Harin Fernando
{{short description|Sri Lankan politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{BLP sources|date=October 2018}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = Hon.
| name = Harin Fernando
| native_name = හරීන් ප්රනාන්දු
ஹரின் பெர்னாண்டோ
| honorific-suffix =
| image = Harin Fernando.jpg
| office = Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs
| term_start = 27 November 2023
| term_end = 09 August 2024
| president = Ranil Wickremesinghe
| primeminister = Dinesh Gunawardena
| predecessor = Roshan Ranasinghe
| president1 = Maithripala Sirisena
| primeminister1 = Ranil Wickremesinghe
| term_start1 = 20 December 2018
| term_end1 = 17 November 2019
| predecessor1 = Faiszer Musthapha
| successor1 = Dullas Alahapperuma
| office2 = Minister of Tourism and Lands
| term_start2 = 20 May 2022
| term_end2 = 09 August 2024
| president2 = Gotabaya Rajapaksa
Ranil Wickremesinghe
| primeminister2 = Ranil Wickremesinghe
Dinesh Gunawardena
| predecessor2 = Prasanna Ranatunga
| office3 = Minister of Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare
| president3 = Maithripala Sirisena
| primeminister3 = Ranil Wickremesinghe
| term_start3 = 25 February 2018
| term_end3 = 26 October 2018
| predecessor3 = Thalatha Atukorale
| successor3 =
| president4 = Maithripala Sirisena
| primeminister4 = Ranil Wickremesinghe
| term_start4 = 20 December 2018
| term_end4 = 17 November 2019
| predecessor4 =
| successor4 =
| office5 = Minister of Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructure
| president5 = Maithripala Sirisena
| primeminister5 = Ranil Wickremesinghe
| term_start5 = 4 September 2015
| term_end5 = 26 October 2018
| predecessor5 =
| successor5 =
| president6 = Maithripala Sirisena
| primeminister6 = Ranil Wickremesinghe
| term_start6 = 20 December 2018
| term_end6 = 17 November 2019
| predecessor6 =
| successor6 =
| order7 = 7th
| office7 = Chief Minister of Uva Province
| governor7 = M. P. Jayasinghe
| predecessor7 = Shashindra Rajapaksa
| successor7 = Chamara Sampath Dassanayake
| term_start7 = 14 January 2015
| term_end7 = 1 September 2015
| constituency_MP8 = National List
| parliament8 = Sri Lanka
| term_start8 = 20 August 2020
| term_end8 = 09 August 2024
| constituency_MP9 = Badulla District
| parliament9 = Sri Lanka
| term_start9 = 1 September 2015
| term_end9 = 3 March 2020
| majority9 = 200,806 Preferential Votes
| term_start10 = 22 April 2010
| term_end10 = 5 August 2014
| majority10 = 49,073 Preferential Votes
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1978|10|28}}
| birth_place = Wattala, Sri Lanka
| alma_mater = St. Joseph's College, Colombo
| occupation = Politician
| profession = Businessman
| parents = Nihal Benito Fernando,
| spouse = Ravindani Yashendra Dias
| party = United National Party (2005–2020, 2023–present)
| otherparty = Samagi Jana Balawegaya (2020–2023)
}}
Harin Fernando, MP (born 28 October 1978) is a Sri Lankan politician, Cabinet Minister and Member of Parliament. He is the former Minister of Tourism and Lands as well as the former Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs. He previously served as the Minister of Sports before, as well as the Telecommunication, Digital Infrastructure Facilities, Foreign Employment, and Tourism ministers in previous Sri Lankan governments. He was the 7th Chief Minister of Uva Province.
Early life and education
Born in Wattala to a Roman Catholic family, Fernando was educated at St. Joseph's College, Colombo.{{Cite web|url=http://www.dailymirror.lk/breaking_news/Full-list-of-Cabinet-ministers/108-160073|title=Full list of Cabinet ministers|website=dailymirror.lk|access-date=23 April 2019}}
Political career
Fernando was appointed as the United National Party (UNP) electoral organizer for Badulla District when he was only 27 and won the highest number of votes in the Uva Provincial Council Election in 2005. He was elected as a Member of Parliament for the Badulla District in 2010 and resigned on 5 August 2014 to contest as candidate for Chief Minister of Uva Province.{{cite news | url=http://www.sundaytimes.lk/140928/columns/harins-triumph-in-defeat-lifts-unp-sky-high-119888.html | title=Harin's triumph in defeat lifts UNP sky-high | newspaper=The Sunday Times | date=28 September 2014 | access-date=21 August 2015}} Even though Fernando won the highest number of preferential votes, the UNP lost in Uva Provincial Council elections. Fernando became the leader of the opposition in the Uva Provincial Council.
Fernando played a critical role in President Mahinda Rajapaksa's defeat in the 2015 presidential elections, after Rajapaksa called for an early election where the UPFA won narrowly at the Uva Provincial Council elections. Fernando had strongly criticised the Rajapaksa regime for its corruption, authoritarian rule and rise of lawlessness. Harin's criticisms significantly reduced Rajapaksa's popularity in Badulla and Monaragala. Fernando openly campaigned for the common candidate Maithripala Sirisena in the elections.
Soon after the elections, a number of UPFA provincial councillors backed Fernando, thus giving the UNP a majority in the Uva provincial council. He was sworn in as Chief Minister of Uva Province before the Governor and succeeded Shasheendra Rajapaksa.{{cite news | url=http://www.adaderana.lk/news/29417/harin-fernando-takes-oath-as-uva-chief-minister | title=Harin Fernando takes oath as Uva Chief Minister | work=adaderana.lk | date=14 January 2015}} In August 2015, Fernando was elected to parliament, gaining the highest votes in the Badulla District. Shortly afterwards he was appointed as Cabinet Minister of Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructure.{{cite web | url=http://www.adaderana.lk/news/32022/preferential-votes-general-election-2015 | title=Preferential votes- General Election 2015 | publisher=adaderana.lk | date=18 August 2015 | access-date=19 August 2015}}{{cite web | url=http://www.hirunews.lk/115136/3-chief-ministers-4-opposition-leaders-elected-to-parliament | title=3 Chief Ministers and 4 opposition leaders elected to parliament | publisher=Hiru news | date=19 August 2015 | access-date=21 August 2015}}
Fernando criticized Facebook for being too slow to combat social media users who had used Facebook and WhatsApp to plan and facilitate the anti-Muslim riots in Sri Lanka.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/14/facebook-accused-by-sri-lanka-of-failing-to-control-hate-speech |newspaper=The Guardian |title=Sri Lanka accuses Facebook over hate speech after deadly riots |first=Michael |last=Safi |date=14 March 2018}}
On 20 May 2022, amidst the 2022 Sri Lankan protests and political crisis, Fernando was sworn in as the Minister of Tourism and Lands and officially became a member of the Rajapaksa-Wickremesinghe led cabinet, against the wishes of his own party, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB).{{cite web |title=Nine more cabinet ministers sworn in |url=http://www.adaderana.lk/news/82545/nine-more-cabinet-ministers-sworn-in}} He and fellow minister Manusha Nanayakkara had subsequently been suspended from the SJB. Both ministers would later resign from their ministerial portfolios on 9 July 2022, but would again be reappointed to their same positions by President Ranil Wickremesinghe on 22 July 2022.{{Cite web |title=New Cabinet of Ministers sworn in |url=https://www.adaderana.lk/news.php?nid=83808 |access-date=2023-10-10 |website=www.adaderana.lk |language=en}} A year later, on 18 July 2023, the Working Committee of the SJB expelled Harin Fernando and Manusha Nanayakkara from the party.{{Cite web |title=SJB decides to expel Harin and Manusha |url=https://www.adaderana.lk/news.php?nid=92050 |access-date=2023-10-10 |website=www.adaderana.lk |language=en}} Shortly afterwards, on 2 August 2023, Fernando and Nanayakkara were readmitted into the United National Party by the party's working committee.{{Cite web |last=bugsbunny |date=2023-08-02 |title=Harin and Manusha back in the UNP |url=https://colombogazette.com/2023/08/02/harin-and-manusha-back-in-the-unp/ |access-date=2023-10-19 |website=Colombo Gazette |language=en-US}}
On 9 August 2024, the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka ruled that the decision by the Samagi Jana Balawegaya to expel Harin Fernando and Manusha Nanayakkara from the party was legally valid. As a consequence of this judgement, their expulsion resulted in the loss of their parliamentary seats and ministerial portfolios.{{cite web|url=https://www.dailymirror.lk/breaking-news/Supreme-Court-Upholds-Expulsion:-Harin-and-Manusha-Lose-Parliamentary-Seats/108-289125 |title=Harin, Manusha lose Parliamentary seats |publisher=Daily Mirror Online |last=Sooriyagoda |first=Lakmal |date=9 August 2024 |accessdate=18 August 2024 |archive-date=18 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240818174122/https://www.dailymirror.lk/breaking-news/Supreme-Court-Upholds-Expulsion:-Harin-and-Manusha-Lose-Parliamentary-Seats/108-289125 |url-status=live}}
On 16 August 2024, it was announced that Harin Fernando had been appointed by the President of Sri Lanka, Ranil Wickremesinghe, as the Advisor to the President on Tourism, Land, Sports, and Youth Affairs, with immediate effect.{{cite web|url=https://www.ft.lk/front-page/Harin-appointed-Adviser-to-President-on-Tourism-Land-Sports-and-Youth-Affairs/44-765697 |title=Harin appointed Adviser to President on Tourism, Land, Sports and Youth Affairs |publisher=Daily FT |last= |first= |date=17 August 2024 |accessdate=18 August 2024 |archive-date=18 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240818175738/https://www.ft.lk/front-page/Harin-appointed-Adviser-to-President-on-Tourism-Land-Sports-and-Youth-Affairs/44-765697 |url-status=live}}
Personal life
Fernando married Ravindani Yashendra Dias in 2003. They have had two children, Nikhel Joshue Chethiya Fernando and Naiara Chaithika Fernando.
References
{{reflist}}
{{Sri Lankan Telecommunications ministers}}
{{Members of 14th Parliament of Sri Lanka}}
{{Members of 15th Parliament of Sri Lanka}}
{{Members of 16th Parliament of Sri Lanka}}
{{Chief Ministers of Uva}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fernando, Harin}}
Category:Members of the 14th Parliament of Sri Lanka
Category:Members of the 15th Parliament of Sri Lanka
Category:Members of the 16th Parliament of Sri Lanka
Category:Chief ministers of Uva Province
Category:Samagi Jana Balawegaya politicians
Category:United National Party politicians
Category:Alumni of Saint Joseph's College, Colombo