{{Short description|Sri Lankan civil servant and politician (1925–2024)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2024}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = The Honourable | name = Ronnie de Mel | honorific_suffix = | image = | image_size = | office = Minister of Finance | president = William Gopallawa<br>J. R. Jayewardene | prime_minister = J. R. Jayewardene<br>Ranasinghe Premadasa | term_start = 23 July 1977 | term_end = 18 January 1988 | constituency_MP1 = National List | term_start1 = 18 October 2000 | term_end1 = 7 February 2004 | predecessor1 = | successor1 = | constituency_MP2 = Matara District | term_start2 = 25 August 1994 | term_end2 = 18 August 2000 | predecessor2 = | successor2 = | constituency_MP3 = Devinuwara | term_start3 = 1970 | term_end3 = 1989 | predecessor3 = | predecessor = Felix Dias Bandaranaike | successor = M. H. M. Naina Marikar | birth_date = {{birth date|1925|04|11|df=y}} | birth_place = British Ceylon<br />(now Sri Lanka) | death_date = {{death date and age|2024|02|27|1925|04|11|df=y}} | death_place = Colombo, Sri Lanka | party = Sri Lanka Freedom Party | other_party = United National Party | occupation = Politics | spouse = Mallika de Mel ({{nee}} Fernando) | children = 3 (Sunalini, Tara, Renuka) | alma_mater = St Thomas' College<br>University of Ceylon | profession = Civil Servant | signature = | website = | native_name_lang = si | native_name = {{nobold|රොනි ද මැල්}} }}
'''Ronald Joseph Godfrey de Mel''' (Sinhala: රොනි ද මැල්; 11 April 1925 – 27 February 2024) was a Sri Lankan civil servant and politician.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.dailynews.lk/2024/02/27/admin-catagories/breaking-news/420824/former-mp-and-finance-minister-ronnie-de-mel-passes-away/ |title=BREAKING NEWS LOCALL Former MP and Finance Minister Ronnie de Mel passes away |date=27 February 2024 |newspaper=Daily News}}</ref> He served as the Minister of Finance under President J. R. Jayewardene's government from 1977 to 1988 and was instrumental in the establishment of the free market economy in Sri Lanka. He was also the longest serving finance minister of Sri Lanka.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ronnie de Mel no more – Breaking News {{!}} |newspaper=Daily Mirror |url=https://www.dailymirror.lk/breaking-news/Ronnie-de-Mel-no-more/108-277835 |access-date=28 February 2024 |publisher=www.dailymirror.lk |language=English}}</ref> De Mel served as a Member of Parliament on multiple occasions, first from the Devinuwara District from 1970 to 1989, then from the Matara District from 1994 to 2000, and finally as a National list member of Parliament from 2000 to 2004. He also served as a Senior Adviser to President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Although he was a self-described socialist, de Mel has been credited with introducing capitalism and capitalist reforms to Sri Lanka's economy.<ref name="Kaviratne">{{cite news |url=https://archives.sundayobserver.lk/2016/03/06/fea04.asp |title=Ronnie's milestone moments |quote=We walk down memory lane with some of Sri Lanka's political icons in this new series titled 'Reflections' setting the tone with Ronnie de Mel, Sri Lanka's longest serving Finance Minister and the socialist who introduced capitalism to Sri Lanka |first1=Isuri |last1=Kaviratne |newspaper=Sunday Observer |date=6 March 2016 |accessdate=28 February 2024}}</ref> He left a lasting mark on Sri Lanka's economy and political life, as recognized by national leaders at his funeral.{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
== Early life == Born to Rodget de Mel and Gladys Mendis, he studied at the St Thomas' College, Mt. Lavinia and graduated from the University of Ceylon with a BA degree having majored in English, Latin, Greek and History.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=4935 |title=The First Years of the University of Ceylon]. |newspaper=The Island |accessdate=21 August 2010}}</ref>
== Civil service career == De Mel joined the Ceylon Civil Service (CCS) in 1948, and was attached to the Department of Industries, Vavuniya Kachcheri, Puttalam Kachcheri and the Department of Social Services. In 1950, he was appointed Acting Assistant Secretary to the Ministry of Labour and Social Services and was appointed Assistant Secretary, Ministry of Labour in 1952 and was appointed Assistant at Matara to the Government Agent, Southern Province. Thereafter he served as the Assistant Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands.<ref>{{cite book |title=Ceylon Civil List 1954 |date=1954 |publisher=Ceylon Government Press|page=54 }}</ref>
== Political career == Resigning from the Ceylon Administrative Service in 1964, de Mel entered politics and contested the 1965 general election as a member of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) from the Bibile electorate but was defeated by the United National Party (UNP) candidate Dharmadasa Banda.<ref>{{cite web |title=RESULTS OF PARLIAMENTARY GENERAL ELECTION – 22/03/1965 |url=https://elections.gov.lk/web/wp-content/uploads/election-results/parliamentary-elections/general-election-1965.pdf |website=elections.gov.lk |publisher=Department of Elections of Sri Lanka |access-date=26 July 2021}}</ref> He then contested the 1970 general election for the SLFP from Devinuwara and was elected to parliament.<ref>{{cite web |title=RESULTS OF PARLIAMENTARY GENERAL ELECTION – May 27, 1970 |url=https://elections.gov.lk/web/wp-content/uploads/election-results/parliamentary-elections/general-election-1970.pdf |website=elections.gov.lk |publisher=Department of Elections of Sri Lanka|access-date=26 July 2021}}</ref> He was re-elected in the 1977 general election from Devinuwara after crossing over to the UNP and was appointed Cabinet Minister of Finance.<ref>{{cite web |title=RParliamentary Election – 1977|url=https://elections.gov.lk/web/wp-content/uploads/election-results/parliamentary-elections/general-election-1977.pdf|website=elections.gov.lk |publisher=Department of Elections of Sri Lanka |access-date=26 July 2021}}</ref>
Ronnie de Mel presided over as Minister of Finance in a most significant period of Sri Lankan history, during the presidency of J. R. Jayewardene. "If not the free market economy we would still be having scarcities, queues and we would be struggling like North Korea today. It was because of this change that everything in this country blossomed and developed."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailynews.lk/2012/02/14/fea02.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120215212949/http://www.dailynews.lk/2012/02/14/fea02.asp |url-status=dead |archive-date=15 February 2012 |title=A notable among Asia's Finance Ministers |newspaper=Daily News|date=February 2012}}</ref> He was instrumental in raising funds for projects such as Victoria, Randenigala, Kotmale, Ports, Roads, Housing and Free Trade Zones.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=40010 |title='I prepared my own budgets, budget speeches' |newspaper= The Island |date=November 2011}}</ref> The minister also tried his best to curb the violent Black July riots in 1983.<ref>[http://www.globalpeacesupport.com/2011/07/the-final-solution-may-20-2004/ 'The Final Solution' – Global Peace Support Group]</ref>
Following the end of Jayewardene's second term as president, Ronnie de Mel stepped down as Finance Minister in January 1988. He left the country following the election of President Ranasinghe Premadasa, only returning following his death in 1993. He was re-elected to parliament in the 1994 general election from Matara. De Mel crossed back to the SLFP, and was reelected to Parliament in the 2000 and the 2001 general elections.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Lost UNP Generations: Ronnie de Mel |url=https://ceylontoday.lk/news/the-lost-unp-generations-ronnie-de-mel |access-date=27 July 2021 |newspaper=Ceylon Today}}</ref>
== Personal life == De Mel married Mallika Lakshmi de Mel née Fernando, daughter of Sir Leo Fernando. They had three children.<ref>{{cite web|title=Death of Mallika De Mel|url=https://archives.dailynews.lk/2009/10/13/news36.asp|newspaper=Daily News|language=en|date=13 October 2009|access-date=28 February 2024|archive-date=28 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240228023659/https://archives.dailynews.lk/2009/10/13/news36.asp|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Ronnie de Mel Bids Farewell|url=https://www.lankadeepa.lk/news/%E0%B6%BB%E0%B6%B1-%E0%B6%AF-%E0%B6%B8%E0%B6%BD-%E0%B7%83%E0%B6%B8-%E0%B6%AF%E0%B6%BA/101-648423|newspaper=Lankadeepa|language=si|date=27 February 2024|access-date=28 February 2024}}</ref>
Ronnie de Mel died on 27 February 2024, at the age of 98.<ref>{{cite news |title=Fmr Finance Minister Ronnie de Mel passes away |url=https://www.adaderana.lk/news.php?nid=97577 |access-date=27 February 2024 |newspaper=Ada Derana |date=27 February 2024}}</ref> His funeral included visitation at the University of Ruhuna.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.dailynews.lk/2024/02/29/local/422784/ronnie-de-mels-funeral-at-ruhuna-university-tomorrow/ |title=LOCAL: Ronnie de Mel's funeral at Ruhuna University tomorrow |date=29 February 2024 |newspaper=Daily News |accessdate=28 February 2024}}</ref>
==See also== *1982 Sri Lankan presidential election *List of political families in Sri Lanka
==References== {{reflist}}
==Further reading== *{{cite book |author=Ronnie de Mel |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HjHJMAaGxdcC&q=Ronnie+de+Mel |title=Economic Prospects of Sri Lanka and Potential for Foreign Investment: Address|date=October 1984}}
{{Sri Lankan finance ministers}} {{Members of the 6th Parliament of Ceylon}} {{Members of the 7th Parliament of Sri Lanka}} {{Members of the 8th Parliament of Sri Lanka}} {{Members of the 10th Parliament of Sri Lanka}} {{Members of the 11th Parliament of Sri Lanka}} {{Members of the 12th Parliament of Sri Lanka}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:De Mel, Ronnie}} Category:1925 births Category:2024 deaths Category:Sinhalese people Category:Sri Lankan civil servants Category:Members of the 6th Parliament of Ceylon Category:Members of the 7th Parliament of Ceylon Category:Members of the 8th Parliament of Sri Lanka Category:Members of the 10th Parliament of Sri Lanka Category:Members of the 11th Parliament of Sri Lanka Category:Members of the 12th Parliament of Sri Lanka Category:Ministers of finance of Sri Lanka Category:United National Party politicians Category:United People's Freedom Alliance politicians Category:Alumni of the University of Ceylon (Colombo) Category:Alumni of S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia Category:Industries ministers of Sri Lanka