60 years in politics:

DM the oldest serving SLFPer

Rasika Somarathna and Damitha Peramune

A week-long ceremony organised by the Kandy and Gampola masses to felicitate Plantation Minister D.M. Jayaratne who completed 60 years in politics, ended on a grand note yesterday.

The Minister who stepped into politics in 1949 by organising grassroots level community centres, later went on to represent the legislature winning the Gampola electorate in the 1970 election. Since then he has been a regular member of the Parliament and has held a number of ministerial posts under various SLFP Governments. He is also considered as the oldest serving member of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party. He joined the SLFP as its 13th member, soon after its inception in 1952.

The week-long ceremony included programmes such as activities to propagate agriculture projects to spread postal and telecommunication services to the rural masses, issue of a postal stamp to mark the occasion and a War Heroes day.

The events were attended by a number of Government Ministers, Opposition politicians, public servants and the public.