Summary
Mohamed Haniffa Mohamed (15 June 1921 – 26 April 2016) was a Sri Lankan politician. Mohamed served as the 14th Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka as well as being a former member of Parliament and government minister. Mohamed was the first Sri Lankan Moor to hold office as Mayor of Colombo from 1960 to 1962[1][2]
M. H. Mohamed | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 14th Speaker of the Parliament | |
| In office 9 March 1989 – 24 June 1994 | |
| President | Dingiri Banda Wijetunga Ranasinghe Premadasa |
| Prime Minister | Ranil Wickremesinghe Dingiri Banda Wijetunga |
| Preceded by | E. L. Senanayake |
| Succeeded by | Kiri Banda Ratnayake |
| Minister of Western Region Development | |
| In office 2001–2004 | |
| Minister of Parliamentary Affairs | |
| In office 2007–2010 | |
| Preceded by | Wiswa Warnapala |
| Succeeded by | Sumedha G. Jayasena |
| Member of Parliament for Colombo | |
| In office 1989–2010 | |
| Mayor of Colombo | |
| In office 1960–1962 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 June 1921 Maligawatta, Colombo |
| Died | 26 April 2016 (aged 94) Colombo, Sri Lanka |
| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Political party | United National Party |
| Spouse | Noor Naseema |
| Relations | Ajwad Hashim, Saaraa Hameed, Shahir Haniffa, Atheek Mohamed, Faheem Hameed, Salma Hashim, Shahima Ariff, Hafsa Haniffa, Fayyad Hameed, Mariam Ahamed. |
| Children | Ummu Haniffa, Thufa Hameed, Shaha Ariff, Shaul Mohamed, Hussain Mohamed, Hussan Mohamed, Haniffa Mohamed, Azahim Mohamed |
| Residence | Colombo |
| Alma mater | Wesley College |
| Profession | Politician |
Early life edit
Born 15 June 1921, Mohamed was educated at Wesley College, Colombo. After completing his schooling, he joined Cargills Ltd., where he became active in trade union activities. Later he joined the family shipping firm, Nagoor Meera and Sons. His grandfather Marhoom Abdur Rahman was a member of the Legislative Council of Ceylon.[3]
Political career edit
Mohamed entered politics having been elected to the Colombo Municipal Council from the Maligawatte Ward and served as Mayor of Colombo from 1960 to 1962. He contested the 1965 general elections as the United National Party candidate in the Borella electorate and was elected to parliament defeating the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) candidate Vivienne Goonewardena. He lost his seat in the 1970 general elections to LSSP candidate Kusala Abhayavardhana by 16,421 votes to 15,829 votes.[4] He was re-elected to parliament in the 1977 general elections and would retain his seat until 2010 in the consecutive elections that followed. In 1977, he was appointed to the Cabinet by J.R. Jayawardena as Minister of Transport.[3]
Role in anti-Tamil violence edit
In the Black July pogrom of 1983, M.H Mohammed unleashed his thugs to attack Tamils in Borella.[5] In April 1985, President J. R. Jayewardene sent M. H. Mohamed, along with his henchmen to attack Tamils in the village of Karaitivu (Ampara).[6] Muslim youth with the support of the security forces killed several Tamils, raped several women and burned over 2000 Tamil homes, rendering 15,000 Tamils homeless.[7][8]
References edit
- ^ "PARLIAMENTARY GENERAL ELECTION - 02-04-2004" (PDF). Sri Lanka Department of Elections. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2010. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
- ^ "M.H. Mohomad passes away". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
- ^ a b "M. H. Mohamed:The charismatic politician An Appreciation". Island. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
- ^ "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1970" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
- ^ T. Sabaratnam, Pirapaharan, Volume 2, Chapter 3 – The Final Solution (2003)
- ^ Rajan Hoole – The Arrogance of Power, Chapter 20, Section 8, Border Aggression and Civilian Massacres – The East Erupts: Mossad Again? (2001)
- ^ Police commandos join in violence – Tamil Times, April 1986, p18
- ^ Some Critical Notes on the Non-Tamil Identity of the Muslims of Sri Lanka, and on Tamil–Muslim Relations – A. R.M. Imtiyaz a & S. R.H. Hoole, South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies (2011), p229-230