Hema Premadasa

Hema Premadasa
First Lady of Sri Lanka
In office
2 January 1989 – 1 May 1993
Preceded by Elina Jayewardene
Succeeded by Wimalawathi Kumarihami
Personal details
Born Hema Wickramatunge
Sri Lanka
Nationality Sri Lankan
Spouse(s) Ranasinghe Premadasa (1964- 1993)
Children Sajith Premadasa , Dulanjali Jayakodi
Religion Theravāda Buddhism

Hema Premadasa (née Wickrematunge) is a former first lady of Sri Lanka. She was in the office of the first lady of Sri Lanka from 1989 to 1 May 1993. While she was married to a politician, she "carved a separate identity for herself through her Presidentship of the Seva Vanitha Movement." [1]

Premadasa is the mother of Sajith Premadasa (b 1967), Minister of Housing and Deputy Leader of United National Party (UNP).[2] In 1991, even though the Sri Lankan government tried to ban the Mothers' Front rally, Premadasa held her own rally the same day.[3] Later, she attempted to seek Presidency.[4] She was forced to quit when the opposite party ran a "scurrilous poster campaign."[5]

As first lady, she visited accident sites and hospitals when Sri Lankans were injured.[6] She was also a member of the Seva Vanitha Movement (SVM).[7] Premadasa's husband Ranasinghe Premadasa was killed by a LTTE bomb in 1993.[8]

Premadasa is a fan of netball and considered an "ardent player."[9]

References

  1. ↑ de Alwis, Malathi (2002). "Housewives of the Public". In Lenz, Ilse; Lutz, Helma. Crossing Borders and Shifting Boundaries. II. VS Verlag fur Sozialwissenschaften. p. 32. ISBN 9783663095279.
  2. ↑ "Hema Premadasa will campaingn for Champika". The Daily Mirror. July 26, 2015. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  3. ↑ De Mel, Neloufer (2002). Women & the Nation's Narrative: Gender and Nationalism in the Twentieth Century Sri Lanka. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 246. ISBN 9780742518070.
  4. ↑ "Premadasa's Widow Indicates She May Seek Political Office". Santa Ana Orange County Register. 7 May 1993. Retrieved 7 February 2016 – via Newspaper Archive. (subscription required (help)).
  5. ↑ "Why Lankan Women Shun Politics". Hindustan Times. 13 March 2007. Retrieved 7 February 2016 – via HighBeam Research. (subscription required (help)).
  6. ↑ "At least 45 Die in Sri Lanka Crash". Appeal Democrat. 18 January 1989. Retrieved 7 February 2016 – via Newspaper Archive. (subscription required (help)).
  7. ↑ Mittra, Sangh; Kumar, Bachchan (2004). Encyclopedia of Women in South Asia: Sri Lanka. Kalpaz Publications. p. 283. ISBN 9788178351926.
  8. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/1993/05/02/world/suicide-bomber-kills-president-of-sri-lanka.html
  9. ↑ "PMs Call For Global Help With Housing". Kingston Gleaner. 30 April 1985. Retrieved 7 February 2016 – via Newspaper Archive. (subscription required (help)).


Honorary titles
Preceded by
Elina Jayewardene		 First Lady of Sri Lanka
2 January 1989 – 1 May 1993 		Succeeded by
Wimalawathi Kumarihami


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