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| New Sri Lanka President moves in to negotiate, form cabinet | | | Agencies
Colombo, Jan 11: A day after being sworn in as the President of Sri Lanka, Maithripala Sirisena on Saturday began to negotiate and finalise his new cabinet, likely to be announced next week.
Unlike the previous government of Mahinda Rajapaksa which had a total of 67 ministers, sources close to Sirisena said he may limit his cabinet to 30 ministers.
The cabinet formation will be based on a criteria to fulfil his plans and reforms promised in the next 100 days, which includes major constitutional amendments, strong anti-corruption bills, war-foot measures in the energy sector and a number of long-pending settlements demanded by Tamil and Muslim minorities, who played a major role in his victory.
At present, a secretary to the President said, the United National Party (UNP) headed by Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe and Sirisena’s Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), which had defected from the Rajapaksa government, are actively engaged in the negotiations.
Reliable sources confirm that the UNP is likely to get at least 15 portfolios while SLFP may garner seven or eight ministerial berths.
Sources add that the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) may not be accepting a portfolio as they had earlier decided to support the government from outside while being ready to negotiate and work on issues.
Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) or the National Heritage Party, the country’s main party representing Buddhist monks, may get two portfolios while two Muslim political parties — Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, the largest Muslim party that switched allegiance to the opposition a few days before the election and the All Ceylon Muslim Congress — may gain one portfolio each.
Senior leaders of both Muslim political parties confirmed that they have been offered one portfolio each. “We are offered a portfolio but we are not part of the negotiations so far. We will wait for the government decision,” said a senior leader of the All Ceylon Muslim Congress.
Major negotiations will be on assigning key portfolios such as defence and finance, usually held by the President, and foreign affairs, port-shipping-aviation, highways, health and industry and commerce. The name of Mangala Munasinghe, a former foreign minister known to have close links with Chandrika Kumaratunga, is doing the rounds in the initial list of candidates for the foreign affairs ministry.
Two names being considered for the finance portfolio are that of Harsha de Silva, UNP MP and an economist who was loud in his protests against the economic policies of the Rajapaksa government; and Eran Wickramaratne MP, also a banker and an expert in corporate affairs.
Official sources denied reports of appointing Sarath Fonseka, former Lanka army chief, as defence secretary, a
- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/world/asia/new-lanka-leader-moves-to-form-cabinet/#sthash.QUy6bwSq.dpuf
post which was earlier handled by Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, as he needs further clearances in terms of his civil rights. Fonseka had been imprisoned for nearly two years after he ran a campaign against President Rajapaksa in the 2010 elections. After his failed campaign, he was again sentenced to serve a three-year imprisonment for “military offences”. Meanwhile, former captain of the Sri Lankan cricket team and an MP from Kalutara district, Arjuna Ranatunga, may be selected for the sports portfolio. Ranatunga was with Sirisena during the crucial stages of the election and he was seen standing next to the President and the Prime Minister during the swearing-in ceremony on Friday at the Independence Square in Colombo. With the coalition partners angling for vital portfolios, a senior UNP leader said Prime Minister Wickramasinghe will be playing a major role in the selection of ministers as he will be heading the cabinet. “He will be handpicking people he wants with the consent of Sirisena,” he said. - See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/world/asia/new-lanka-leader-moves-to-form-cabinet/2/#sthash.dRt6XZWm.dpuf |
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