While Srima Dissanayake was nothing less than a national hero, she must be remembered also as a hero of the United National Party (UNP). In August 1994, with the political ascendancy of Prime Minister Chandrika Kumaratunge, Gamini Dissanayake had the courage to come forward and give leadership to our party in what was then its darkest hour. When Gamini Dissanayake was murdered by the LTTE that October, the UNP was once again shattered, almost beyond recovery. It was the newly widowed Srima Dissanayake, who rose from her grief and in an act of unprecedented valour, lent her face to our party’s presidential candidacy in the face of near-certain defeat.
In the almost quarter-century since Gamini Dissanayake’s death, Mrs. Dissanayake has ensured that his legacy has lived on. She ran the Gamini Dissanayake Foundation and built a vocational training institute that has provided computer training and found employment for thousands of less fortunate youth and kept the memory of her husband alive. She guided, mentored and deeply loved her two sons, Parliamentarians Navin and Mayantha Dissanayake, and her daughter Varuni. Gamini and Srima Dissanayake were icons of a generation, gifted professionals who dedicated their lives to serving the country, especially, those less fortunate. I ask that the nation join us in extending our deepest sympathies and most heartfelt condolences to the Dissanayake family in their hour of a most tragic loss.