Pen sketches of Govt. team to Geneva : Jeyaraj, a strong personality

E. Weerapperuma

COLOMBO: Today we feature Trade, Commerce, Consumer Affairs and Marketing Development and Highways Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle in the Daily News pen sketches of the Government team to Geneva.

Fernandopulle who justified the demand for an Interim Administrative Structure for the North and East until a final solution was found to the ethnic issue in Sri Lanka, will be a strong personality in the Government delegation at the peace talks.

An outspoken and courageous Minister who fearlessly fought with business tycoons who tried to ride over the wellbeing of the country, the poor and the marginalised masses, has been one of the outstanding Minister's of the Government.

He is a brilliant and eloquent orator and is the Chief Government Whip in Parliament. He is a Minister who can converse in all three languages.

Fernandopulle born on January 11, 1953 in Negombo had his early education at Ave Maria Convent and Maris Stella College, Negombo and joined the Government Service in 1972 as a science and maths teacher.

In 1974, he entered the Sri Lanka Law College, excelled in his studies and in June 1975 won the Silver Medal for his address to the jury in Sinhala.

He passed out as an Attorney-at-Law in 1977 and began practising at the Negombo Bar and won respect and admiration when he appeared free of charge for more than 20,000 cases. He was also regarded as a fearless defender of human rights.

An ardent supporter of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party from his school days and an active member of the SLFP from 1970, he represented Sri Lanka at the Baghdad Conference in 1984 held to end the Iran-Iraq war. He has attended seminars dealing with Parliamentary Affairs and Human Rights.

In 1989 he entered Parliament from Gampaha district for the first time contesting from the SLFP ticket and he was appointed SLFP Organiser of Katana electorate in 1983. He was elected a member of the SLFP Political Bureau and elected as the Assistant Secretary.

At the 1994 General Election, he polled over 100,000 votes and was second only to former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga who contested the election for the first time. He held several Cabinet portfolios and is famed for his skilled debating.

When the PA won the 1994 election and formed the Government under Kumaratunga, he was appointed Deputy Minister of Finance, Ethnic Affairs and National Integration and in 1996 was appointed Deputy Minister of Plan Implementation.

He was appointed the Minister of Plan and Implementation and Parliamentary Affairs in 1997. In 2000, he was appointed Minister of Civil Aviation,Tourism and Christian Affairs.

Recipient of the Melvin Johns Fellowship, Fernandopulle with his intellectual brilliance coupled with his dynamic personality has become one of the most respected Member of Parliament and equally respected member of the legal profession. He has contributed his share in law reforms.

He also served as the Chairman of COPE and was a member of the Public Petition Committee and serves as Chairman of the Consultative Committee on Trade, Commerce and Consumer Affairs. He has represented Sri Lanka in several international fora and his attendance at the 4th Joint Council Meeting under the Trade and Investment Frame Work Agreement in October 2004 at the White House Conference Centre, Washington DC stands out as one of most important meetings considering Sri Lanka's situation at the time. He also led the delegation to the VIth WTO Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong in 2005 and at the Commonwealth Finance Ministers' Meeting in Malta. He was a member of the ministerial delegation to India led by President Mahinda Rajapakse after assuming office as President.

He has attended a number of international seminars and led delegations to numerous international conferences and bilateral discussions. He also had a special audience with late Pope John Paul II and participated at the coronation of Pope Benedict XVI.

Chairman of the Jeyaraj Fernandopulle Education Fund, he is also a member of the Lions Club Kochchikade and the President of the Elle Federation of Sri Lanka.