Ronnie de Mel | |
|---|---|
රොනි ද මැල් | |
| Minister of Finance | |
| In office 23 July 1977 – 18 January 1988 | |
| President | William Gopallawa J. R. Jayewardene |
| Prime Minister | J. R. Jayewardene Ranasinghe Premadasa |
| Preceded by | Felix Dias Bandaranaike |
| Succeeded by | M. H. M. Naina Marikar |
| Member of Parliament for National List | |
| In office 18 October 2000 – 7 February 2004 | |
| Member of Parliament for Matara District | |
| In office 25 August 1994 – 18 August 2000 | |
| Member of Parliament for Devinuwara | |
| In office 1970–1989 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 11 April 1925 British Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) |
| Died | 27 February 2024 (aged 98) Colombo, Sri Lanka |
| Political party | Sri Lanka Freedom Party |
| Other political affiliations | United National Party |
| Spouse | Mallika de Mel (née Fernando) |
| Children | 3 (Sunalini, Tara, Renuka) |
| Residence(s) | 5, Charles Drive, Colombo 3, Sri Lanka. |
| Alma mater | St Thomas' College University of Ceylon |
| Occupation | Politics |
| Profession | Civil Servant |
Ronald Joseph Godfrey de Mel (Sinhala: රොනි ද මැල්; 11 April 1925 – 27 February 2024) was a Sri Lankan civil servant and politician.[1] He served as the Minister of Finance under President J. R. Jayewardene's government from 1977 to 1988 and was instrumental in the establishment of the free market economy in Sri Lanka. He was also the longest serving finance minister of Sri Lanka.[2] De Mel served as a Member of Parliament on multiple occasions, first from the Devinuwara District from 1970 to 1989, then from the Matara District from 1994 to 2000, and finally as a National list member of Parliament from 2000 to 2004. He also served as a Senior Adviser to President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Although he was a self-described socialist, de Mel has been credited with introducing capitalism and capitalist reforms to Sri Lanka's economy.[3] He left a lasting mark on Sri Lanka's economy and political life, as recognized by national leaders at his funeral.[4]
We walk down memory lane with some of Sri Lanka's political icons in this new series titled 'Reflections' setting the tone with Ronnie de Mel, Sri Lanka's longest serving Finance Minister and the socialist who introduced capitalism to Sri Lanka
His legacy in economic reform and unity celebrated.