<prompt> Qedela umusho olandelayo: UMathew wakhethwa ukuba abe yilungu leNdlu Yabamele yaseCeylon okhethweni olujwayelekile lukaMashi 1960 kusuka eKolonna evela e-United National Party futhi wakhethwa kabusha okhethweni olujwayelekile lukaJulayi 1960. Walwela ukhetho jikelele lwango-1965 eBandarawela futhi wanqotshwa nguR. M. Appuhamy. Wakhethwa okhethweni lwesishiyagalombili lwephalamende, olwenzeka ngomhlaka 21 Julayi 1977, emele abavoti baseKelaniya beqembu le-United National Party. Wayaziwa ngesimo sakhe esiqinile sokumelana nezifiso zezombangazwe zamaTamil. Waqokwa njengoNgqongqoshe Wezimboni Nezindaba Zesayensi ngoJulayi 1977. Ubhekwa kabanzi njengomunye woNgqongqoshe abakhulu ababhekele ukuqala kwe-  <response>: i-pogrom elwa namaTamil ngoJulayi 1983, kamuva eyaphumela ekuqhamukeni kwempi yombango yeminyaka engu-26. UMatthew waxoshwa kuKhabhinethi kanye neqembu elibusayo i-United National Party nguMongameli uJ. R. Jayewardene ngo-1984 ngemuva kokugxeka obala ingqungquthela ebizwe nguJayewardene ukulungisa izikhalazo zabambalwa abangamaTamil. Umlandeli kaJayewardene, uRanasinghe Premadasa, kamuva wabuyisela ubulungu beqembu likaMathew. Washona ngenxa yokuhlaselwa yisifo senhliziyo ngo-October 17, 1989. 