| W. J. M. Lokubandara | |
|---|---|
| Governor of Sabaragamuwa Province | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 21 April 2010 |
|
| President | Mahinda Rajapaksa |
| Preceded by | Janaka Priyantha Bandara |
| Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka | |
| In office 22 April 2004 – 8 April 2010 |
|
| President | Chandrika Kumaratunga Mahinda Rajapaksa |
| Preceded by | Joseph Michael Perera |
| Succeeded by | Chamal Rajapaksa |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Wijesinghe Jayaweera Mudiyanselage Lokubandara August 5, 1941 Haputale |
| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Political party | United National Party Sri Lanka Freedom Party |
| Spouse(s) | Malathi Lokubandara |
| Children | Rashmin Lokubandara Udith Lokubandara Damith Lokubandara |
| Residence | Nugegoda |
| Alma mater | Yahala-Bedda School Bandarawela Central College University of Peradeniya |
| Religion | Buddhism |
Wijesinghe Jayaweera Mudiyanselage Lokubandara (Sinhala:විජෙසිංහ ජයවීර මුදියන්සේලාගේ ලොකුබණඩාර), commonly known as W. J. M. Lokubandara, is the current Governor of Sabaragamuwa Province and former Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka. He is a lawyer by profession, and is also an author of several books and a song writer. Lokubandara has held several ministries in the government of Sri Lanka before his appointment as the Speaker of the House. He is third in line to the succession of President of Sri Lanka.
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Lokubandara was born on 5 August 1941[1] in Haputale.[2] He was educated at Yahala-Bedda School, and later at Bandarawela Central College.[3] He is an Arts Graduate of the University of Peradeniya,[4] and has also obtained an external Bachelor's Degree in Arts from the University of London. Lokubandara was a lawyer by profession and worked as an assistant legal draftsman.[5]
Lokubandara was born to a family with seven children. His parents were Loku Manike and Gunesekara Bandara. He married Malathi, a music teacher, on 1 February 1979. They have three sons; Rashmin, Udith and Damith.[2] Udith Lokubandara was offered the post of District Organizer for Badulla District by the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, while the post of Organizer for Haputale electorate was offered by the United National Party.[6]
Lokubandara first entered parliament in 1977 representing the United National Party (UNP), defeating former Cabinet Minister of Health W. P. G. Ariyadasa. He was initially appinted to the non cabinet Ministership of Indigenous Medicine. In 1989, Lokubandara was appointed a Cabinet Minister when he was given the Ministries of Cultural Affairs, Education and Media by the then President Ranasinghe Premadasa.[5]
With the defeat of the UNP in the general elections of 1994, Lokubandara became the Chief Opposition Whip of the parliament. He held this position until 2001.[3] A UNP government was formed in 2001, and Lokubandara was appointed the Cabinet Minister of Justice, Law Reforms, National Integration and Buddha Sasana.[5]
Lokubandara was elected as the Speaker of the 6th Parliament of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka on 22 April 2004,[7] after a controversial secret ballot lasting nine hours. Lokubandara was the candidate of the main opposition group and received 110 votes, while the candidate from the governing party received 109 votes.[7] His election as 16th Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka was announced at 7.15 pm. After assuming office, he urged the members of the parliament to safeguard democracy and "move away from confrontational politics marching beyond petty party politics".[3]
Several books have been authored by Lokubandara, including some on Sigiriya. He is also a poet and a song writer. His works include:[8]
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