Venerable Reverends, Ladies and Gentlemen, My Friends,

I, the candidate from the district of Colombo for the General Election 2015 as the Group Leader of United People’s Freedom Alliance, humbly request you to give your support to the party and myself.

Educated at St. John’s College, Nugegoda, having obtained the Bachelor of Laws in 1982 and passing the Attorney-at-Law Examination in 1984, I enrolled as an Attorney-at-Law in the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka in March 1985. Since my appearance as a Defence Counsel in the Colombo High Court from 1985 to 1994, I have worked on a vast number of criminal cases including the case of the Parliamentary Bomb Attack in 1988. I have also served at the Bank of Ceylon from 1977 to 1985.

After contesting the 1991 election under the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, I was elected as the Vice Chairperson for Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte Urban Council.

In 1993, after winning the Provincial Council Election from the Western Province, I was elected for the Colombo District, as a Provincial Council Minister in 1994 and later as the Chief Minister of the Western Province in 1995. Obtaining the highest number of preferential votes from the Western Provincial Council Election in 2000, I was elected as the Chief Minister of the Western Province for the second time, in the same year, I became a Parliamentarian for the first time at the General Election in 2000, after gaining the highest percentage of votes from the Gampaha District and held the position of Minister of Education from 2000-2001.

In 2004, I was appointed as the Secretary of the UPFA, of which I still carry out the responsibilities, and was later appointed the National Organiser of the SLFP.

Since 2004, I have fulfilled the responsibilities bestowed upon me as the Minister of Power and Energy, Education and High Education, Petroleum Industries and as the Minister of Environment and Renewable Energy to the best of my ability. I have attended numerous international Conferences representing Sri Lanka, while holding Ministerial positions. In addition I was an Executive Member of UNESCO for Asia from 2006-2010. In 2007, I followed a Diploma Course in Leadership at the Harvard University in the United States. In 2004 I obtained my Post Graduate Degree in Public Administration from PIM University of Sri Jayewardenepura and am reading for PhD in Business Management.

After the Presidential Election of 2015, I have taken a tremendous effort to lay the necessary background for a joint UPFA/SLFP candidacy for the 2015 General Elections, as well as for the candidacy for the Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

As the organizer of SLFP Kaduwela Electorate and leader of the Colombo District, I have given my support since 2000, for the development projects in the Colombo District by facilitating employment opportunities and infrastructure while strengthening the SLFP.

Being a Minister in a country which ended a 30 year war on terrorism, I will dedicate myself of carry out constitutional legal reforms and the programmes specified in the election mandate which are to be implemented under a UPFA Government after the upcoming election, while improving the people’s standard of   living by promoting conciliation among communities through implementing policies of UPFA and SLFP.

Let’s protect our motherland which has been freed from the hands of terrorism.

Let’s united despite all differences.

Let’s line up for the victory of United People’s Freedom Alliance.

Achchige Don Susil Premajayantha

Colombo District UPFA Group Leader