M. S. Sellasamy

Hon.
M. S. Sellasamy
மு. ச. செல்லச்சாமி
Member of Parliament
for Colombo District
In office
1989–1994
Member of Parliament
for National List
In office
2000–2001
In office
2004–2010
Member of the Western Provincial Council
In office
1988–1989
Personal details
Born(1926-11-13)13 November 1926
DiedAugust 1, 2020(2020-08-01) (aged 93)
Bambalapitiya, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Political partyCeylon Workers' Congress
Other political
affiliations		United People's Freedom Alliance
OccupationTrade unionist

Muthu Sangaralingam Sellasamy (Tamil: முத்து சங்கரலிங்கம் செல்லச்சாமி; 13 November 1926 – 1 August 2020)[1] was a Sri Lankan trade unionist, politician and former minister of state.

Early life

[edit]

Sellasamy was born on 13 November 1926.[2][3]

Career

[edit]

Sellasamy was district chairman of the Ceylon Workers' Congress (CWC) before being elected its general-secretary in 1963.[3] He was also president of the Estate Staff Congress, Ceylon Teachers' Congress and Lanka Agriculturists Association.[3]

Sellasamy was the CWC's candidate in Colombo Central at the 1977 parliamentary election but failed to get elected.[4] He was an executive member of the Colombo District Development Council from 1981 to 1988.[3] He contested the 1988 provincial council election and was elected to the Western Provincial Council.[3][5] He was appointed Minister of Health and Economic Infrastructure.[3]

Sellasamy was one of the CWC/UNP alliance's candidates in Colombo District at the 1989 parliamentary election. He was elected and entered Parliament.[6] He was appointed Minister of State for Transport on 18 February 1989.[7] He became Minister of State for Industries on 30 March 1990.[8]

Sellasamy was removed as general-secretary of the CWC in 1994 and subsequently formed the Ceylon National Workers' Congress (CNWC).[9] A long legal battle ensued between Sellasamy and CWC leader Savumiamoorthy Thondaman which prevented the CWC from using its "Cockerel" symbol to contest elections.[10] Following the death of Thondaman in 1999 Sellasamy tried unsuccessfully to gain the leadership of the CWC from Thondaman's grandson Arumugam Thondaman.[11]

Sellasamy was appointed as one of the CNWC/DWC/UCPF/UNP alliance's National List MP's in the Sri Lankan Parliament following the 2000 parliamentary election.[12]

Sellasamy rejoined the CWC in October 2001 as its deputy president.[13][14] He contested the 2001 parliamentary election as one of the United National Front's (UNF) candidates in Colombo District but failed to get elected.[15][16] He was appointed as one of the UNF's National List MP's in the Sri Lankan Parliament following the 2004 parliamentary election.[17] He was appointed Deputy Minister of Posts in January 2007.[18][19]

Sellasamy was a member of the University of Colombo's senate and the National Agricultural Diversification and Settlement Authority (NADSA).[3]

Electoral history

[edit]
Electoral history of M. S. Sellasamy
Election Constituency Party Votes Result
1977 parliamentary[4] Colombo Central CWC 26,964 Not elected
1989 parliamentary[6] Colombo Central CWC 36,480 Elected
2001 parliamentary Colombo Central UNF Not elected

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "M. S. Sellasamy passes away". Sunday Observer. Colombo. 2 August 2020. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  2. ^ "Directory of Past Members: M.S. Sellasamy". Parliament of Sri Lanka.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g de Silva, W. P. P.; Ferdinando, T. C. L. 9th Parliament of Sri Lanka (PDF). Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited. p. 230. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 June 2015.
  4. ^ a b "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1977" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.
  5. ^ "Members of the First Council". Western Provincial Council.
  6. ^ a b "1989 Sri Lankan parliamentary election Results" (PDF). elections.gov.lk. Election Commission of Sri Lanka. 1989.
  7. ^ de Silva, W. P. P.; Ferdinando, T. C. L. 9th Parliament of Sri Lanka (PDF). Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited. p. 211. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 June 2015.
  8. ^ de Silva, W. P. P.; Ferdinando, T. C. L. 9th Parliament of Sri Lanka (PDF). Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited. p. 215. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 June 2015.
  9. ^ "The path of divisions". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka). 9 July 2000.
  10. ^ Kandappah, A. (7 March 2004). "Of Thondaman and Thondaman". The Island (Sri Lanka).
  11. ^ Kamalendran, Chris (7 November 1999). "Sellasamy eyes CWC leadership". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka).
  12. ^ "New Parliament to be opened tomorrow". Current Affairs. Government of Sri Lanka. 17 October 2000. Archived from the original on 11 January 2004.
  13. ^ Satyapalan, Franklin (22 October 2001). "CWC keeps option open". The Island (Sri Lanka).
  14. ^ "Sellasamy goes back to CWC". TamilNet. 19 October 2001.
  15. ^ "PART I : SECTION (I) — GENERAL Government Notifications THE PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS ACT, No. 1 OF 1981 Notice Under Section 24(1) GENERAL ELECTIONS OF MEMBERS OF THE PARLIAMENT" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary. 3 November 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 March 2016.
  16. ^ "General Election 2001 Preferences" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2010.
  17. ^ "UNP nominates national list parliamentarians". TamilNet. 10 April 2004.
  18. ^ "PART I : SECTION (I) — GENERAL Appointments & c., by the President" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary. 1482/08. 29 January 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 February 2014.
  19. ^ "Nineteen new Deputy Ministers in cabinet re-shuffle". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). 29 January 2007. Archived from the original on 3 April 2013.


Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=M._S._Sellasamy&oldid=1253835284"