E.P. Paul Perera, PC (1929–2007) was a

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

n lawyer and politician. He was a Minister of Science and Technology, Deputy Minister of Justice and a member of parliament.

Early life and education

Educated at Maris Stella College, Negombo; Perera gained a BA honours degree in history from the

University of Colombo The University of Colombo (informally Colombo University or UoC) is a Public University, public research university located primarily in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is the oldest institution of modern higher education in Sri Lanka. Specialised in t ...

and starting work in the

Department of National Archives The Department of National Archives ( Sinhala: ජාතික ලේඛනාරක්ෂණ දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව ''jāthika lēkhanārakshana depārthamēnthuwa'') is a government department in Sri Lanka which is the repos ...

as the Assistant Government Archivist. He then entered the

Ceylon Law College Sri Lanka Law College (abbreviated as SLLC), formerly known as Ceylon Law College, is a law college, and the only legal institution where one can enrol as an Attorney-at-Law in Sri Lanka. It was established in 1874, under the then Council of Le ...

and took oaths as an

Advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. List of country legal systems, Different countries and legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a ba ...

in 1960.

Legal career

After becoming an Advocate, he joined the Port Cargo Corporation, where he served as the Board Secretary and Legal Officer. In June 1967, he joined the

unofficial bar The unofficial bar in Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separa ...

, building an extensive legal practice. In December 1988, he was appointed a

President's Counsel A president's counsel ( postnominal PC) is an eminent lawyer who is appointed by the President of Sri Lanka as an individual "learned in the law". The term is an honorific that replaced the Queen's Counsel (QC), which Sri Lanka ceased appointing ...

Political career

In 1977, with the start of the J.R. Jayewardene administration, Perera was appointed the Competent Authority of Times of Ceylon newspapers as well as Director of

Bank of Ceylon Bank of Ceylon (BOC; Sinhala: ලංකා බැංකුව ''Lanka Bænkuwa'', Tamil: இலங்கை வங்கி ''Ilangai Vangi'') is a state-owned, major commercial bank in Sri Lanka. Its head office is located in an iconic cyl ...

, Director (Administration) of the Greater Colombo Economic Commission (GCEC) and in 1982 its Director General working with

Upali Wijewardene Philip Upali Wijewardene (17 February 1938 – 13 February 1983: ) was a Sri Lankan business magnate and entrepreneur. In 1983, Wijewardene had a net worth of US $50 million. He was the founder and chairman of Upali Group, the first multi-nation ...

. In July 1983, Perera became a Member of Parliament from the Kaduwela electorate succeeding M. D. H. Jayawardena and was appointed acting District Minister of Polonnaruwa in October 1983. In 1988, he was appointed Deputy Minister of Justice, becoming the Minister of Justice during the later stage of Jayewardene administration. He contested from the Attanagalla electorate in the 1989 parliamentary elections and was re-elected to parliament and served as Minister State of Science and Technology from 1989 to 1990, when he was promoted to Non-Cabinet Minister of Science and Technology by President

Ranasinghe Premadasa Sri Lankabhimanya Ranasinghe Premadasa ( ''Raṇasiṃha Premadāsa''; ''Raṇaciṅka Pirēmatācā''; 23 June 1924 – 1 May 1993) was a Sri Lankan politician and statesman who served as the third President of Sri Lanka from 2 January 1989 unt ...

. In 1993, he was appointed Cabinet Minister of Lands by President Wijetunga. He lost his seat in the 1994 parliamentary elections. He was a Working Committee Member of the

United National Party The United National Party (UNP; , ) is a Centre-right politics, centre-right political party in Sri Lanka. Founded in 1946, the party was one of Sri Lanka's two main parties for several decades. The UNP has served as the country's ruling party ...

in 1973 and active in politics until his final illness and death in August 2007. His remains were cremated at the Colombo General Cemetery in Borella on 15 August 2007.

Family

His wife Kulaseeli Perera, was the Chairman of the Western Provincial Council. They had four sons, Ronald, Arnold, Harold, Rodney and a daughter Pushpamala.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perera, Paul Members of the 8th Parliament of Sri Lanka Members of the 9th Parliament of Sri Lanka Sinhalese people Sri Lankan lawyers United National Party politicians 1929 births 2007 deaths Alumni of Maris Stella College Alumni of the University of Colombo Alumni of Sri Lanka Law College President's Counsels (Sri Lanka)