Chandrasena Munaweera
Chandrasena Munaweera was a Sri Lankan politician, educator, journalist, and author (novelist) from the Matale District. He was born on 9 July 1926 and died in June 1997. He was a member of Parliament of Sri Lanka from Rattota representing the Sri Lanka Freedom Party.[1][2] His wife's name was Mallika.
He was elected to parliament from Rattota electorate in the March 1960 general election and was re-elected in the July 1960 general election, defeating V. T. Nanayakkara.[3] He crossed over to the opposition with C. P. de Silva in December 1964. He lost is seat in the 1965 general election to S. B. Yalegama of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party when he contested on the Sri Lanka Freedom Socialist Party ticket and was defeated by Yalegama in the 1970 general election, when he contested as the United National Party candidate.[4]
Political Career
[edit]Chandrasena Munaweera, who came from Matale District in Sri Lanka, was a politician. He was born on 9 July 1926, with his death happening in June 1997. He generally held right-wing conservative views. He is well known in history of the Sri Lanka due to role he played as a leader in a 1964 political effort that ended the government of Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike at the time. He acted as an MP for the Rattota area in Parliament for about 4 years 6 months and 1 day, starting from 19 March 1960 and ending on 17 December 1964. He began his MP journey with Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), taking the "Hand" symbol. He defeated his same top opponent two times: [5]
- March 1960 General Election: He was elected to parliament from Rattota for the first time. He won 6,198 votes and defeated V. T. Nanayakkara of the United National Party (UNP).[6]
- July 1960 General Election: He was re-elected to parliament from Rattota in a follow-up election. He increased his support to 8,589 votes (50.14% of the total vote), again defeating V. T. Nanayakkara.[7]
Leadership in the December 1964 Government Collapse
[edit]In 1964 Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike formed a government with the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP), a far-left political party. This made a lot of people in her party very upset. They did not like the laws, like the Press Takeover Bill. [8]
On 3 December 1964 Munaweera took a major political risk. He joined a group of people from his party, the SLFP and they all decided to leave. They were led by C. P. De Silva, a senior minister. Munaweera and this group of 13 to 14 people moved to the side of the room, where the opposition was sitting. [9]
This was a deal. The prime minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike did not have people on her side anymore. When they voted on the Throne Speech the government lost by one vote, 74 to 73. The government had to end the parliament and call for new elections in 1965.[10]
Munaweera and the others helped end the coalition government of Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike with the left-leaning party, the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP). Historical texts and declassified papers from that time say that Munaweera was very important, in bringing down the Sirimavo Bandaranaike government. The Sirimavo Bandaranaike administration ended because of what Munaweera and the others did. [11] [12]
Later Election Losses (1965–1977)
[edit]After leaving the SLFP in 1964 Munaweera helped form a party called the Sri Lanka Freedom Socialist Party (SLFSP). They used the "Sun" symbol. He tried to win back his seat in parliament but couldn't. He lost three elections in a row: [13]
- 1965 General Election: He contested the Rattota seat on the new SLFSP ticket. He received 9,363 votes but lost the seat to S. B. Yalegama of the SLFP. [14]
- 1970 General Election: He ran again for Rattota, this time switching to the United National Party (UNP) under the "Elephant" symbol. He received 11,536 votes but was defeated again by S. B. Yalegama. [15]
- 1977 General Election: He made a final attempt to return to parliament from Matale. He received 9,039 votes (28.84% of the total vote) but was defeated by Alick Aluvihare. [16]
Complete Electoral Performance Table
[edit]| Year | Election Ticket / Party | Symbol | Votes Received | % of Total Vote | Election Outcome | Main Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 1960 | Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) | Hand | 6,198 | 36.39% | Won | V. T. Nanayakkara (UNP) |
| Jul 1960 | Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) | Hand | 8,589 | 50.14% | Won | V. T. Nanayakkara (UNP) |
| 1965 | Sri Lanka Freedom Socialist Party (SLFSP) | Sun | 9,363 | 39.81% | Lost | S. B. Yalegama (SLFP) |
| 1970 | United National Party (UNP) | Elephant | 11,536 | 41.51% | Lost | S. B. Yalegama (SLFP) |
| 1977 | Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) | Hand | 9,039 | 28.84% | Lost | Alick Aluvihare (UNP) |
Professional Career and Public Leadership
[edit]Outside of the work that Munaweera did in parliament Munaweera had a career that was very different. Munaweera worked in education and media. Munaweera also did some community leadership work. Munaweera was involved in things outside of parliament such as: [17]
- English Language Teacher: He worked professionally as an educator teaching English language.
- Union Leader: He served as a labor union leader to organize and protect worker rights.
- Journalist: He worked as a professional journalist, writing news and articles for major national press networks including Times Sri Lanka and Lakehouse Sri Lanka.
- Literature Club President: He actively led local cultural organizations, serving as the president of the literature clubs in both Matale and Gampola, Sri Lanka.
Author and Literary Work
[edit]Later in life, Munaweera authored a book, a Sinhalese language novel with the following publishing details: [18]
Footnote
[edit]Chandrasena Munaweera's political actions were written down as a matter in Sri Lanka. The courts looked at his decision to switch sides, the way he voted in parliament and the things he did to campaign in his area. All of these things were officially examined by the courts in a big case called Wimalasara Banda, v. Yalegama. This was an important election petition case. Munaweera's political actions were a part of this case.[19] Chandrasena Munaweera passed away in June 1997, leaving behind a legacy of public service. His funeral, held at a college ground, was attended by local political leaders and community members who gathered to honor his life and contributions. In a mark of national respect, then-acting president Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga sent a formal condolence message, which was read aloud by an official representative at the ceremony.
References
[edit]- ↑ "Hon. Munaweera, Chandrasena, M.P." Directory of Past Members. Parliament of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
- ↑ Parliament of Sri Lanka (1972). Members of the Legislatures of Ceylon, 1931-1972. Parliament of Sri Lanka.
- ↑ Sri Lanka July 1960 general election results
- ↑ "RESULTS OF THE PARLIAMENTARY GENERAL ELECTION - 20/07/1960" (PDF). elections.gov.lk. Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
- ↑ Parliament of Sri Lanka — Official MP Profile: The official legislative archive page detailing Chandrasena Munaweera's exact birth date, total days of service, and timeline across the Fourth and Fifth Parliaments.
- ↑ Department of Elections Sri Lanka — March 1960 General Election Results: The official scanned national data report tracking candidate votes, party symbols, and electorate counts where Chandrasena Munaweera won the Rattota seat for the first time.
- ↑ Department of Elections Sri Lanka — July 1960 General Election Results. Matale District section - Rattota electorate. This documents his peak performance where Chandrasena Munaweera secured his second parliamentary win under the SLFP "Hand" symbol with 8,589 votes.
- ↑ Sirima Bandaranaike was sworn in as the world’s first woman Prime Minister in July 1960, after the SLFP led by her had won 75 seats out of 151 elected. Being appointed a senator she formed a workable majority with six appointed MPs and formed a government. She received the support of a few independents too. The slim majority in Parliament over the times became quite delicate. In 1940, 50s and 60s the traditional Marxist parties, LSSP, CP and Philip’s VLSSP held a combined strength of 20-25 parliamentary seats. (The March 1960 General Election returned 23 Marxist in a legislation of 151; an equivalent to 34 in today’s parliament). TB Illangaratne, former trade unionist and leader of the leftist faction in the SLFP tried to convince the lady with the idea of opening talks with strong Left of the day for a coalition, a remedial move to enhance the strength, which was not considered due to pressure from the right wing led by Felix, CP de Silva etc.
- ↑ "Sirimavo Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka Becomes the World's First Female Prime Minister | History | Research Starters | EBSCO Research". EBSCO. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
- ↑ Akalanka, pathum; kosala (1964-12-03). "Sirimavo Bandaranaike – 03 December 1964 – Loss of vote in Parliament". Retrieved 2026-06-27.
- ↑ "It was a top secret: How Mrs. B's Govt. was defeated by a single vote in 1964". The Sunday Times Sri Lanka. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
- ↑ "How C.P. de Silva voted against the "Totalitarianism" of his own Government". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
- ↑ "Election Commission of Sri Lanka — Main Parliamentary Results Portal - Browse or cross-reference the wider historical timeline of Ceylonese/Sri Lankan legislative elections from 1947 onward, this main index serves as the parent directory for all individual PDF election reports". elections.gov.lk. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
- ↑ Department of Elections Sri Lanka — 1965 General Election Results. This document records the immediate aftermath of the 1964 crossover crisis. It shows Chandrasena Munaweera's transition to the breakaway Sri Lanka Freedom Socialist Party (SLFSP) under the "Sun" symbol and his narrow loss to S.B. Yalegama.
- ↑ This PDF captures Chandrasena Munaweera's political shift to the United National Party (UNP). View the specific breakdown of the 11,536 votes he secured under the "Elephant" symbol in his second consecutive loss to Yalegama.
- ↑ Department of Elections Sri Lanka — 1977 General Election Results. This file documents Chandrasena Munaweera's final, minor electoral bid in Matale, where his numbers dropped significantly to just 9,039 votes, before completely stepping away from frontline politics in Sri Lanka.
- ↑ "MARC view › Munaweera, Chandrasena (Personal Name) › Library | Sabaragamuwa University catalog". opac.lib.sab.ac.lk. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
- ↑ Munaweera, Chandrasena (1994). සුනන්දා (Sunanda) [Sunanda] (Printed book) (in Sinhalese) (1st ed.). Colombo: Godage & Brothers (Pvt) Ltd. p. 220. ISBN 955-20-1347-X.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) - ↑ Lanka Law Portal — Wimalasara Banda v. Yalegama Supreme Court Judgment: The complete declassified legal transcript from New Law Reports (Volume 69, Case 361) reviewing the local political tensions, election speeches, and Chandrasena Munaweera's December 1964 crossover vote.
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