View source for Lakshman Jayakody

{{Short description|Sri Lankan politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{EngvarB |date=May 2017}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix   = [[The Honorable|Hon.]]
| name               = Lakshman Jayakody
| honorific-suffix   = 
| image              = Lakshman Jayakody.jpg
| caption            = 
| office             = [[Ministry of Internal Affairs, Wayamba Development and Cultural Affairs#Ministers|Minister of Cultural and Religious Affairs]]
| term_start         = 1994
| term_end           = 2000
| president          = [[Chandrika Kumaratunga]]
| primeminister      = [[Sirimavo Bandaranaike]]
| predecessor        = [[W. J. M. Lokubandara]]
| successor          = [[Monty Gopallawa]]
| constituency_MP2   = [[Gampaha Electoral District|Gampaha District]]
| parliament2        = Sri Lanka
| term_start2        = 1989
| term_end2          = 2000
| constituency_MP3   = [[Attanagalla Electoral District|Attanagalla]]
| parliament3        = Sri Lanka
| term_start3        = 1980
| term_end3          = 1989
| predecessor3       = [[Sirimavo Bandaranaike]]
| successor3         = ''Constituency Abolished''
| constituency_MP4   = [[Divulapitiya Electoral District|Divulapitiya]]
| parliament4        = Ceylon
| term_start4        = 1960
| term_end4          = 1977
| predecessor4       = Percy Jayakodi
| successor4         = Ariyaratne Jayatillake
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|1930|08|24|df=yes}}
| birth_place        = Sri Lanka
| nationality        = [[Sri Lanka]]n
| death_date         = {{death date and age|2010|08|30|1930|08|24|df=yes}}
| party              = [[Sri Lanka Freedom Party]]
| otherparty         = 
| spouse             = 
| children           = 
| alma_mater         = [[Trinity College, Kandy|Trinity College]], [[Ananda College]]
| occupation         =
| profession         = 
| signature          =
| residence          = 
| website            = 
| footnotes          =
}}

'''Lakshman Jayakody''' (24 August 1930 &ndash; 30 August 2010) was a Sri Lankan politician, an [[SLFP]] [[stalwart (politics)|stalwart]] and the [[Cabinet Minister|Minister]] of Cultural and Religious Affairs in the [[Sri Lanka]]n [[Cabinet of Sri Lanka|Cabinet]] from 1994 to 2000.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cultural.gov.lk/history/history.htm |title=History / The Birth of Ministry of Cultural Affairs and National Heritage |publisher=Ministry of National Heritage and Cultural Affairs |location=Sri Lanka) |access-date=30 August 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100617140706/http://www.cultural.gov.lk/history/history.htm |archive-date=17 June 2010 }}</ref>

Lakshman Jayakody was born 24 August 1930 the eldest child of Lionel Jayakody and Gwendoline. He commenced his education at [[Ladies' College, Colombo]], where his mother was educated, before the family moved to [[Kandy]], when he was admitted [[Trinity College (Kandy)|Trinity College]]. Later he gained admission to [[Ananda College]], [[Colombo]] to do advance level studies, where he also represented the college XI cricket team and won colours in cricket.

Jayakody joined the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) on 1 November 1954, and became the General Secretary of the SLFP Trade Union in 1959. In July 1960 he contested the [[July 1960 Ceylonese parliamentary election|5th general parliamentary elections]] in the [[Divulapitiya Electoral District|Divulapitiya electorate]]. He was successful, winning the seat by almost 5,000 votes.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.slelections.gov.lk/web/images/pdf/general-election-results/parliamentary-general-election-1960-07-20.pdf |title=Result of Parliamentary General Election 20 July 1960 |publisher=Department of Elections, Sri Lanka |access-date=27 May 2017 }}{{Dead link|date=February 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Jayakody retained the seat in the two subsequent elections but lost it in the [[1977 Sri Lankan parliamentary election|1977 elections]], to the [[United National Party]] candidate, [[Ariyaratne Jayatillake]], by 2,874 votes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slelections.gov.lk/web/images/pdf/general-election-results/general-election-1977.pdf|title=Result of Parliamentary General Election 1977 |publisher=Department of Elections, Sri Lanka |access-date=27 May 2017}}</ref> During this period he served as the Deputy Minister of Defence and Foreign Affairs and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister in the [[Second Sirimavo Bandaranaike cabinet]].

Jayakody was selected as the Sri Lanka Freedom Party's representative for [[Attanagalla Electoral District|Attanagalla]], replacing [[Sirimavo Bandaranaike]] after she was expelled from parliament and banned from public office for seven years in 1980.

At the [[1989 Sri Lankan parliamentary election|9th parliamentary election]]s in 1989 he successfully contested the [[Gampaha Electoral District|Gampaha electorate]]. Jayakody retained his seat at the [[1994 Sri Lankan parliamentary election|parliamentary elections]] in 1994 and was appointed [[Ministry of Internal Affairs, Wayamba Development and Cultural Affairs#Ministers|Minister of Cultural and Religious Affairs]]. He did not contest the elections in 2000, retiring from politics.

He subsequently served as a senior presidential advisor to the [[President of Sri Lanka|President]] [[Chandrika Kumaratunga]] and President [[Mahinda Rajapaksa]].<ref>{{cite news | url=https://archives.sundayobserver.lk/2008/06/29/spe09.asp | title=True love finds a second chance | date=29 June 2008 | newspaper=Sunday Observer | location=Sri Lanka | first=Lakmal | last=Welabada | access-date=30 August 2010 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011141150/http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2008/06/29/spe09.asp | archive-date=11 October 2012}}</ref>

Jayakody died at [[Colombo General Hospital]] on 30 August 2010, at age 80.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.dailynews.lk/2010/08/31/news13.asp | title=Death of former Minister Lakshman Jayakody | newspaper=Daily News | location=Sri Lanka | date=31 August 2010 | access-date=30 August 2010 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100903125147/http://www.dailynews.lk/2010/08/31/news13.asp | archive-date=3 September 2010}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100905193626/http://www.dailynews.lk/2010/09/02/news12.asp Lakshman Jayakody, tower of strength to SLFP]

{{Members of the 10th Parliament of Sri Lanka}}
{{Members of the 9th Parliament of Sri Lanka}}
{{Members of the 8th Parliament of Sri Lanka}}
{{Members of the 7th Parliament of Sri Lanka}}
{{Members of the 6th Parliament of Ceylon}}
{{Members of the 5th Parliament of Ceylon}}
{{Members of the Sri Lankan Parliament from Gampaha}}
{{Members of the Sri Lankan Parliament from Attanagalla}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jayakody, Lakshman}}
[[Category:1930 births]]
[[Category:2010 deaths]]
[[Category:Members of the 5th Parliament of Ceylon]]
[[Category:Members of the 6th Parliament of Ceylon]]
[[Category:Members of the 7th Parliament of Ceylon]]
[[Category:Cabinet ministers of Sri Lanka]]
[[Category:Members of the 8th Parliament of Sri Lanka]]
[[Category:Members of the 9th Parliament of Sri Lanka]]
[[Category:Members of the 10th Parliament of Sri Lanka]]
[[Category:Sri Lankan Buddhists]]
[[Category:Alumni of Trinity College, Kandy]]
[[Category:Parliamentary secretaries of Ceylon]]
[[Category:Culture ministers of Sri Lanka]]