Berty asks D.M. not to resign

Thursday, 27 September 2012

Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne had not handed his resignation letter from the post before traveling to the US for medical treatment although Presidential Secretary had requested for it, a senior government minister said.

The President had asked the Presidential Secretary to provide all the funds required for the medical treatment from the President’s Fund. The Presidential Secretary had been directed by the President to ask the Premier for his resignation letter as token of gratitude for providing funds for his medical treatment.

The Prime Minister after agreeing to the request had later ignored it. Former Chief Minister of the North Central Province Berty Premalal Dissanayake had advised the Premier not to hand his resignation.

The President had learnt that Dissanayake had made this request from the Premier through Jayaratne’s daughter, who is Dissanayake’s daughter in-law.

Angered by the situation, the President had asked the Presidential Secretary to even make a telephone call to the US and call for the resignation letter.

The Prime Minister’s daughter has traveled to the US with him and has not connected the Premier with the Presidential Secretary on Dissanayake’s advice. The senior minister who gave us the information said the President was livid over the situation and is now considering spending a special representative to the US to collect the Premier’s resignation letter.