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An ardent cricket enthusiast, Perera actively participated in the sport during his school years. He was a member of the college's first XI team and eventually became its captain. He led the team in the Battle of the Maroonsbig match against Ananda College in 1960, which ended in a draw.
Political career
Perera's political career began in 1968 when as a member of the United National Party he began to participate in local government politics. He quickly rose through the ranks of the party, attracting the attention of the party leadership, which enlisted him into national politics in 1973.
In the 1977 elections, which saw a resounding victory for the UNP, he secured his initial parliamentary seat representing the Katugampola constituency. Subsequently in 1982, then President J. R. Jayewardene appointed Perera to the position of District Minister of Kurunegala in his cabinet.
With the advent of the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord and the establishment of Provincial Councils in Sri Lanka, Perera briefly left national politics to pursue a role in regional governance. In 1988, he contested and triumphed in the provincial council elections for the North Western Province, and as a result, he became the inaugural Chief Minister of the North Western Province.
Returning to national politics in the 1994 elections, Perera emerged victorious from the Kurunegala District. Throughout much of his tenure in parliament, he found himself situated on the opposition benches, apart from a brief interlude when he served as Minister of Irrigation and Water Management under the Chandrika Kumaratungaadministration in 2001. These dynamics of his political involvement experienced a shift with the election of Maithripala Sirisena in 2015 and the establishment of a UNP-led administration. During this period, Perera assumed various ministerial portfolios, including the Minister of Food Security, the Minister of Sustainable Development and Wildlife, and the Minister of Buddha Sasana.
Following a constitutional crisis in 2018, Perera and his colleagues in the sitting administration faced temporary dismissal from their governmental posts under the short-lived Sirisena-Rajapaksa-led government. However, subsequent no confidence motions and Supreme Court rulings led to their reinstatement. Perera resumed his duties as Minister of Buddha Sasana and was additionally entrusted with the portfolio of Minister of Wayamba Development. However, following the election of Gotabaya Rajapaksa in 2019 and the formation of a Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP)-led government, he opted to depart from governmental responsibilities and chose not to seek re-election in 2020.
In 2021, he deviated from the party line by openly criticizing UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe. Perera alleged that Wickremesinghe was attempting to broker a deal with the then-incumbent SLPP-led government. Furthermore, he lamented the significant losses suffered by the UNP in the 2020 parliamentary elections.
Personal life
Perera married Rohini Perera and they had two children, with one of his children being a former Provincial Council member, Asanga Jayawickrama Perera. He was a devout Buddhist.
Death
Perera died on 17 February 2024, at the age of 83 in his residence situated in Kurunegala. He had been seriously ill for some time at the time of his death.
Perera's funeral took place on 20 February 2024, at the Pannala Stadium grounds in Pannala, Kurunegala District.
Abayasinghe, Shiromi; Vimalaweera, Nirushi (13 January 2015). "Cabinet of the New Government". Dinamina (in Sinhala). Archived from the original on 18 February 2024. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
Manjula Fernando (2020). "28th Battle of the Maroons". 28th Battle of the Maroons. Archived from the original on 20 November 2023. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
Manjula Fernando (2020). "31st Battle of the Maroons". Battle of the Maroons. Archived from the original on 20 November 2023. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
"Sri Lanka Year Book 1982" (PDF). Department of Census and Statistics, Sri Lanka. 1982. pp. 12–14. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 18 February 2024.