Hector Kobbekaduwa | |
|---|---|
හෙක්ටර් කොබ්බෑකඩුව | |
 | |
| Minister for Agriculture and Lands | |
| In office 1970–1977 | |
| Prime Minister | Sirimavo Bandaranaike |
| Preceded by | M. D. Banda |
| Succeeded by | Lionel Senanayake |
| Member of Parliament for Yatinuwara | |
| In office 1970–1977 | |
| Preceded by | S. S. Abeysundara |
| Succeeded by | S. S. Abeysundara |
| Majority | 5,493 (1970) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 19 August 1916 |
| Died | 18 September 1983 (aged 67) |
| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Political party | Sri Lanka Freedom Party |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Profession | Advocate |
Hector Senarath Rajakaruna Bandara Kobbekaduwa (29 August 1916 – 17 September 1983) was a Sri Lankan politician and lawyer. He was the Sri Lanka Freedom Party candidate in the 1982 Sri Lankan presidential election and the Minister for Agriculture and Lands from 1970 to 1977.[1] He is remembered for nationalizing privately owned land and restricting the ownership of private land to 20 hectares for the purpose of giving land to landless peasants. He created collectively owned settlement programs called Janawasas in some of the land that was acquired.[2][3][4][1] He contested the 1982 presidential election and lost. The campaign of the SLFP led by him advocated for restoring previous Sri Lanka Freedom Party policies. His opponents ran an effective campaign criticising the closed economy & socialist policies of his Sri Lanka Freedom Party – led regime from 1970 to 1977, they blamed the SLFP policies for creating scarcities of essential goods and unemployment.[5][6] Although the SLFP led by him lost the 1982 Sri Lankan presidential election, he managed to gain a significant number of votes in Tamil speaking areas like Point Pedro defeating Tamil nationalist parties.[2]
- ^ a b "Hector Kobbekaduwa remembered". Sri Lanka Guardian.
- ^ a b "Champion of peasant rights". Daily News (Sri Lanka).
- ^ Samarawickrama, Salr (3 July 2014). "The plans implications of Janawasa settlements in Sri Lanka" – via dl.lib.mrt.ac.lk.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "Call to abolish Sri Lanka's land reform law". economynext.com.
- ^ ELECfiONS AND CONFLICf IN THE STATE (1982–1987)
- ^ "The 1982 Referendum & July 1983". 7 January 2017.