Bernadine Rose Senanayake,

JP, UM In Sri Lanka, a Justice of the Peace and Unofficial magistrate (also known as Acting magistrate) is a judicial appointment made by the Minister of Justice (Sri Lanka), Minister of Justice to a particular jurisdiction under the ''Judicature Act No 02 ...

(known as ''Rosy Senanayake'') (née Ramanayake; born 5 January 1958) is a Sri Lankan politician, a former beauty queen and also an activist. She is the current

Mayor of Colombo The Mayor of Colombo is the Mayor (and head) of the Colombo Municipal Council. The post was created in 1866 when the Colombo Municipal Council was established by the Legislative Council of Ceylon. The Mayor is assisted by the Deputy Mayor and ...

, and former

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

's Spokesperson and the Deputy Head of the Prime Minister's Office for Ranil Wickramasinghe. She has been an activist on several issues and an active figure in the opposition gaining much limelight. Rosy Senanayake was the former state minister for child development under President

Maithripala Sirisena Maithripala Yapa Sirisena ( si, පල්ලෙවත්‍ත ගමරාළලාගේ මෛත්‍රීපාල යාපා සිරිසේන; ta, பல்லேவத்த கமராளலாகே மைத்திரி� ...

. She was also the

leader of the opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...

in Western Provincial Council and the chief organizer of

United National Party The United National Party, often abbreviated as UNP ( si, එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂය, translit=Eksath Jāthika Pakshaya, ta, ஐக்கிய தேசியக் கட்சி, translit=Aikkiya Tēciyak Kaṭci), ...

for the Colombo West electorate. Senanayake has served as the Sri Lankan High Commissioner for

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

and was a Goodwill Ambassador for the

United Nations Population Fund The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), formerly the United Nations Fund for Population Activities, is a UN agency aimed at improving reproductive and maternal health worldwide. Its work includes developing national healthcare strategies a ...

Family

She was educated at Embilipitiya Maha Vidayala (1969–1974) and Ferguson High School, Ratnapura. She married late Athula Senanayake, an entrepreneur who is the son of

Stanley Senanayake Don Stanley Ernest Perera Rajapakse Senanayake (23 August 1917 – 18 December 1989) was the 18th Inspector General of the Sri Lanka Police (IGP) (1970–1978). Senanayake is the second longest serving IGP, after Sir Herbert Dowbiggin ( ...

, a former Inspector General of Police and Maya Senanayake, the daughter of the founder of Nalanda College, Colombo

P. de S. Kularatne Patrick de Silva Kularatne (31 March 1893 – 16 November 1976) (known as ''P de S Kularatne'') was a Sri Lankan (Sinhala Buddhist) educationist and politician. He was a Member of the State Council of Ceylon (1942-1947) and Member of Parl ...

( MP). They (Athula and Rosy) have three children Kanishka, Thisakya and Radhya.

Beauty queen

Senanayake won the first

Mrs. World Mrs. World is the first beauty pageant for married women, conceived in 1984. The concept of the pageant itself has its roots in Mrs. America. From 1984 to 1987, the pageant was known as Mrs. Woman of the World and was changed to Mrs. World in 1988 ...

competition in 1985. She is also a former Miss Asia Pacific International 1981 and competed as Miss Sri Lanka in Miss World 1980.

Community work

Rosy-S-and-Priyanke-D-computer-training-center

Her professional life has been devoted to promoting Sri Lanka and particularly Sri Lankan trade to the world. She works for the rights of women and adolescents in her country and as a United Nations Population Fund Goodwill Ambassador. Through the National Youth Services Council she promoted reproductive health services for young people and for migrant women workers in Sri Lanka's Free Trade Zone. Senanayake has worked with the private sector to provide reproductive health services to employees of private companies in Sri Lanka and recently starred in a film about reproductive health. Through her popular daytime television program ''Eliya'' she has become an icon for women's and children's causes in Sri Lanka.

Diplomatic work

In 1998 she was appointed as a

Goodwill Ambassador. Senanayake was appointed as Sri Lankan High Commissioner to

in 2002, which she held until 2004.

Politics

A major opposition activist, she is the Chief Organiser for the Colombo West Electorate of the

. She was elected to the Western Provincial Council in 2009, topping the preferential votes list in Colombo District by obtaining 80,884 votes. There, she served as the Leader of the Opposition until being elected to the parliament in 2010 securing the fourth place in the UNP list with 66,357 preferences. In Parliament, she has raised several prominent issues such as violence against women and children, chauvinism and socio-cultural and socio-economic problems affecting Sri Lanka. The UK-based ''

Guardian Guardian usually refers to: * Legal guardian, a person with the authority and duty to care for the interests of another * ''The Guardian'', a British daily newspaper (The) Guardian(s) may also refer to: Places * Guardian, West Virginia, Unite ...

'' in its edition of 14 June 2013 published an article titled, "Top 10 sexist moments in politics: Julia Gillard, Hillary Clinton and more" which described an encounter in 2012 between Rosy Senanayake and Kumara Welgama, Sri Lanka's transport minister, as sexist. Welgama is quoted as saying, "You are such a charming woman. I cannot explain my feelings here. But if you meet me outside Parliament, I will describe them … My thoughts are running riot … I don't want to reveal hemto the public." Senanayake was unimpressed, saying, "......As a woman you are not recognised as a person who has done so many portfolios, but always referred to as the beauty you were in your heyday. I consider that as a sexist remark."

Allegations

Witnesses were appeared before Presidential Commission of Inquiry that Rosy Senanayake had leaked some secret information of the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) in

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. ...

to the Perpetual Treasuries Limited (PTL). Nuwan Salgado, the Chief Dealer of PTL, revealed at the Commission that Arjun Aloysius, the Chief Executive Officer of the PTL, had received a document in 2016 related to the COPE from ''Rosy's son'', the son of Rosy Senanayake. Rosy rejected the allegations stating that she was not a Member of Parliament at the time.

References

External links

*
Biographies of UN Advocates and Goodwill Ambassadors
{{DEFAULTSORT:Senanayake, Rosy Living people 1958 births Mayors of Colombo Mrs. World winners State ministers of Sri Lanka Members of the 14th Parliament of Sri Lanka Members of the Western Provincial Council High Commissioners of Sri Lanka to Malaysia United National Party politicians 21st-century Sri Lankan women politicians Sri Lankan women diplomats Women government ministers of Sri Lanka Women legislators in Sri Lanka Sri Lankan beauty pageant winners Miss Asia Pacific International winners Miss World 1980 delegates Sri Lankan women ambassadors Beauty queen-politicians