Hema Premadasa

Hema Premadasa
3rd First Lady of Sri Lanka
In role
2 January 1989 – 1 May 1993
Preceded byElina Jayewardene
Succeeded byWimalawathi Kumarihami
Personal details
Born
Hema Wickramatunge

(1934-10-27) 27 October 1934 (age 90)
Bandarawela, British Ceylon
NationalitySri Lankan
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1964; died 1993)​
ChildrenSajith, Dulanjali

Hema Premadasa (née Wickramatunge; born 27 October 1934) is a Sri Lankan politician and widow of Ranasinghe Premadasa, 3rd President of Sri Lanka. She was the first lady of Sri Lanka from 2 January 1989 to 1 May 1993, when her husband was assassinated.[1]

As first lady, she visited accident sites and hospitals when Sri Lankans were injured.[2] Although Premadasa was married to a politician, she attempted to form a unique identity for herself in the Sri Lankan political landscape. She was a member and also president of the Seva Vanitha Movement (SVM).[3][4] In 1991, even though the Sri Lankan government attempted to ban the Mothers' Front rally, Premadasa held her own rally on the same day.[5] Later, she made her own attempts to run for presidency in 1994.[6] She was forced to call off her campaign after opposition parties ran a "scurrilous poster campaign".[7]

Premadasa is the mother of Sajith Premadasa, current Leader of the Opposition and leader of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya. Premadasa is an avid fan of netball and was considered an "ardent player."[8]

  1. ^ Gargan, Edward A. (May 2, 1993). "Suicide Bomber Kills President of Sri Lanka (Published 1993)" – via NYTimes.com.
  2. ^ "At least 45 Die in Sri Lanka Crash". Appeal Democrat. 18 January 1989. Retrieved 7 February 2016 – via Newspaper Archive.
  3. ^ Mittra, Sangh; Kumar, Bachchan (2004). Encyclopedia of Women in South Asia: Sri Lanka. Kalpaz Publications. p. 283. ISBN 9788178351926.
  4. ^ de Alwis, Malathi (2002). "Housewives of the Public". In Lenz, Ilse; Lutz, Helma (eds.). Crossing Borders and Shifting Boundaries. Vol. II. VS Verlag fur Sozialwissenschaften. p. 32. ISBN 9783663095279.
  5. ^ De Mel, Neloufer (2002). Women & the Nation's Narrative: Gender and Nationalism in the Twentieth Century Sri Lanka. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 246. ISBN 9780742518070.
  6. ^ "Premadasa's Widow Indicates She May Seek Political Office". Santa Ana Orange County Register. 7 May 1993. Retrieved 7 February 2016 – via Newspaper Archive.
  7. ^ "Why Lankan Women Shun Politics". Hindustan Times. 13 March 2007. Archived from the original on 20 February 2016. Retrieved 7 February 2016 – via HighBeam Research.
  8. ^ "PMs Call For Global Help With Housing". Kingston Gleaner. 30 April 1985. Retrieved 7 February 2016 – via Newspaper Archive.