Mangala promises a bigger Cabinet...

by Shamindra Ferdinando-December 21, 2018, 11:24 pm 

Finance and Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera says that members of the previous cabinet couldn't be re-appointed as a result of a court ruling.

Once that problem was overcome, the Cabinet could be expanded, Samaraweera said at the Finance Ministry on Wednesday afternoon.

The UNPer said so when the media asked Samaraweera as to why UPFA lawmaker Vijith Wijayamuni Zoysa (Moneragala/UPFA National List) had been denied a ministerial portfolio in spite of switching allegiance to the new government.

Referring to court proceedings in respect of quo warranto petition filed by 122 lawmakers representing the UNP-TNA-JVP against Mahinda Rajapaksa's appointment as PM, Samaraweera said that once the government got the court ruling lifted those who had switched allegiance and lawmakers expected to join in the near future could get ministerial portfolios.

In addition to Moneragala District National List MP Zoysa, UPFA members, Piyasena Gamage (Galle), A.H.M. Fowzie (National List), and Lakshman Seneviratne (National List) were not accommodated in the cabinet.

Gamage entered parliament in Nov 2017 after Supreme Court ruled in favour of a petition against actress turned politician Geetha Kumarasinghe holding a parliament seat on the basis of her being a dual citizen.

Although, Samaraweera and several other UNPers, including Ministers Dr. Rajitha Senaratne and Vajira Abeywardena asserted that more than 30 ministers would be appointed, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution expressly restricted the number of cabinet ministers to 30 and State and Deputy Ministers to 40 unless in the event of formation of a national government.

Among the 29 cabinet ministers appointed were two National List members Tilak Marapana and Malik Samarawickrema, both UNPers. The 29 included five representing the United National Front's constituent parties, Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (Rauff Hakeem), All Ceylon Makkal Congress (Rishad Bathiudeen), Jathika Hela Urumaya (Patali Champika Ranawaka), National Union of Workers (Palani Digambaram) and Democratic People's Front (Mano Ganesan).

Of the UNF constituents, the SLMC is the biggest with six elected and appointed on the UNP ticket, in addition to one elected on the party ticket. The ACMC comprised five elected on the UNP ticket whereas the JHU consists of three (one member Ven. Rathana functions as an independent member). The National Union of Workers and Democratic People's Front are represented by two and one, respectively.

Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakse, PC, (Colombo), D. M. Swaminathan (National List) and Ravindra Samaraweera (Badulla) didn't receive cabinet portfolios. Rajapakse received Education and Higher Education under Mahinda Rajapaksa's premiership whereas Swaminathan and Samaraweera were represented in the Wickremesinghe cabinet sacked on Oct 26.

Rajapakse switched allegiance to Sirisena-Rajapaksa combine in the wake Wickremesinghe's sacking. Another loser was Wasantha Senanayake (Polonnaruwa), who switched sides on multiple occasions before finally joining quo warranto petition against Rajapaksa's appointment as the Premier.