D. A.

Rajapaksa
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Hon.

D. A. Rajapaksa

ඩී. ඒ. රාජපක්ෂ
டான் ஆல்வின் ராஜபக்ஷ

Minister of Agriculture and Land

In office

1959–1960
Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka

In office

11 February 1964 – 12 November 1964

Preceded by Hugh Fernando

Succeeded by Shirley Corea

Member of the Ceylon Parliament
for Beliatta

In office

1947–1960

Preceded by constituency created

Succeeded by D. P. Atapattu

In office

1960–1965

Preceded by D. P. Atapattu
 Succeeded by D. P. Atapattu

Personal details

Born Don Alwin Rajapaksa

5 November 1905

Medamulana, British Ceylon

Died 7 November 1967 (aged 62)

Nationality Sri Lankan

Political party Sri Lanka Freedom Party

Other political United National Party

affiliations

Spouse(s) Dandina Samarasinghe Dissanayake

Children Jayanthi

Chamal

Mahinda

Chandra

Gotabhaya

Basil

Dudley

Preethi

Gandani

Alma mater Richmond College, Galle

Occupation politician

Don Alwin Rajapaksa (5 November 1905 – 7 November

1967: Sinhala: දොන් අල්වින් රාජපක්ෂ) was a Sri Lankan politician and
Member of Parliament who represented the Beliatta electorate
in Hambantota district from 1947 to 1965.[1] A founding member of Sri
Lanka Freedom Party and Cabinet Minister of Agriculture
and Land in Wijeyananda Dahanayake's government, he was the father
of two Sri Lankan Presidents; Mahinda Rajapaksa and Gotabhaya
Rajapaksa.[2]

Contents
 1Personal life
 2Political career
 3Family
 3.1Family Tree
 4See also
 5References
 6External links

Personal life[edit]
Rajapaksa was born on 5 November 1905 in a hamlet called
Medamulana and had his early education at Mandaduva School in
Weerakatiya. His father Don David Rajapaksa, who held the post
of Vidane Arachchi in Ihala Valikada Korale, sent him for secondary
education to Richmond College, Galle.[3] Having completed his education,
he helped his father managing the family estate, which consisted
of paddy fields and coconut plantations. He captained the Richmond
College cricket team for three years.[4]
He was married to Dandina Samarasinghe Dissanayake Palatuwe
Hamine.[3] The couple had nine children: Chamal, Jayanthi, Mahinda,
Chandra, Basil, Gotabhaya, Dudley, Preethi and Gandani. [4]
At the defeat in the 1965 general elections, Rajapaksa not only lost his
political power but was also devoid of material wealth. During this period
all his children, Chamal, Mahinda, Basil, Gothabhaya and Chandra were
studying in Colombo and he found it difficult to meet their expenses. He
sold his vehicle, leased his coconut lands and went through enormous
hardships to sustain the family. When he fell seriously ill in November
1967, there was no vehicle nearby to take him to hospital. When transport
was arranged belatedly his heart condition had worsened. After
admission to hospital, he died 7 November 1967.[1]

Political career[edit]
He also helped his elder brother Don Mathew, who was the State
Councillor for Hambantota in attending to affairs of the electorate, gaining
experience in politics. D. M. received 17,046 votes in the 1936 State
Council election in Hambantota.[1] On his brother's death, Rajapakse was
nevertheless reluctant to contest the Hambantota seat at the by-election
of 1945. Nevertheless, the politically influential people in the area insisted
that he should contest the by-election and were finally successful in
dragging him into active politics. He won the seat at the by-election and
was included in the Committee on Agriculture and Land in the State
Council.[3] This gave him a good opportunity to tackle the problem of
landlessness of the peasantry of Giruvapattuva. Rajapaksa adopted a 99-
year lease scheme to transfer crown land to landless peasants in 5-acre
(2.0 ha) plots. For the middle income earners, the land extending from 10
to 50 acres (20 ha) was alienated in the same manner. These measures
in fact gave a boost to the paddy and coconut cultivations in Giruva
Pattuva.[4]
When the first parliamentary general elections were held in 1947 under
the new constitution, the former Hambantota electorate was divided into
two, namely, Beliatta and Tissamaharama electorate.[3] Most of Western
Giruva Pattuva was included in the Beliatta electorate. Rajapaksa
contested in Beliatta on the United National Party, obtained 14,007 votes
with a majority of 8,022 and won the seat. [1]
When S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, disgruntled over the policies of the
United National Party, left the party to form the Sri Lanka Freedom Party
in 1951,[5] Several parliamentarians, including Rajapaksa, Herbert Sri
Nissanka and D. S. Goonesekera, followed S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike when
he crossed the floor of the House to the Opposition benches on 12 July
1951.[6][7] The Rajapaksas supported Bandaranaike at the general
elections of 1952, winning the Beliatta electorate for the SLFP where he
defeated his opponent by a majority of 17,382 votes. Later on, in the
historic general elections of 1956, Rajapaksa won the seat from Sri Lanka
Freedom Party with 26,215 votes, which was 15,335 votes more than the
opposition.[3] Then he was elected member of parliament for Beliatta and
appointed as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Lands and Land
Development.[1][4]
As the Deputy Minister, he paid special attention to agriculture and made
every effort to bring economic development not only to Ruhuna but also
to the people of the more than 40,000 acres of citrus plantations in the
undeveloped villages of Sri Lanka.[3] Rajapakse gave his full support to
make the Paddy Act a success along with Philip Gunawardena, who was
the Minister of Agriculture and Food. On February 19, 1961, he wrote a
valuable article in the Silumina newspaper entitled "Katata Rahata
Kurakkan" about the symbolism of Rajapaksa's and about the species in
Kurakkan and the associated folk poems.[1] In 1959 he was appointed as
Cabinet Minister of Agriculture and Lands by Prime Minister Wijeyananda
Dahanayake.[4]
Rajapaksa's ups and downs in the political arena are follow those of the
Sri Lanka Freedom Party at the time. At the general election of 1960. In
the July 1960 election, he retained his seat with 15,121 votes out of
35,992, but was defeated again in 1965 by his rival, D. P. Atapattu. [3] But
when the UNP government was dissolved and the parliamentary
elections were held for the second time in July of the same year,
Rajapaksa once again emerged victorious at Beliatta and was an
inspiration to the government led by Sirimavo Bandaranaike.[4]
He was appointed Deputy Chairman of Committees in Parliament and
subsequently Deputy Speaker.[8] When the SLFP lost to the Dudley
Senanayake – led UNP in the 1965 elections, DA again lost his
parliamentary seat.[3]

Family[edit]
Main article: Rajapaksa family
Don David Rajapaksa Vidanarachchi
He held the colonial post of Vidane Arachchi in Ihala Valikada Korale,
Giruvapattuva in the Hambantota District.
Don Mathew Rajapaksa (1896-1945)
State councillor for Hambantota District
Don Alwin Rajapaksa (1906–1967)
He was one of the founder members of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and
was also a Deputy Speaker of Parliament and Cabinet Minister.

Family Tree[edit]
1. Don David Rajapaksa Vidanarachchi (feudal post) + Dona Gimara
Weerakoon Ratnayake

1.1. Don Mathew

1.1.1. Lakshman Rajapaksa (Member of Parliament)
1.1.2. George
Rajapaksa (Member of
Parliament, Cabinet Minister of
Fisheries)
1.1.2.1.Nirupama Rajapaksa (currently Deputy
Minister and Member of Parliament)
1.2. Don Alwin Rajapaksa (1906-1967) (Member of
Parliament, Deputy Minister, Deputy Speaker of
Parliament, Cabinet Minister) + Dandina
Samarasinghe Dissanayake
1.2.1. Jayanthi Rajapaksa (1940-) (Children:
Himal Laleendra Hettiarachchi & Rangani
Hettiarachhi)
1.2.2. Chamal Rajapaksa (1942-) (Member of
Parliament, Cabinet Deputy Minister and Full
Minister, former Speaker)
 (Children: Shashindra Rajapaksa, Shameendra
Rajapaksa)
1.2.3. Mahinda Rajapaksa (1945-) (Member of
Parliament, Cabinet Minister, Leader of
Opposition, Prime Minister, former President of
Sri Lanka)
(Children: Namal Rajapaksa, Yoshitha Rajapaksa
& Rohitha Rajapaksa)
1.2.4. Chandra Rajapaksa (1947-2018) (Children:
Chaminda Rajapaksa)
1.2.6. Gotabhaya Rajapaksa (1949-) (President
of Sri Lanka - 7th Executive President and
former Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of
Defence, Public Security, Law & Order)
(Children: Manoj Rajapaksa)
1.2.5. Basil Rajapaksa (1952-) (former Cabinet
Minister and Member of Parliament)
(Children: Thejani Rajapaksa, Bimalka Rajapaksa,
Ashantha Rajapaksa)
1.2.7. Dudley Rajapaksa (1954-) (Children:
Mihiri Rajapaksa)
1.2.8. Preethi Rajapaksa (1957-) (Children:
Malaka Chandradasa, Madhawa Chandradasa, Madini
Chandradasa & Malika Chandradasa)
1.2.9. Gandani Rajapaksa (1962-) (Children:
Eshana Ranawaka, Nipuna Ranawaka & Randula
Ranawaka)

See also[edit]
 List of political families in Sri Lanka

References[edit]
1. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f "53rd Commemoration of the Rajapaksa". Silumina.
Retrieved 12 June 2021.
2. ^ "D. A. Rajapaksa worked quietly". Dinamina. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
3. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f g h "Medamulana giant personality DA Rajapaksa". Dinamina.
Retrieved 12 June 2021.
4. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f "People's grief-stricken heart D.A. Rajapaksa". Dinamina.
Retrieved 12 June 2021.
5. ^ A brief history of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party Archived 4 June 2011 at
the Wayback Machine
6. ^ A Politician and a Gentleman
7. ^ Sri Lanka: The Untold Story
8. ^ "Deputy Speaker and Chairman of Committees". Parliament of Sri Lanka.
Retrieved 27 May 2017.

External links[edit]
 The Rajapaksa Ancestry
 D.A. Rajapaksa Has Gifted Four Worthy Sons to Save the Nation
 D. A. Rajapaksa who felt the heartbeat of the People
 Life and times of D. A. Rajapaksa the reluctant politician
  A tribute to D. A. Rajapaksa
 The modest and Affable Leader of the people of the South
 D. A. Rajapaksa and Mahinda Chintana
 GENTLEMAN politician from Ruhuna – From a LSSP perspective
News Media (Sinhala)
 Amara Samara in Sinhala

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MEMBERS OF THE PARLIAMENT OF SRI LANKA FROM BELIATTA

Categories: 
 1905 births
 1967 deaths
 Rajapaksa family
 Sri Lankan Buddhists
  Alumni of Richmond College, Galle
 Sinhalese politicians
 Members of the 2nd State Council of Ceylon
 Members of the 1st Parliament of Ceylon
 Members of the 2nd Parliament of Ceylon
 Members of the 3rd Parliament of Ceylon
 Members of the 5th Parliament of Ceylon
 Government ministers of Sri Lanka
 Deputy speakers and chairmen of committees of the Parliament of Sri
Lanka
 Parliamentary secretaries of Ceylon
 Deputy chairmen of committees of the Parliament of Sri Lanka
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