Kusumasiri Gunawardena
{{short description|Ceylonese politician}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2017}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = Hon.
| name = Kusumasiri Gunawardena
| honorific-suffix =
| image = Kusumasiri Gunawardena.jpg
| imagesize =
| constituency_MP1 = Avissawella
| parliament1 = Ceylon
| term_start1 = 1948
| term_end1 = 1956
| predecessor1 = Philip Gunawardena
| successor1 = Philip Gunawardena
| constituency_MP2 = Kiriella
| parliament2 = Ceylon
| term_start2 = 1956
| term_end2 = 1960
| predecessor2 = A. E. B. Kiriella
| successor2 = A. E. B. Kiriella
| birth_name = Kusumasiri Amarasinghe
| birth_date = {{birth date|1912|05|26|df=y}}
| birth_place = Medaketiya (Tangalle)
| death_date = {{death date and age|1986|05|30|1912|05|26|df=y}}
| death_place =
| nationality = Sri Lankan
| party = Lanka Sama Samaja Party
| occupation = Politician
| otherparty = Viplavakari Lanka Sama Samaja Party
| spouse = Philip Gunawardena
| partner =
| relations =
| children = 5, including Indika, Prasanna, Dinesh, Gitanjana
| residence =
| alma_mater = Rahula Maha Vidyalaya, Tangalle, St. Mary's Convent Matara, Musaeus College, Colombo
| website =
| footnotes =
}}
Kusumasiri Gunawardena (née Amarasinghe) (1912–1986) was a Ceylonese politician.{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.lk/members-of-parliament/directory-of-members/viewMember/2291|title=Hon. (Mrs.) Gunawardena, Kusumasiri, M.P.|work=Directory of Past Members|publisher=Parliament of Sri Lanka|access-date=8 August 2017}}
Early life, education and political career
Kusumasiri was born in Medaketiya (Tangalle) on 26 May 1912, the daughter of Don Davith Amarasinghe and Sophinona.{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.marxists.org/glossary/people/g/u.htm|publisher=Marxists Internet Archive|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Marxism|title=Glossary of People|access-date=9 August 2017}} She was educated at Rahula Maha Vidyalaya, Tangalle, St. Mary's Convent Matara and Musaeus College, Colombo. She later participated in the Suriya Mal movement and joined the Lanka Sama Samaja Party.
On 30 June 1939 she married Philip Gunawardena, one of the founders of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party. During the Second World War, when her husband escaped from detention in Ceylon to India, she followed in disguise. They were both later arrested by Indian police in 1943 and after several months deported back to Ceylon.{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of Sri Lanka|author=Gunawardena, Charles A.|publisher=Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd|date=2005|pages=172–173|isbn=9781932705485}}
In 1947 Phillip was elected at 1st parliamentary election as the member for Avissawella, representing the Lanka Sama Samaja Party.{{cite web |url=http://www.slelections.gov.lk/web/images/pdf/general-election-results/general-election-1947.pdf |title=Result of Parliamentary General Election 1947 |publisher=Department of Elections, Sri Lanka |access-date=9 August 2017 }}{{Dead link|date=February 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} In 1948 however he was dismissed from parliament due to his involvement in the General Strike in 1947, losing his civic rights for seven years. He was replaced by Kusumasiri, who was elected unopposed in the 1948 by-election,{{cite web |url=http://www.slelections.gov.lk/web/images/pdf/general-election-results/parliamentary-general-election-1947.pdf |title=Results of By-Elections subsequent to Parliamentary General Election 1947 |publisher=Department of Elections, Sri Lanka |access-date=9 August 2017 }}{{Dead link|date=February 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} making her the second elected female Member of Parliament in Sri Lanka.{{cite web|archive-url=https://archive.today/20101126205955/http://parliament.lk/handbook_of_parliament/lady_members.jsp|url=http://parliament.lk/handbook_of_parliament/lady_members.jsp|title=Lady Members|publisher=Parliament of Sri Lanka|date=26 November 2010|archive-date=26 November 2010|access-date=10 August 2017|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}} She retained the seat at the 2nd parliamentary elections in 1952, representing the Viplavakari Lanka Sama Samaja Party.{{cite web |url=http://www.slelections.gov.lk/web/images/pdf/general-election-results/general-election-1952.pdf |title=Result of Parliamentary General Election 1952 |publisher=Department of Elections, Sri Lanka |access-date=9 August 2017 }}{{Dead link|date=February 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite book|title=International Trotskyism, 1929-1985: A Documented Analysis of the Movement|author=Alexander, Robert Jackson|publisher=Duke University Press|date=1991|page=[https://archive.org/details/internationaltro01alex_2/page/188 188]|isbn=9780822310662|url=https://archive.org/details/internationaltro01alex_2/page/188}} She did not contest the seat of Avissawella following 1956 parliamentary elections in favour of her husband, instead she contested and won the seat of Kiriella Electoral District.{{cite web |url=http://www.slelections.gov.lk/web/images/pdf/general-election-results/general-election-1956.pdf |title=Result of Parliamentary General Election 1956 |publisher=Department of Elections, Sri Lanka |access-date=9 August 2017 }}{{Dead link|date=February 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} She failed to retain the seat at the March 1960 parliamentary elections. She then unsuccessfully contested the seat of Dehiowita Electoral District in the July 1960 parliamentary elections, polling third behind Soma Wickremanayake and A. F. Wijemanne.
As a member of parliament she campaigned for equal treatment of women, pushing for women to be recruited to the civil service and be appointed to senior positions in government departments.
Legacy
Her eldest son, Indika, was a member of parliament and a cabinet member, her second son, Prasanna, was the Mayor of Colombo between 2002 and 2006, her third son, Dinesh, served as the prime minister of Sri Lanka from 2022 to 2024, representing the Colombo Electoral District and the current leader of the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP), whilst her fourth son, Gitanjana was also a member of parliament and a deputy minister. One of her grandsons, Yadamini Gunawardena, is also a member of parliament.
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Members of the 1st Parliament of Ceylon}}
{{Members of the 2nd Parliament of Ceylon}}
{{Members of the 3rd Parliament of Ceylon}}
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Category:Lanka Sama Samaja Party politicians
Category:Members of the 1st Parliament of Ceylon
Category:Members of the 2nd Parliament of Ceylon