Karu Jayasuriya

Deshabandu Karu Jayasuriya (Sinhala:කරු ජයසුරිය) (born September 29, 1940) is the current deputy Leader of the United National Party (UNP), the main Opposition party of Sri Lanka and Ex Cabinet Minister of Public Administration and Home Affairs. He is also a Member of Parliament representing the Gampaha District. He had his early education at Ananda College, Colombo.In President Ranasinghe Premadasa's government, Karu Jayasuriya was appointed as the Sri Lanka Ambassador to Germany.

Jayasuriya had briefly served as a commissioned officer of the Sri Lanka Army from 1965 to 1972. A businessman by profession, he was thrust into active politics in 1996 when he became party chairman at the request of his leader Ranil Wickremesinghe. In 1997, he was elected Mayor of Colombo by a large majority. Following his efficient administration of the country's most populous city, the party nominated him to be Chief Ministerial candidate of the Western Province, which he lost narrowly. He became the opposition leader of that province. At that election he created a new precedent by refusing to publish posters, saying it promoted violence and polluted the city he worked hard to keep clean. At the General Elections of 2000, he was elected to Parliament from the Gampaha District with a large number of preferential votes even though his party was defeated. After his remarkable showing, he was...
Read More