Anandatissa de Alwis

Maha Amarasinghege Anandatissa de Alwis (21 August 1919 – 22 August 1996) was a Sri Lankan journalist, marketer and politician. He was the Speaker of the National State Assembly, a Minister of State and the fourth Governor of the North Western Province of Sri Lanka.

Hon. Anandatissa de Alwis
11th Speaker of the Parliament
In office 4 August 1977 – 7 September 1978
President	J. R. Jayewardene
Prime Minister	Ranasinghe Premadasa J. R. Jayewardene
Preceded by	Stanley Tillekeratne
Succeeded by	Abdul Bakeer Markar

Advertising career

De Alwis started his career as a journalist, serving as a war-time reporter. Later he served as private secretary to Sir John Kotelawala. He thereafter moved into advertising, working as a copy writer with Reggie Candappa at Grant McCann Erickson. He then left Grants to join J. Walter Thompson. He left J. Walter Thompson in 1965, to take up the post of Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of State, under J. R. Jayewardene who was the Minister of State. De Alwis was the first permanent secretary appointed from the private sector.[1] In 1970, when the United National Party was defeated, De Alwis resigned as permanent secretary and established his own advertising company, De Alwis Advertising Company.[2]

Political career

A long-standing remember of the United National Party, Anandatissa de Alwis had served as first editor of the party journal "Siyarata" and the first president of the All Ceylon United National Party Youth Front. He had also served as its General Secretary.[3]

Anandatissa de Alwis entered mainstream politics when he was elected to parliament in 1977 general elections from the Kotte electorate and was elected as Speaker on 4 August 1977 and served till he stepped down in 1978. During his tenor he was instrumental in shifting parliament to the new parliament complex in Kotte. He was thereafter appointed as Minister of State by President J. R. Jayewardene. In 1994 he was appointed Governor of the North Western Province by President Wijethunga and served until 1995.[4][5] [6][7]

See also

• List of Sri Lankan non-career Permanent Secretaries

References

1. De Silva, Leelananda. "The Machinery of Administration Under Parliamentary Government". Island. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
2. Gunesekera, Herman. "Anandatissa De Alwis– A True God-Father In commemoration of his 98th Birth & 21st Death Anniversary". Island. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
3. "Anandatissa: 50 years of dedicated service". Sunday Times. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
4. "Speakers". Parliament of Sri Lanka. Archived from the original on July 25, 2009. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
5. "Sri Lankan Provinces from 1988". www.worldstatesmen.org. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
6. "Anandatissa always had time for youth". www.dailynews.lk. Archived from the original on November 19, 2004. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
7. "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1977" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 17, 2011. Retrieved March 17, 2013.