Talk:List of prime ministers of Sri Lanka

This article must adhere to the biographies of living persons (BLP) policy, even if it is not a biography, because it contains material about living persons. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentially libellous. If such material is repeatedly inserted, or if you have other concerns, please report the issue to this noticeboard.

If you are a subject of this article, or acting on behalf of one, and you need help, please see this help page.

Biography: Politics and Government

	Biography portal This article is within the scope of WikiProject Biography, a collaborative effort to create, develop and organize Wikipedia's articles about people. All interested editors are invited to join the project and contribute to the discussion. For instructions on how to use this banner, please refer to the documentation.BiographyWikipedia:WikiProject BiographyTemplate:WikiProject Biographybiography articles
	This article is supported by the politics and government work group (assessed as Low-importance).

Sri Lanka Top‑importance

	Sri Lanka portal This article is within the scope of WikiProject Sri Lanka, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of Sri Lanka on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.Sri LankaWikipedia:WikiProject Sri LankaTemplate:WikiProject Sri LankaSri Lanka articles
Top	This article has been rated as Top-importance on the project's importance scale.

Lists

	This article is within the scope of WikiProject Lists, an attempt to structure and organize all list pages on Wikipedia. If you wish to help, please visit the project page, where you can join the project and/or contribute to the discussion.ListsWikipedia:WikiProject ListsTemplate:WikiProject ListsList articles
???	This article has not yet received a rating on the project's importance scale.

Warning: active arbitration remedies

The contentious topics procedure applies to this article. This article is related to Sri Lanka, which is a contentious topic. Furthermore, the following rules apply when editing this article:

You must be logged-in to an autoconfirmed or confirmed account (usually granted automatically to accounts with 10 edits and an age of 4 days)

Editors who repeatedly or seriously fail to adhere to the purpose of Wikipedia, any expected standards of behaviour, or any normal editorial process may be blocked or restricted by an administrator. Editors are advised to familiarise themselves with the contentious topics procedures before editing this page.

List of prime ministers of Sri Lanka is a featured list, which means it has been identified as one of the best lists produced by the Wikipedia community. If you can update or improve it, please do so.

Article milestones
Date	Process	Result
October 14, 2008	Featured list candidate	Promoted

Image copyright problem with Image:Rani Wickremasinghe Kalutara Rally.jpg

The image Image:Rani Wickremasinghe Kalutara Rally.jpg is used in this article under a claim of fair use, but it does not have an adequate explanation for why it meets the requirements for such images when used here. In particular, for each page the image is used on, it must have an explanation linking to that page which explains why it needs to be used on that page. Please check

That there is a non-free use rationale on the image's description page for the use in this article.
That this article is linked to from the image description page.

This is an automated notice by FairuseBot. For assistance on the image use policy, see Wikipedia:Media copyright questions. --04:42, 2 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Tsunami and war

I suppose that the tsunami and the cancelling of the truce should be two notable events to be mentioned for Rajapakse and Wickremanayake(2), respectively Jasy jatere (talk) 08:41, 9 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I can't find any sources mentioning this, (though I know it is true). If you can, please add them. Chamal ^Talk ± 03:41, 11 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

File:DingiriBandaWijetunga.jpg Nominated for speedy Deletion

An image used in this article, File:DingiriBandaWijetunga.jpg, has been nominated for speedy deletion for the following reason: Wikipedia files with no non-free use rationale as of 29 August 2011

What should I do?

Don't panic; you should have time to contest the deletion (although please review deletion guidelines before doing so). The best way to contest this form of deletion is by posting on the image talk page.

If the image is non-free then you may need to provide a fair use rationale
If the image isn't freely licensed and there is no fair use rationale, then it cannot be uploaded or used.
If the image has already been deleted you may want to try Deletion Review

This notification is provided by a Bot --CommonsNotificationBot (talk) 04:33, 29 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

External links modified

Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified 3 external links on List of Prime Ministers of Sri Lanka. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:

When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs.

This message was posted before February 2018. After February 2018, "External links modified" talk page sections are no longer generated or monitored by InternetArchiveBot. No special action is required regarding these talk page notices, other than regular verification using the archive tool instructions below. Editors have permission to delete these "External links modified" talk page sections if they want to de-clutter talk pages, but see the RfC before doing mass systematic removals. This message is updated dynamically through the template {{source check}} (last update: 5 June 2024).

If you have discovered URLs which were erroneously considered dead by the bot, you can report them with this tool.
If you found an error with any archives or the URLs themselves, you can fix them with this tool.

Cheers.—InternetArchiveBot (Report bug) 05:01, 19 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]

External links modified

Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified 6 external links on List of Prime Ministers of Sri Lanka. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:

When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs.

This message was posted before February 2018. After February 2018, "External links modified" talk page sections are no longer generated or monitored by InternetArchiveBot. No special action is required regarding these talk page notices, other than regular verification using the archive tool instructions below. Editors have permission to delete these "External links modified" talk page sections if they want to de-clutter talk pages, but see the RfC before doing mass systematic removals. This message is updated dynamically through the template {{source check}} (last update: 5 June 2024).

If you have discovered URLs which were erroneously considered dead by the bot, you can report them with this tool.
If you found an error with any archives or the URLs themselves, you can fix them with this tool.

Cheers.—InternetArchiveBot (Report bug) 10:25, 21 September 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Please add Dinesh Gunawardena as the 15th Prime Minister of Sri Lanka

Dinesh Gunawardena has been appointed as the 15th Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. Please update the article RayAdvait (talk) 14:14, 21 July 2022 (UTC)[reply]

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion

The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion:

Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena Public Domain Portrait.png

Participate in the deletion discussion at the nomination page. —Community Tech bot (talk) 05:07, 8 February 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Dinesh Gunawardena Political party

Can someone explain to me what Dinesh Gunawardena's political party was when he was the Prime Minster of Sri Lanka? Is he SLPFA or MEP? —IDB.S (talk) 06:55, 6 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

He was a member and the defacto leader of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna when he was appointed as the PM. [1][2] --2402:D000:8104:1E9D:A8E9:DAE1:F33A:30CD (talk) 10:20, 6 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

There is a problem, at the time he was appointed he is the Leader of MEP. Meet Sri Lanka's new Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena Also in parliament.lk website it showing last elected Party not the current party. IDB.S (talk) 10:30, 6 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

But his main political party at that time was SLPP. Both those websites identify his political party as the SLPP. Also the change of his party after calling nominations for the presidential elections should not be applicable for his premiership which was begun in 2022. --2402:D000:8104:1E9D:A8E9:DAE1:F33A:30CD (talk) 10:46, 6 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Yeah, you have a point. But the problem is when he was the PM he held it as the MEP leader, not as a SLPP Politician. Also, I don't think we have to add his previously elected party. We need to add when he was the PM, not the party when he was sworn in as the PM. IDB.S (talk) 10:56, 6 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

We have to follow the core policies of Wikipedia, and support our content with reliable sources. I am afraid atm there are no reliable sources to support your claim trhat he was appointed to the premiership as the leader of MEP. --2402:D000:8104:1E9D:A8E9:DAE1:F33A:30CD (talk) 11:26, 6 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I think these are support for my claim. When he was elected: [3] When he was the PM: [4] It supporting that he was the Leader of MEP before, when he was PM. IDB.S (talk) 11:56, 6 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

The sources do support that his party was the MEP when becoming prime minister, and states SLPP as just an affiliation. So it should be changed to MEP here. SLPP is anyway mentioned in his personal article. And the list title is "Political party of PM", not the individual's party. So he became PM as MEP and its the one that should be entered here. A bit of a grey area but its obvious. @IDB.S VihirLak007^hmu!/_duh. 12:22, 6 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks. Reverted to the original form. IDB.S (talk) 12:40, 6 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I'm a bit late to the party, but I agree, his main party is the MEP he has always contested as an MEP member. The party just aligned with the SLPP under their Sri Lanka People's Freedom Alliance. [5]--Blackknight12 (talk) 12:44, 6 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Yeah. Sources were added as references to the article. IDB.S (talk) 12:54, 6 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

What are the sources provided to prove that Dinesh Gunawardene was appointed as the PM, due to being the leader of MEP ? --2402:D000:8104:21AF:B838:2E28:F4C1:F3B4 (talk) — Preceding undated comment added 03:39, 11 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Here in this source, it's clear says he is the MEP Leader. [6]

Please check this source before editing the article again. IDB.S (talk) 23:46, 11 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

there is clearly a dispute here as the Sri Lankan parliament identifies the former PM Dinesh G as a member of Podujana Peramauna. Hence the political party of former PM is clearly disputed.[7] --DinoGrado (talk) 07:11, 12 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

@DinoGrado: Yes, there is dispute, but it one sided - you on side and everyone else on the other. For the last thirty years electoral alliances have dominated elections. Smaller parties have joined forces with one of the large parties to contest elections as the electoral system, particularly the 5% threshold, works against small parties that contest on their own. The general approach in Wikipedia for lists of Sri Lankan politicians has been to show the politician's party, not the alliance.

The Mahajana Eksath Peramuna has not contested any election on its own since 1994. Since then it has contested as part of the Peoples' Alliance, United People's Freedom Alliance and Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna. After the Rajapaksa's were ousted in 2022 it has been allied with the United National Party and Gunawardena was appointed PM by President Ranil Wickremesinghe, leader of the UNP. The MEP and Gunawardena are contesting the current election as part of the New Democratic Front, a UNP led alliance.

You are basing your your view solely the fact that Parliamentary website shows Gunawardena as a SLPP member but ignoring the fact that the website only shows the ticket under which they last contested, not necessarily their actual party membership. For example SLMC leader Rauff Hakeem is shown as a SJB MP; JNP leader Wimal Weerawansa is shown as a SLPP MP; LSSP leader Tissa Vitharana is shown as a SLPP MP; DLF leader Vasudeva Nanayakkara is shown as a SLPP MP; DPF leader Mano Ganesan is shown as a SJB MP; ACMC leader Rishad Bathiudeen is shown as a SJB MP etc.

Dinesh Gunawardena has been leader of MEP for over fifty years. Here are some recent sources that show he is not only a member of the MEP, but also its leader: The Island 11/11/24, Daily Mirror 1/8/24, Sri Lanka Guardian 23/10/24, NewsWire 1/8/24, Daily FT 2/8/24, Ada Derana 1/8/24, news.lk 12//24, Daily News 6/8/24, Sunday Observer 4/8/24.

Please stop wasting the community's time.--Obi2canibe (talk) 19:37, 12 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Dinesh Gunawardene was the leader of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna when he was appointed as the PM. Surprisingly the next PM Harini is not a member of the JVP, but her political party is given as the main coalition NPP, so according to your logic what is her political party ? What is the difference in these two cases ? Harini is originally from FUTA [8][9]--DinoGrado (talk) 05:19, 13 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

@DinoGrado, NPP and JVP are not the same. They should not be considered the same. IDB.S (talk) 09:18, 13 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

yes of course, that is my opinion too. but according to your logic regarding Dinesh G's political party then Dr. Harini's political party should be FUTA, not NPP isn't it ? DinoGrado (talk) 09:44, 13 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

My personal opinion is, it is not the individual’s previous party affiliation that is recognized, but rather the official party or coalition they represented at the time of serving as Prime Minister.

For Example:

If current President Anura Kumara Dissanayake change his party does he is still the president from NPP? No, his political party will change to his changed new party. IDB.S (talk) 09:51, 13 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Also I think he is the MEP leader when he was appointed as the PM. IDB.S (talk) 09:56, 13 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

yes similarly Dinesh G's political party should be changed to his then well recognized party SLPP, not to his initial minor party MEP. Policies should be consistent to each entry on this list, isn't it ? --DinoGrado (talk) 09:58, 13 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I don't agree with that. A person's political party is not the well-recognised party nor the previous party. It was the political part when he/she was the PM.

From your comment, are you telling PM can't come from minor parties? IDB.S (talk) 10:06, 13 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

pls. don't try to deviate this discussion to a different direction. my objection is having different standards for different PMs here in this list. MEP for Dinesh G instead of SLPP but NPP for Dr. Harini instead of FUTA. Also the political party given for Wijeyananda Dahanayake in this list is also wrong in my opinion. There should be a consistent policy.DinoGrado (talk) 10:59, 13 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I can't understand what you trying to say. My personal opinion is that it is not the individual’s previous party, but rather the official party or coalition they represented at the time of serving as Prime Minister. IDB.S (talk) 11:18, 13 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Your last reply contradicts with your reverts in this page. DinoGrado (talk) 06:24, 14 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]