Profile of Maithripala Sirisena

Pallewatte Gamaralalage Maithripala Yapa Sirisena (born 3 September 1951) commonly known as Maithripala Sirisena (Sinhala: මෛත්‍රීපාල සිරිසේන) is a member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka. He joined mainstream politics in 1989 and has held several ministries since 1994. He is also the Cabinet Minister for Agricultural Development & Agrarian Services Development and the General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party. He escaped an assassination attempt carried out by a suicide cadre of the LTTE in 2008.

Sirisena was born on 3 September 1951. He was educated at Royal College, Polonnaruwa. He has studied agriculture from the School of Agriculture in Kundasale. He has also worked as a Grama Sevaka. Sirisena was jailed after the 1971 JVP Insurrection, although he was not involved in it.

Sirisena joined the Sri Lanka Freedom Party 1979 as the secretary of its district organization. He became the president of the All Island Sri Lanka Freedom Party Youth Organization. In 1989, Sirisena contested for the general elections from the Polonnaruwa District and became a member of the parliament. In the general elections of 1994, he obtained the highest number of preferential votes. After this, he was made the Deputy Minister for Irrigation and Mahaweli Development.

Sirisena was elected to be the Secretary General of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party. In 1994, he was appointed the Minister for River Basin Development and Rajarata Development, a newly created Ministry. He is served as the Cabinet Minister for Agricultural Development and Agrarian Services Development  subsequently & presently he is the Minister of Health.

On 9 October 2008 a suicide bomb attack was carried out by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam targeting Sirisena at Katuwawala, Piliyandala. The attack was carried out when the convoy carrying the minister was passing by but missed his vehicle. Although Sirisena escaped unhurt 7 others were injured and 1 killed.

Certain media organisation & opposition politicians were very critical of him on the question of his brother Dudley Sirisena’s meteoric rise as a businessman involved in Rice milling & hotel trade. Also he was involved in a controversy involving his son & DIG Ravi Vidyalankara’s son on the beaches of Batticloa.  

In contrast to the incumbent President Mahinda Rajapakse, Mr Sirisena could be more akin to former President Ranasinghe Premadasa in his rise in the SLFP hierarchy. 

(With input from Wikipedia)

Following Biography details extracted from Ministry of Health website.

• Constituency Polonnaruwa District
• Party Name Sri Lanka Freedom Party(SLFP)
• Date of Birth 03.09.1951
• Marital Status Married
• Spuse’s name Ms.Jayanthi Pushpa Kumari
• Children 2 Daughters, and one son
• Religion Buddhist
• Permanent Address #6,1st Lane, New Town, Polonnaruwa
• Education 1955 Primary education at Laxuyana School(BOP-292) Polonnaruwa
• Excelled in aesthetic studies (singing, dancing, art & cultural activities).
• 1973 Diploma in Agriculture
• Sri Lanka School of Agriculture, Kundasale
• 1980 Diploma in Political Science, Maxim Gorky Academy Russia
• Profession Agriculturist
• Position Held 1967 Secretary, SLFP Youth Organization Polonnaruwa Electorate
• 1977 Secretary, SLFP Central Committee, Polonnaruwa
• 1978 Attended International Youth Congress held in Cuba
• 1980 District Secretary, SLFP, Polonnaruwa
• 1982 Treasurer, All Island SLFP Youth Organization Polonnaruwa Electorate
• 1982 President, All Island SLFP Youth Organization
• 1982 Member, SLFP, Politburo
• 1989-02-15 Elected to 9th Parliment – Polonnaruwa Electorate
• 1994 Elected to 10th Parliment – Deputy Minister of Lrrigation
• Assistant Secretary, SLFP 1997
• 1997 Cabinet Minister of Mahaweli Development
• 2000 Vice Chairmen, SLFP
• 2000 Elected to 11th Parliament – (Cabinet Minister of Mahaweli Development and Parliamentary Affairs)
• Escaped LTTE suicide bomb attack in Dimbulagala
• 2001 Elected to 12th Parliment
• 2004 Elected to 13th Parliment
• Cabinet Minister of Mahaweli, River Basin & Rajarata Development. And Leader of the House of Parliament
• General Secretary, SLFP
• Cabinet Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Mahaweli Development and Minister of Environment & Natural Resources
• Escaped LTTE suicide bomb at Welikanda
• 2007 Cabinet Minister of Agricultural Development & Agrarian Services Development to Date
• Escaped LTTE suicide bomb at Boralesgamuwa when returning after ‘Wap Magula’ ceremony in Horana
• 2008/2009 A stunning contribution to country’s Agriculture
• 2007 Development with the launching of ‘Api Wawamu’
• Rata Nagamu’ Programme