Neal de Alwis
Neal de Alwis | |
|---|---|
| DeputyMinister of Finance | |
| In office 1 October 1975 – 4 February 1977 | |
| Preceded by | Nanediri Wimalasena |
| Succeeded by | Festus Perera |
| Deputy Minister of Public Administration, Local Government and Home Affairs | |
| In office September 1970 – 1975 | |
| Member of theCeylon Parliament forUdugama | |
| In office 1952–1956 | |
| Preceded by | D. S. Goonesekera |
| Succeeded by | Udugama |
| Member of theCeylon Parliament forBaddegama electorate | |
| In office March 1960 – 1977 | |
| Preceded by | Henry Abeywickrema |
| Succeeded by | E. D. Wickrematilaka |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 19 January 1914 Galle, Ceylon |
| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Political party | Lanka Sama Samaja Party |
| Profession | politician |
William Neal de Alwis(born 19 January 1914) was a Ceylonese politician[1]and a senior member of theLanka Sama Samaja Party.
William Neal de Alwis was born on 19 January 1914, and he received his education atNewstead Girls' School, Negombo,All Saints College, GalleandSt. Joseph's College, Colombo.[2]
At the1st parliamentary election,held between 23 August 1947 and 20 September 1947, he ran as the LSSP candidate in theUdugama electorate.He failed to get elected losing by 5,464 votes to theUnited National Partycandidate,D. S. Goonesekera.[3] At the2nd parliamentary election,held between 24 May 1952 and 30 May 1952, he successfully contested the seat of Udugama, securing 43% of the total vote, defeating Goonesekera by 2,735 votes.[4] He was unable to retain the electorate at the3rd parliamentary electionheld between 5 April 1956 and 10 April 1956, where he lost to Goonesekera, who represented the newly formedSri Lanka Freedom Party,by 2,311 votes.[5]
At the4th parliamentary election,held on 19 March 1960, he ran as the LSSP candidate in theBaddegama electorate.Whilst de Alwis only received less than 20% of the total vote, out of a field of nine candidates, it was sufficient for him to secure the seat and re-enter parliament.[6]At the subsequentparliamentary electionsheld on 20 July 1960 he retained the seat with an increased majority, receiving 11,692 votes (49% of the total vote).[7]
On 27 January 1962, officers of the Army and Police attempted acoup d'étataimed at overthrowing the government ofPrime MinisterSirimavo Bandaranaike.The key leaders were arrested before the coup was carried out however not before the first and only arrest of the coup occurred, with de Alwis was arrested at his residence at 9.30pm and detained for nine hours in Police custody.[8][9]
At the1970 parliamentary election,held in May, de Alwis was re-elected to Baddegama, with 22,126 votes (57.5% of the total vote).[10]In 1968 the LSSP formed a political alliance, theUnited Front,with theSri Lanka Freedom Party(SLFP) and theCommunist Party of Sri Lanka(CPSL), with the United Front successfully winning the 1970 parliamentary election.[11]In September 1970 de Alwis was appointed DeputyMinister of Public Administration, Local Government and Home Affairs.[12]
On 1 October 1975 de Alwis was appointed as DeputyMinister of Financeas part of theSecond Sirimavo Bandaranaike cabinet,a position he retained until February 1977.[13][14]
At the8th parliamentary electionheld on 21 July 1977, de Alwis switched allegiance to theSri Lanka Freedom Party,[11]however he failed to get re-elected, and was defeated at the polls by the UNP candidate,E. D. Wickrematilaka,who received 23,375 votes (52% of the total vote) as opposed to de Alwis’ 17,778 votes (39.5% of the total vote).[15]
References
[edit]- ^"Hon. de Alwis, William Neal, M.P."Parliament of Sri Lanka.Retrieved16 November2017.
- ^Parliaments of Ceylon.Associated Newspapers of Ceylon. 1960. pp. 83–84.
- ^"Result of Parliamentary General Election 1947"(PDF).Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.Retrieved16 November2017.[permanent dead link]
- ^"Result of Parliamentary General Election 1952"(PDF).Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.Retrieved16 November2017.[permanent dead link]
- ^"Result of Parliamentary General Election 1956"(PDF).Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.Retrieved16 November2017.[permanent dead link]
- ^"Result of Parliamentary General Election March 1960"(PDF).Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.Retrieved16 November2017.[permanent dead link]
- ^"Result of Parliamentary General Election July 1960"(PDF).Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.Retrieved29 April2017.[permanent dead link]
- ^Abeynayake, Stanley E. (2 March 2010)."Attempts at coup d'etat".Daily News.Retrieved17 November2017.
- ^"Coup in Sri Lanka".Lankanewspapers. 8 December 2008.Retrieved17 November2017.
- ^"Result of Parliamentary General Election 1970"(PDF).Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.Retrieved16 November2017.[permanent dead link]
- ^abJeyaraj, D. B. S. (15 February 2004)."Mother, daughter and revolutionary comrades".The Sunday Leader.Retrieved20 November2017.
- ^Ceylon Year Book, Volume 21.Department of Census and Statistics, Sri Lanka. 1971. p. 18.
- ^Sri Lanka Year Book 1975(PDF).Department of Census and Statistics, Sri Lanka. pp. 18–19.
- ^"List of Ministers and Deputy Ministers".Ministry of Finance.Archived fromthe originalon 27 September 2015.Retrieved16 November2017.
- ^"Result of Parliamentary General Election 1977"(PDF).Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.Retrieved29 April2017.[permanent dead link]
