premadasa
Preceded by	Ranasinghe Premadasa
Succeeded by	Ranil Wickremasinghe
Leader of the United National Party
	In office; 7 May 1993 – 12 November 1994
Preceded by	Ranasinghe Premadasa
Succeeded by	Ranil Wickremasinghe
Personal details
Born	15 February 1916; Udunuwara,British Ceylon; (now in Sri Lanka)
Died	21 September 2008(aged 92); Kandy,Sri Lanka
Political party	United National Party
Spouse	Wimalawathi Kumarihami
Children	Chithrangani Wijetunga

Sri LankabhimanyaDingiri Banda Wijetunga(Sinhala:ඩිංගිරි බණ්ඩා විජේතුංග;Tamil:டிங்கிரி பண்ட விஜேதுங்க;15 February 1916 – 21 September 2008) was the fourthPresident of Sri Lankafrom 7 May 1993 to 12 November 1994,Prime Minister of Sri Lankafrom 3 March 1989 to 7 May 1993 and the Governor ofNorth Western province,Sri Lanka from 1988 to 1989. He was awarded Sri Lanka's highest award to a civilianSri Lankabhimanyain 1993 by PresidentRanasinghe Premadasa.

Early life and education

Wijetunga was born on 15 February 1916 to Wijethunga Mudiyanselage Delgahapitiya Arachchila and his wife Manamperi Mudiyanselage Palingumanike Manamperi, as the eldest in a middle-classSinhala Buddhistfamily living on the outskirts of the thenUdunuwaraparliamentary seat in theKandy Districtof theCentral Provincein Sri Lanka. He completed his primary education at Waligalla Central College and thereafter moved on to St Andrew's College inGampola.

Early career

After completing his schooling, he joinedCeylon Policeas aconstablein 1939 and served in Borella, Fort and Maradana and left service in 1942. Subsequently, he joined the Co-operative Department as a Co-operative Inspector thereafter from 1947 to 1959.

Political career

He was closely associated with veteran politicians likeGeorge E. de SilvaandA. Ratnayaka.A. Ratnayake who was then Minister of Food and Co-operatives in theD.S. SenanayakeCabinet took him as hisPrivate Secretary.

He joined theUnited National Partyin 1946 and unsuccessfully contested theKadugannawa electoratein the1956 general election,theYatinuwara electoratein theMarch 1960 general electionand theUdunuwara electoratein theJuly 1960 general election.He entered parliament for the first time when he successfully contested theUdunuwara electorateat the1965 general election.

He lost the Udunuwara electorate in1970,but was returned to Parliament in the1977 UNP landslide,being appointed Cabinet Minister of Information and Broadcasting in theJ.R. Jayewardeneadministration. During this regime, Wijetunga functioned in various ministerial capacities holding the portfolios of Posts and Telecommunication, Power, Highways and Agricultural Development.

He served briefly as the Governor ofNorth Western provincein 1988 before returning to Parliamentary politics a few months later. In the lastgeneral electionhe contested he secured the largest number of preferential votes in the Kandy District.

Prime minister

Wijetunga was surprisingly appointed Prime Minister in 1989 by PresidentRanasinghe Premadasa.He also held the Ministries of Finance and Labour and Vocational Training in addition to being the State Minister of Defence in the Premadasa administration.

Lalith Athulathmudaliwas shot dead in April 1993 while campaigning for the Provincial Council elections. The killing provoked widespread protests against the government and allegations were hurled at the President for complicity in the assassination. A week later President Premadasa was also murdered inColomboon May Day 1993 in asuicide bombingwidely considered to be an act of theTamil Tigers.Wijetunga became acting president until parliament convened to elect a successor to the slain president under the terms of the Constitution.

Wijetunga was elected unanimously by Parliament to complete the remainder of Premadasa's term and was sworn in as the third executive President on 7 May 1993.

Presidency

Wijetunga appointed Ranil Wickramasinghe as his prime minister a close relative of former president Jayawardana.

His rule coincided with the rise ofChandrika Kumaratungawithin the ranks of theSLFP.

He did not believe that peace could be achieved by negotiating with the LTTE. The Eastern Province was liberated from the LTTE during his tenure except for Thoppigala.

After a decisive defeat in the Southern Provincial Council Election in 1994, he dissolved parliament prematurely in June of that year.

However his party was defeated in the1994 general electionand Wijetunga appointed Kumaratunga as Prime Minister. Even though under the constitution, Wijetunga was bestowed with wide powers, he chose not to exercise much authority, letting the Prime Minister manage the affairs of the country.

He decided not to contest the presidential election and he appointedLucky Jayawardenaas the organizer for his electorate Udunuwara. He relinquished office in November 1994 after Kumaratunga waselected Presidentby an unprecedented majority. His political career was succeeded by Jayawardena (MP).

Death

D.B. Wijetunga died after a prolonged illness around 9.30 am on 21 September 2008 at Kandy General Hospital.^[1]He was 92.^[2]

References

2.Obituary Associated Press

External links

Government offices
Preceded by Ranasinghe Premadasa	President of Sri Lanka 1993–1994	Succeeded by Chandrika Kumaratunga
Preceded by Ranasinghe Premadasa	Prime Minister of Sri Lanka 1989–1993	Succeeded by Ranil Wickremesinghe
Political offices
Preceded by Office created	Governor of the North Western Province 1988–1989	Succeeded by Montague Jayawickrama

[1] Xinhuanet news

[2] "Dingiri Banda Wijetunga - Celebrity Death - Obituaries at Tributes".

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Authority control databases
International	ISNI VIAF WorldCat
National	United States