The Hon. (Dr.) Janaka Senarathna

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, today’s condolence motions are on the late Hon. R. Sampanthan; the late Hon. Abeyratne Pilapitiya, former Chief Minister of Sabaragamuwa; the late Hon. W. B. Ekanayake; the late Hon. Lucky Jayawardana; and the late Hon. Malani Fonseka, Member of Parliament and queen of cinema.

¶ 02 First, on Hon. Abeyratne Pilapitiya, who represented Kalawana in my Ratnapura District: born in Kandy District in 1925 to Bandara Herath Pilapitiya and Soma Kumarihamy Bandaranaike, he studied at Ambatanna Baptist Mission School and at my own alma mater, Ratnapura Central College, alongside contemporaries such as former MPs Dhanapala Athigala and A. J. Ranasinghe. He entered Parliament in 1960, 1965, and 1977, serving in 1977 as Deputy Minister of Posts and Telecommunication. For about 35 years from 1960, he was the UNP organizer for the difficult and poor Kalawana seat.

¶ 03 He won the first Sabaragamuwa Provincial Council election in 1988, served as its first Provincial Minister and then as Chief Minister. Under President J. R. Jayewardene, he chaired several state entities, and from 1993 to 1994 served as Governor of Uva. Whatever political differences, in private life he was convivial and without partisan bias. I still recall his 1988 provincial campaign activity in Kalawana and Pothupitiya.

¶ 04 Married in 1959 to Maheshwari Aluvihare, niece of former Diyawadana Nilame P. B. Nugawela, he had four children: former Provincial Councillor Sanjeewa; senior planter Mahendra; Amali Senanayake; and Samanti, who is married to former MP Ranjith Aluvihare. A planter by inheritance, he managed tea estates and factories at Withanakkanda in the Rakwana area and contributed to national production. He served Parliament, Sabaragamuwa as Chief Minister, and the country as Deputy Minister. He passed away on 22 February 2023 aged about 97. I pray he attains eternal peace and convey this House’s condolences to his beloved family.