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IN A SURPRISE MOVE CHANDRIKA KUMARATUNGA SACKS THREE MINISTERS WHILE THE PRIME MINISTER IS AWAY IN WASHINGTON DC
By Walter Jayawardhana reporting from Los Angeles
November 05, 07.45 AM: Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga using sweeping powers vested in her by Sri Lanka’s Republican Constitution fired three powerful ministers in the unpopular United National Front government and took those ministries under her charge.
She also prorogued the Parliament until November 19
Defense Minister Tilak Marapone who was lenient towards the Tamil Tigers and was accused of allowing many Tiger arms shipments into the country, Interior Minister John Ameratunga, who was not only in charge of the Police but was also accused of being in charge of underworld political thugs and Imithias Bakeer Markar, Minister in charge of mass media which was severely controlled by unofficial censors of the Prime Minister’s media unit were the three Ministers fired by the President.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe who was engaged in a state visit in the US capital Washington D.C. when the sacking took place accused the President of endangering what he called the peace process and economic progress of his government by the act. He also accused her of attempting to rob the democratic mandate given by the people to his government. The Prime Minister and the President belong to rival political parties.
President Chandrika Kumaratunga acting under the powers vested in her by Section 44 , subsection 2 of the country’s republican constitution that allows her to sack ministers without consulting the Prime Minister did so suddenly as a surprise, although members of her own party and the opposition Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) have been demanding her to do so for a long time.
The Prime Minister while advising his cabinet colleagues to maintain the paper thin majority in the parliament with the help of LTTE supported Tamil National Alliance said he would return to the country only after meeting President George W. Bush. Embassy sources said he was expected to brief President Bush about the progress of the “peace process” of his government.
President Chandrika Kumaratunga, addressing the nation over television said she had to remove the ministers as a measure to remedy the deteriorating security situation and pathetic state of the freedom of the press in the country.
The President appealed to the people to stay calm. She said although the three portfolios were taken away from Ministers Marapone, Amaratunga and Bakeer Markar they would continue to perform other tasks entrusted to them as Ministers. For instance though the Ministry of Mass Media has been removed from Bakeer Markar he would continue to function as the Posts and Telecommunication Minister, a portfolio he held together with the Ministry of Mass Media.
The President also appointed a former Inspector General of Police Cyril Herath as the Secretary to the Ministry of Defense and Thilak. Ranaviraja, a former deputy Ambassador of the Sri Lanka Embassy in Washington D.C. and CAS officer as the Secretary of the Ministry of Mass Communication.
Meanwhile the Tamil Tigers aided Tamil National Alliance openly declared that they would stand by the Ranil Wickremesinghe government and help the Prime Minister to continue to maintain the paper thin majority in the parliament. Chandra Nehru Ariyanayagam , a strongly pro-LTTE TNA M.P. described the President’s act as one of the ugliest one’s she had ever done. He said they would always stand by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and protect his government. He said the 16 MP’s of the TNA would be loyal to the government. But there was speculation in Colombo that some government parliamentarians would be induced to cross over
While powerful Economic Reforms Minister Milinda Moragoda, who was with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in Washington DC’s Rich Carlton Hotel said he feared the LTTE would re-start the war. But the LTTE said they would continue to respect the Ceasefire Agreement they signed with the UNF government.
Opposition spokesman Mangala Samaraweera said they were attempting to take forward a government without party differences to protect the integrity, independence and sovereignty of the nation.
Meanwhile under the Presidential orders military guards took positions around the key government buildings in the capital city, reports said.
Although some political observers said that the President would dissolve parliament leading to snap general elections Opposition spokesman Mangala Samaraweera said that the government’s intention was to take forward the government without any party differences. He said the President would not dissolve the government.
(05/11/03 go2lanka.com)
