Book on Sajith Premadasa to launch in Jan. 2019

Friday, 7 December 2018 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The book, ‘Sajith Premadasa: The People’s Leader/The Legacy of Ranasinghe Premadasa’, is scheduled to be launched in January 2019 (ISBN 978-955-51312-6-1). The book consists of 12 chapters, 300 pages, a hard cover and jacket of the same artwork in full colour. The book illustrates Sajith Premadasa’s career and vision and includes the housing programs, his speeches in Parliament, and press conferences which depicts his wisdom, maturity and understanding of democracy, human dignity, rule of law, media freedom, humanity, and humanitarian principles.

The book also illustrates reflections of the great contribution made by his father former President Ranasinghe Premadasa. Just below the title of the book, the following is cited: “There go my people, I must follow them for I am their leader”: Mahatma Gandhi.

Sajith Premadasa was born on 12 January 1967. Sajith attended St. Thomas Preparatory School, Royal College, Colombo and Mill Hill School, London. Sajith won the A/L prize for politics and business studies and besides being appointed a prefect, a rare honour for any foreign student, also played in the first XI cricket team for four years, captaining the side in 1986. A graduate of the London School of Economics (LSE) and Political Science of the University of London, his degree covered the areas of economics, politics and international relations.

Following his B.Sc. at LSE, Sajith decided to pursue a Master’s degree in Public Management at the University of Maryland, near Washington DC. During his studies, Sajith also had the rare distinction of completing his internship at the US Senate, working in its Foreign Relations Committee under Senator Larry Pressler, a Republican from South Dakota. Sajith met many other influential senators, including John McCain and former presidential candidate John Kerry.

After years of working at grassroots level, Sajith first entered Parliament in 2000, polling the highest number of preferences in Hambantota and the highest preference vote percentage of the whole country. Premadasa is currently the Deputy Leader of the United National Party.

Sajith Premadasa is an excellent orator like his father. During the turmoil created recently by President Maithripala Sirisena, he acted with dignity, wisdom and maturity. Most of the vital press conferences are illustrated in the book. The author is Dr. Telli C. Rajaratnam, who is a Professor of Laws and a lawyer and well. The foreword is by an American professor.