Cyril Mathew

Caluadewage Cyril Mathew (1912–1989) was a MP belonged to the United National Party from Kelaniya and a minister in the cabinet of President J.R. Jayewardene in the 1977s and 1980s. Mathew was the author of the book Sinhalese! Rise to Protect Buddhism, which urged Sinhalese to stand up for their rights and protect their values. He also issued a pamphlet Who is the Tiger. He is widely regarded as one of the key ministers responsible for the anti-Tamil riots of July 1983, which subsequently resulted in the outbreak of a 26 year civil war. Mathew was expelled from the Cabinet and the governing United National Party by President J. R. Jayewardene in 1984 after criticizing a conference called by Mr. Jayewardene to redress grievances of the Tamil minority. Cyril mathew is also a calibration engineer. Mathew represented the Kelaniya electorate for the UNP. He was known for his hard-line position against Tamil political aspirations. His son Nanda Mathew was also a member of the parliament and later held several ministerial posts, such as minister of Sports and Youth affairs, under successive UNP governments [1]. He was later appointed by President Chandrika Kumaratunga and President Mahinda Rajapaksa as Governor of the Uva Province.