Manusha Nanayakkara

Manusha Nanayakkara
මනුෂ නානායක්කාර
மனுஷ நாணயக்கார
Minister of Labour and Foreign Employment[1]
In office
20 May 2022 – 09 August 2024
PresidentGotabaya Rajapaksa
Ranil Wickremesinghe
Prime MinisterRanil Wickremesinghe
Dinesh Gunawardena
Preceded byVidura Wickremanayake
Member of Parliament
for Galle District
In office
2010–2024
Personal details
Born (1977-09-24) September 24, 1977 (age 47)
Sri Lanka
Political partyUnited National Party (2023–present)
Samagi Jana Balawegaya (2020–2023)
Sri Lanka Freedom Party (2010–2020)
United National Party (until 2010)
Other political
affiliations
United People's Freedom Alliance (2010–2020)
United National Front (until 2010)
SpouseShanika Sooriyaarachchi
ChildrenMenasha nanayakkara
Alma materMahinda College, Galle
OccupationJournalist

Manusha Nanayakkara (born 24 September 1977) is a Sri Lankan politician, Cabinet Minister, and member of Parliament for the Galle District. He is a journalist by profession and was educated at Mahinda College, Galle.[2][3] He was appointed as the Minister of Labour and Foreign Employment on the 20 May 2022.[4]

On 20 May 2022, amidst the 2022 Sri Lankan protests and political crisis, Nanayakkara was sworn in as the Minister of Labour and Foreign Employment and officially became a member of the Rajapaksa-Wickremesinghe led cabinet, against the wishes of his own party, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB).[5] He and fellow minister Harin Fernando had subsequently been suspended from the SJB. Both ministers would later resign from their ministerial portfolios on 9 July 2022, but would again be reappointed to their same positions by President Ranil Wickremesinghe on 22 July 2022.[6] A year later, on 18 July 2023, the Working Committee of the SJB expelled Manusha Nanayakkara and Harin Fernando from the party.[7] Shortly afterwards, on 2 August 2023, Fernando and Nanayakkara were readmitted into the United National Party by the party's working committee.[8]

On 9 August 2024, the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka ruled that the decision by the Samagi Jana Balawegaya to expel Manusha Nanayakkara and Harin Fernando from the party was legally valid. As a consequence of this judgement, their expulsion resulted in the loss of their parliamentary seats and ministerial portfolios.[9]

On 20 August 2024, it was announced that Manusha Nanayakkara had been appointed by the President of Sri Lanka, Ranil Wickremesinghe, as the Advisor to the President on Labour and Foreign Employment, with immediate effect.[10]

  1. ^ "Sri Lanka appoints nine new cabinet ministers". economynext.com. 20 May 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  2. ^ New Faces in parliament, Sunday Times
  3. ^ Our languages, our heritage- President Archived 2015-09-24 at the Wayback Machine, Presnform
  4. ^ "Nine new Ministers sworn in amid Sri Lanka crisis". The Hindu. 20 May 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  5. ^ "Nine more cabinet ministers sworn in".
  6. ^ "New Cabinet of Ministers sworn in". www.adaderana.lk. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
  7. ^ "SJB decides to expel Harin and Manusha". www.adaderana.lk. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
  8. ^ bugsbunny (2023-08-02). "Harin and Manusha back in the UNP". Colombo Gazette. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  9. ^ Sooriyagoda, Lakmal (9 August 2024). "Harin, Manusha lose Parliamentary seats". Daily Mirror Online. Archived from the original on 18 August 2024. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
  10. ^ "Manusha appointed Adviser to President on Labour and Foreign Employment". Daily FT. 20 August 2024. Archived from the original on 20 August 2024. Retrieved 20 August 2024.