RANJAN RAMANAYAKE DEPUTY MINISTER ,ACCLAIMED ACTOR ,SINGER,SCRIPT WRITER ,JAILED AND RELEASED FOR CONTEMPT OF COURT
Sadda Vidda Rajapakse Palanga Pathira Ambakumarage Ranjan Leo Sylvester Alphonsu was born on 11 March 1963 as the younger son of two children.His father was Simon Alphonsu, a District Inspector of Sri Lankan Railways, popularly known as Ranjan Ramanayake,having added the name ‘Ramanayake’ in correspondence to the film maker Somaratne Ramanayake who had facilitated him in building up his film career as a lead actor. Ranjan is a former Sri Lankan politician, actor, film director, singer and script writer who appeared in a number of Sinhala films . He is a former Member of the Parliament. Having served as the State Minister of Highways and Road Development between year2018–2019. Ranjan had served as the Deputy Minister of Social Services, Welfare and Livestock Development Under Good Governance government in 2015 and Deputy Minister of Social Empowerment and Welfare from year 2015 to year 2018. Ranjan has won the Sarasaviya Best Actor Award as well as being the Most Popular Actor successively for 16 years a record for any Sri Lankan actor. He has appeared in over 75 Sinhalese films in many genres varying from romance to action and comedies, starting his career appearing in theatre, stage and several television series.
In August 2019, he appeared in GCE A/L exam again after 1982 to pursue a subsequent career as lawyer. On 27 December 2019, he went viral in the social media as he publicised his A/L results as 2S & 1F. Subsequently, he also qualified to study law after obtaining A pass for General English, S passes for Political Science and Communication media studies despite failing in the Christianity subject.
Ranjan’s first leading role was in the commercial film ‘Jaya Kothenada’ but his first film was ‘Christhu Charithaya’ directed by Dr. Sunil Ariyaratne , which was in a crowded scene not that visible but retained his reputation as a commercial film star through the decade of the 1990s. Ranjan thereafter had intermittently forked out into more significant roles such as in Lester James Peries’ ‘Awaragira”, but continued to be known predominantly for his commercial portrayals. In year 1998, he won the Sarasaviya Award for the Best Upcoming Actor for the film ‘Hima Gira’. He continued to be the Popular Actor in ‘Sarasaviya fim Festival’ since 2002 to 2016, with a record 14 consecutive occasions..
Lately Ranjan has taken more command over his commercial film roles working as a director and screenwriter on the popular ‘Parliament Jokes’, ‘One Shot’ and ‘Leader’,all blockbuster films breaking many box office records with these films had become one of the most efficacious foremost actors and directors of Sinhala cinema. Popular comedians Bandu Samarasinghe and Tennyson Cooray had been frequent co-stars of Ranjan.
Ranjan has talent for singing having sung in several films including ‘Jaya Kothenada’, ‘Naralowa Holman’, ‘Love in Bangkok’ and several others. His song “Ran Samanala Joduwa Wage” was a well-received among other songs even to date.
In relation to films Ranjan has acted in a relatively fewer few television serials viz.,Bhagya,Charulatha,Guru Geethaya,Nil Mahnel,Pitagan Karayo,Sagaraya Parada,Sanda Kinduru,Santhuwaranaya,Sath Sanda Kirana,Sudu Mal Kanda,lamage Rathriya
In a nutshell Ranjan’s political career began as an electoral organiser of the Katana in the Gampaha electoral district before been appointed as the electoral organiser in Balangoda.In year 2008 had contested for the Chief Minister of the Sabaragamuwa Provincial council but was only successful in becoming the opposition leader of the council .In year 2010 having contested from Ratnapura was elected to the parliament as a member of parliament from the United National Party was known to be one of the most spoken members of the parliament, also as the major opposition activist against the former government of Sri Lanka.Ranjan had been one of the leading vocal members assisting to bring victory to Maithripala Sirisena in the 2015 election assisted in forming the ‘Yahapalanaya’ government. Ranjan had polled 216,463 preferential votes, the highest in Gampaha district in the General election on 17th August 2015.
In year 2010 Ranjan had a blemish to his name ,when a school teacher from Kandy had accused Ranjan for swindling one million rupees promising to marry her.The Criminal Investigation Department had arrested Ranjan in year 2010 and was released.Again in January in year 2020 was arrested for having in possession a firearm where the license had expired also possessed several adult content DVD’s. Following the verdict from the magistrate court he was banned from travelling overseas. Another blemish of Ranjan when he was alleged having threatened TV Derana host Dilka Samanmali’s parents over the phone claiming she had brought disrepute to his fame. During this telephone conversation Ranjan had uttered that harm may befall their daughter. During an inquiry Ranjan had claimed that Dilka Samanmali had been biased in her behaviour, had added that all he said was in good faith. Again, Ranjan’s telephone conversations with former director CID Shani Abeysekera and some high-profile figures including Judges had leaked in the media when they were taken into custody on suspicion. In addition, more telephone calls taken by him also had leaked in which the recordings had suggested that Ranjan had used the law in an unlawful manner to favour his political party.
The worst incident was the Contempt of Court a very serious allegation when he had made statement publicly about the biased manner the Judges behaved with bribery allegations. For this serious contempt of courts Ranjan was sentenced to four years rigorous imprisonment. As a result, Ranjan lost his parliamentary seat concurrently on the 7th of April 2021.Ranjan was given a pardon by the President Ranil Wickremasinghe was freed after one year and seven months on 26th August 2022.Upon his return in a television dialog Ranjan conveyed that been a prisoner is the worst thing as all prisoners sentenced are unwanted rejected by the people was the strong belief of Ranjan.That was the only concern he had though he could tolerate the inferior food, smelling toilets, confined to a cell,watching television via iron bars.To him there had been many who were constantly visiting him in queues’ bringing luxury food in relation to others, for some there had been no relatives as visitors for years.Ranjan did affirm for some the homefolk and villages disliked been released after the terms. In that sense Ranjan was so lucky ,some colleagues had even protested outside the Welikada prison displaying placards demanding for his release.
The following are excerpts from an interview a journalist had with Ranjan soon after his release, which was published in a popular English newspaper:Ranjan asserted that for utterings people are punished, Agreed to Justice Minister promising to continue to fight against corruption.The government had taken revenge from Ranjan by transferring him to Angunukolapelessa prison as no one could bring to him meals from Colombo which would become stale in reaching the venue which takes about five hours. Though Minister Manusha Nanayakkara had promised making him a goodwill ambassador to offer redress to migrant workers , the post is yet to be accepted.Ranjan affirmed that many politicians had got together and ruined the country by robbing.There were no debts to pay the world bank in 1948 but currently we are indebted to the tune of USD 55 billion to the world bank.In Sri Lanka attacking culprits culminates in a dangerous precedent burring the truth.Many politicians were of the opinion that there won’t be resistance movement could go scot-free thinking Sinhalese people will forget everything soon.In countries like New Zealand,Switzerland,Finland even Dubai will not join in protests because they have everything as there has to be a valid reason to justify a protest. Focussing on the ‘Aragalaya” it was not confined to one country s there were similar protests in London,France and USA which made the ‘Aragalaya’ international. This ‘Aragalaya’ protest is fair in every form as people turned against politicians who robbed them of their money.
Former parliamentarian Ranjan Ramanayake was imprisoned for a period of one year and seven months following his remarks on alleged corruption among lawyers. He was released on August 26, 2022, on several terms and conditions, one being that he is barred from making any comments regarding Sri Lanka’s judiciary. One of his popular phrases ‘they are all friends’ which was made in reference to politicians and their underhand deals was another reason that led to his conviction. Speaking to the Daily Mirror, Ramanayake spoke about how it feels like to be devoid of his right to freedom of expression, the progress of the ‘Aragalaya’, his experience while in prison and his future in politics.
Q Do you regret speaking your heart out about alleged corruption that happens within the judiciary?
I don’t have the right to talk or explain about the judiciary including judges, Attorney General’s Department etc. Therefore, I’m unable to respond to this question.
Q One of your popular phrases ‘they are all friends’ led to your conviction. But many have realised
that this is the reality. Your thoughts?
I’m glad that people have accepted what I have said. Everybody got together and ruined this country. We are indebted to the World Bank. When we gained independence in 1948, we didn’t have any debts to pay to World Bank. But now, we have to pay USD 55 billion to the World Bank. All of this was done by these friends. They have robbed the next generation of their future. I’m happy that my prediction has become a reality, but the fact that it became a reality makes me sad.
Q You said in courts that you will not withdraw your opinion about the judges. But you had to apologize in order to be released. Did you apologize in agreement with your conscience?
If I answer this question I will have to go back to jail. Therefore, I will refrain from responding to this question as I respect the law and Constitution of this country. But I will block the answer to this question in my mind. People were always punished for what they said. But what is being said and what is in your mind can be different. I continue to suffer as I keep many comments to myself. Under clause 14 (1) a of the Constitution, I’m unable to make any comments.
Q This means that there are limits to your right to Freedom of Expression. How do you feel about it?
It’s like tying someone’s hands and legs and throwing him into water. It’s difficult to bear this feeling. Even animals have freedom of expression. There’s this thing in Sri Lanka where they attack someone for what they said. It’s like killing the messenger. This is a dangerous precedent as such moves bury the truth.
Q Do you think that this entire episode was an act of revenge?
There were instances when Justice Sarath N. Silva said that I don’t deserve to be sent to prison. They regretted their own decisions. I feel that this entire episode unfolded as I became a target. This is what the public says. It’s fate.
Q The public praised you when you exposed telephone recordings that revealed corruption among high-ranking politicians. Will you continue your lone efforts to curb corruption among the political culture?
Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe took a promise just before I was being released. Just before giving the verdict, he asked me to promise that I would continue my fight against corruption. I was quite happy with this request, and I’m allowed to expose corruption and fraud in every other sector but I’m not allowed to speak about judges, lawyers, Attorney General’s department and the judiciary.
Q What are your thoughts regarding the Aragalaya, how it ended and its aftermath?
Many politicians thought that there won’t be any resistance movement in Sri Lanka. They thought Sinhala people forget everything soon. There were mothers who came to the protest carrying three- or four-month-old infants. This is something we saw for the first time in Sri Lanka’s history. Just imagine the pressure on people. This is the extent to which politicians have ruined this country and people couldn’t bear it anymore. If we take countries like New Zealand, Switzerland, Finland or even Dubai people won’t join protests because they have everything. There must be a reason to justify a protest. This protest is fair in every form because people turned against politicians who robbed them of their money.
I don’t know if you remember but when I said that I don’t have a place to go, there were people to offer me a house to live in. When I said I didn’t have a vehicle there were willing to offer me a vehicle. But the same people set fire to houses of politicians as well.
Q What are your thoughts regarding its conclusion?
This question itself is wrong. The Aragalaya is not over; it had just begun. Only the location has changed.
The prevailing situation is like that of an active volcano. With the price of bread skyrocketing to Rs. 300 and a price of an egg at Rs. 65 we are now in a highly volatile situation. Recently the Central Bank Governor had said that the next resistance movement by the people would end in bloodshed. My prediction is that the next Aragalaya will take the form of a guerrilla battle. What we saw was a peaceful resistance movement by the people and it was repressed in an undemocratic manner. Therefore, just imagine how people’s anger would explode. The protesters have now changed their strategy. We look at the Aragalaya as something confined to one country. But there were protests in London, France, USA and as such the Aragalaya became international. At the same time, the Aragalaya became less popular in certain instances as well. The politicians are celebrating over it and gaining some self-satisfaction. This anger might explode during an election or even before. The government didn’t provide any solutions but attacked peaceful protesters instead. This is not a sign of democracy and many foreign diplomats have raised concerns as well. They say that everybody who took to the streets were wrong and that they are right. But the rulers are wrong. When did we ever see people in the Maldives protesting against a world leader? Even Idi Amin didn’t face such circumstances. When he fled to Saudi, people in Saudi didn’t protest against him on the streets. But people protested against Gotabaya Rajapaksa. When Mahinda Rajapaksa was hiding at the Trincomalee Navy Base there were fishermen who pumped their own fuel and surrounded the Navy Base from the sea. A 6.9 million vote mandate was given because people loved him. There’s a fine line between love and hate. This is the same in the arts field as well. If we don’t respond to a call by a fan, he will feel disturbed. This is because they love us. When they love someone dearly, they expect more as well. This is what happened to former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Q Would you like to share your experience while in prison?
It was relative. I was arrested on January 12, 2021. This was the peak of Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s regime. As means of taking revenge, they transferred me to the Angunukolapelessa Prison when I should ideally be sent to Welikada. I would have had better access to lawyers, doctors etc. if I was in Colombo. They considered me as a dangerous criminal. One had to spend three hours to visit me and another three hours to return. Even food would become stale by the time someone reached the prison premises. Initially, they took a lot of revenge as I didn’t have a bed, table, or chair inside the cell. But as the regime’s popularity deteriorated, they started treating me better. Thereafter instead of one piece of fish, they offered me two (laughs). I got an infection after eating fish served at the prison. The stocks were quite stale. Even though the Prison’s Commissioner said that there are chefs who cook food at the prison, I’m sure he has mistaken prison food to that of a hotel. I haven’t seen any of the cooks’ wearing gloves or surgical caps in prison. It’s the prisoners who cook food here. Some were ill, they had wounds in their hands but would serve a piece of fish as well. It was quite unhygienic. I have evidence to prove what I say. Even during an emergency, there’s no fuel to send someone to a hospital. The jailers are the least paid public servants in the country. They don’t have the same privileges as the military or Police. On the other hand, prisoners too face injustice. There are no suppliers to supply food to prison. The Prisons Department is heavily indebted.
Q You have been given an ambassador post to promote welfare of foreign workers. What is your role here?
Even though this post was offered I haven’t officially accepted it. When I was released Manusha Nanayakkara offered me an ambassador post saying that I have done a lot of work in this regard. But if I accepted it, people would think that I struck a deal with them. I said I don’t need any posts and I now live at the Madiwela Minister’s quarters.
Q What are your future in politics?
I still haven’t decided yet. Some have advised me to stay in politics and give up cinema. They have suggested that I join various parties. I’m listening to all that they are saying but I haven’t decided what I would be doing yet.
Sunil Thenabadu e mail sthenabadu@hotmail.com..whatsApp 0061444533242
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