Reginald Cooray

The Honourable
Reginald Cooray
MP MPC
5th Governor of Northern Province
Assumed office
16 February 2016
Preceded by H. M. G. S. Palihakkara
5th Chief Minister of Western Province
In office
3 July 2005 – 4 May 2009
Preceded by Nandana Mendis
Succeeded by Prasanna Ranatunga
In office
9 November 2000 – 22 June 2005
Preceded by Susil Premajayanth
Succeeded by Nandana Mendis
Member of the Sri Lankan Parliament
for Kalutara District
In office
2010 – 26 June 2015
In office
2004 – 28 May 2004
Succeeded by Nirmala Kotalawala
In office
1994–2000
Succeeded by Parakrama Bandula Gunawardene
Personal details
Born (1947-11-12) 12 November 1947
Political party Sri Lanka Freedom Party
Other political
affiliations		 United People's Freedom Alliance
Profession Teacher
Ethnicity Sinhalese

Reginald Cooray (born 12 November 1947) is a Sri Lankan teacher and politician. He is a former provincial chief minister, former government minister and the 5th and current Governor of the Northern Province.

Early life and family

Cooray was born on 12 November 1947.[1] Cooray is a Roman Catholic and a wealthy land owner.[2] Cooray's wife died in July 2011.[3] His daughter Muditha Sanjeewani died in December 2013.[4]

Career

Cooray is an English teacher by profession.[5][6][7] He started his political career in Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP).[8] He contested the 1977 parliamentary election as an independent candidate in Beruwala but failed to get elected.[9] He later joined Vijaya Kumaratunga's Sri Lanka People's Party (SLPP).[10]

In 1988 the Communist Party, Lanka Sama Samaja Party, Nava Sama Samaja Party and SLPP formed the United Socialist Alliance (USA).[11] Cooray was a member of the first and second Western Provincial Council (WPC).[12][13] Cooray was one of the USA's candidates in Kalutara District at the 1989 parliamentary election but the USA failed to win any seats in the district.[14][15] In 1993 the USA and Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) formed the People's Alliance (PA).[16][17] Cooray was one of the PA's candidates in Kalutara District at the 1994 parliamentary election. He was elected and entered Parliament.[18] He was re-elected at the 2000 parliamentary election.[19] He was appointed Minister of Ethnic Affairs and National Integration after the election.[20] However, shortly afterwards he was appointed to the WPC and on 9 November 2000 he became Chief Minister of the Western Province.[21][22]

On 20 January 2004 the SLFP and the JVP formed the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA).[23] Cooray contested the 2004 parliamentary election as one of the UPFA's candidates in Kalutara District and was re-elected to Parliament.[24] He was appointed Minister of Information and Media after the election.[25]

Cooray contested the 2004 provincial council election as one of the UPFA's candidates in Kalutara District and was elected to the WPC.[26] Cooray was accused of accepting bribes from private operators in return for bus route permits and of nepotism.[27] Facing a no confidence motion over corruption and abuse of power, Cooray resigned in June 2005.[28][29][30] A few days later he was re-appointed Chief Minister.[22][31] He was re-elected at the 2009 provincial council election but lost his chief ministerial position.[32][33][34]

Cooray contested the 2010 parliamentary election as one of the UPFA's candidates in Kalutara District and was re-elected to Parliament.[35] He was appointed Deputy Minister of Justice after the election.[36][37] He was appointed Minister of Minor Export Promotion in November 2010.[38][39] He lost his cabinet position following the 2015 presidential election but a few days after the election he pledged his support for newly elected President Maithripala Sirisena.[40] In March 2015 Cooray was questioned by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC).[41] A few days later, when the SLFP joined the national government, he was appointed Minister of Aviation.[42][43][44][45] Cooray did not contest the 2015 parliamentary election for financial reasons.[46][47] He was however placed on the UPFA's list of National List candidates.[48][49] However, after the election he was not appointed to the National List.[50][51]

Cooray was appointed Governor of Northern Province in February 2016.[52][53][54][55]

Electoral history

Electoral history of Reginald Cooray
Election Constituency Party Votes Result
1977 parliamentary[9] Beruwala Ind 54 Not elected
1989 parliamentary[15] Kalutara District USA 4,956 Not elected
1994 parliamentary[18] Kalutara District PA 85,297 Elected
2000 parliamentary[19] Kalutara District PA 67,945 Elected
2004 parliamentary[24] Kalutara District UPFA 78,693 Elected
2004 provincial[26] Kalutara District UPFA 94,316 Elected
2009 provincial[32] Kalutara District UPFA 72,951 Elected
2010 parliamentary[35] Kalutara District UPFA 60,196 Elected

References

  1. ↑ "Directory of Past Members: Reginold Cooray". Parliament of Sri Lanka.
  2. ↑ "04COLOMBO647 a - Sri Lanka: Biographic Data on New Cabinet Ministers". WikiLeaks. 15 April 2004.
  3. ↑ "Minister Reginald Cooray’s wife passes away". adaderana.lk. 18 July 2011.
  4. ↑ "Superstars And Wild Boars". The Sunday Leader. 8 December 2013.
  5. ↑ "Cooray Governor Northern Province". Ceylon Today. 15 February 2016. p. A2.
  6. ↑ "Reginald Cooray to assume duties as new Governor of Northern Province". News First. 14 February 2016.
  7. ↑ "Reginald Cooray felicitated". Daily News (Sri Lanka). 1 July 2003.
  8. ↑ Perera, Sunil C. (15 May 2005). ""JVP find it difficult to contain and control me" - Reginald Cooray". Asian Tribune.
  9. 1 2 "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1977" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.
  10. ↑ Balachandran, P. K. (5 February 2016). "Reginald Cooray Likely To Be Lanka’s Northern Province Governor". The New Indian Express.
  11. ↑ Maher, Joanne, ed. (2004). The Europa World Year Book 2004: Volume II - Kazakhstan - Zimbabwe. Europa Publications. p. 3933. ISBN 1-85743-255-X.
  12. ↑ "Members of the First Council". Western Provincial Council.
  13. ↑ "Members of the Second Council". Western Provincial Council.
  14. ↑ "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1989" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.
  15. 1 2 de Silva, W. P. P.; Ferdinando, T. C. L. 9th Parliament of Sri Lanka (PDF). Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited. p. 182.
  16. ↑ Peebles, Patrick (2015). Historical Dictionary of Sri Lanka. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 267. ISBN 978-1-4422-5584-5.
  17. ↑ East, Roger; Thomas, Richard J. (2003). Profiles of People in Power: The World's Government Leaders. Europa Publications. p. 486. ISBN 1-85743-126-X.
  18. 1 2 "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1994" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.
  19. 1 2 "General Election 2000 Preferences" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.
  20. ↑ "New cabinet sworn in today". Current Affairs. Government of Sri Lanka. 19 October 2000.
  21. ↑ Weerarathne, Chitra (6 August 2003). "Reginald Cooray’s appointment as CM of WP challenged". The Island (Sri Lanka).
  22. 1 2 "Sri Lankan Provinces from 1988". WorldStatesmen.org.
  23. ↑ "SLFP-JVP alliance signed in Colombo". TamilNet. 20 January 2004.
  24. 1 2 "General Election 2004 Preferences" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.
  25. ↑ "The new UPFA Cabinet". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka). 11 April 2004.
  26. 1 2 "Results of Provincial Council Elections 2004" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.
  27. ↑ "05COLOMBO807 a - Sri Lanka: Western Provincial Council Showdown Presages Difficult Summer for President Kumaratunga". WikiLeaks. 29 April 2005.
  28. ↑ "UPFA Chief Minister for Western Provincial Council". TamilNet. 22 June 2005.
  29. ↑ Ratnatunga, Sinha (21 June 2005). "Chief minister of Sri Lankan province resigns". Gulf News.
  30. ↑ Gnanadass, Wilson (1 May 2005). ""I was compelled to prorogue the council"". The Sunday Leader.
  31. ↑ "Cooray reappointed Chief Minister". TamilNet. 2 July 2005.
  32. 1 2 "Preferences Kalutara" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.
  33. ↑ "MR picks WPC ministers: Prasanna CM Duminda, Thilanga, Reginald overlooked". The Island (Sri Lanka). 5 May 2009.
  34. ↑ "People 'do not vote for pledges'". BBC Sinhala. 4 May 2009.
  35. 1 2 "General Elections 2010 - Preferential Votes" (PDF). The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka). 11 April 2010.
  36. ↑ "PART I : SECTION (I) — GENERAL Appointments & c., by the President" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary. 1651/3. 26 April 2010.
  37. ↑ "New Cabinet Ministers & Deputy Ministers". Daily News (Sri Lanka). 24 April 2010.
  38. ↑ "PART I : SECTION (I) — GENERAL Appointments & c., by the President" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary. 1681/2. 22 November 2010.
  39. ↑ "New Faced Boost Cabinet as Hopes Rise". The Nation (Sri Lanka). 28 November 2010.
  40. ↑ Dharmasena, Ranil; Balasuriya, Anura (12 January 2015). "SLFP split again; 11 more pledge support to MS". The Island (Sri Lanka).
  41. ↑ "Bribery Commission questions Reginald Cooray". Ceylon Today. 6 March 2015.
  42. ↑ "PART I : SECTION (I) — GENERAL Appointments & c., by the President" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary. 1907/48. 26 March 2015.
  43. ↑ "More Ministers appointed". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). 22 March 2015.
  44. ↑ "Cabinet balloons to 40 as 26 more SLFPers luck out". The Island (Sri Lanka). 23 March 2015.
  45. ↑ Weerasinghe, Chamikara (23 March 2015). "SLFPers take oaths as ministers in National Govt". Daily News (Sri Lanka).
  46. ↑ Balachandran, P. K. (14 February 2016). "Sirisena Appoints Left-Liberal Reginald Cooray as Northern Province Governor". The New Indian Express.
  47. ↑ Karunarathne, Waruni (19 July 2015). "I Don’t Have Money For Polls Campaign – Reginald Cooray". The Sunday Leader.
  48. ↑ "PART I : SECTION (I) — GENERAL Government Notifications PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS ACT, No. 1 OF 1981 List of Persons submitted under Article 99A of the Constitution" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary. 1923/02. 13 July 2015.
  49. ↑ "UPFA, UNP national lists announced". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). 13 July 2015.
  50. ↑ "PART I : SECTION (I) — GENERAL Government Notifications PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION — 2015 Declaration under Article 99A of the Constitution" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary. 1928/25. 21 August 2015.
  51. ↑ "UPFA finalises National list". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). 21 August 2015.
  52. ↑ "PART I : SECTION (I) — GENERAL Appointments & c., by the President" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary. 1954/16. 17 February 2016.
  53. ↑ "Reginald Cooray sworn in as Northern Governor". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). 14 February 2016.
  54. ↑ Hannan, Rishan (14 February 2016). "Reginald Cooray appointed Northern Province Governor". News First.
  55. ↑ "Reginald appointed Northern Governor". The Island (Sri Lanka). 15 February 2016.
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