Sirisena to nominate SLFP members for Cabinet

by Uditha Kumarasinghe

Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) nominations to the Cabinet will be finalized by President Maithripala Sirisena, Media Spokesman for the SLFP, Dilan Perera, said.

 The number of Ministers and Deputy Ministers of the national government will be decided by two joint committees appointed by the SLFP and the UNP, which will also decide on the number of ministerial portfolios to be shared between the two parties, Perera told the Sunday Observer.

 Asked about the number of Cabinet portfolios for the SLFP, according to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two main parties, Perera said, the composition of the Cabinet will be decided by the two joint committees, but that the President would decide on the SLFP members who are to serve on the Cabinet. The SLFP Central Committee which met on Friday (August 28) entrusted President Sirisena in his capacity as the party chairman the powers to make the final decision to appoint the Opposition Leader, Deputy Speaker, Chief Opposition Whip and SLFP members to the Cabinet.

 The SLFP Parliamentary Group will meet at the Parliamentary Complex, before the inaugural session of the new Parliament on Tuesday (September 1), to decide on the appointment of Opposition Leader and Deputy Speaker. 

 Top sources said, it has been decided that out of 95 UPFA MPs, all 80 SLFP MPs elected to Parliament are required to unanimously approve the President’s decision. They also pointed out that the new SLFP leader will be taking strict disciplinary action against any SLFP Parliamentarian who opposes the decisions. SLFP Senior Vice President and Ratnapura District UPFA Parliamentarian, W.D.J. Seneviratne, told the Sunday Observer almost all subjects to be allocated to SLFP members have already been finalized with 15 ministerial portfolios to be given to SLFP seniors. He said, the swearing-in may not take place on September 02 as the President had to attend the 64th anniversary celebrations of the SLFP, which is also scheduled for the same day (September 2) in Polonnaruwa.

“The swearing-in of the new Cabinet is likely to take place on September 03 or 04,” he said.

According to political sources, the SLFP has demanded several key ministerial posts during the initial discussions including finance, highways, higher education, power and energy, irrigation, agriculture and Samurdhi. It is learnt that several of these have been allocated to the UNP. The new Cabinet is expected to include 30 UNP ministers and 15 SLFP ministers.

In addition, 40 deputy ministers are to be appointed, with more of the SLFP being accommodated at the second tier, sources said.

The 19 Amendment to the Constitution restricts the number of Cabinet portfolios to a maximum of 30, unless a national government is formed.

A motion has to be submitted before parliament, seeking its approval, if the number of ministers is to be increased beyond the prescribed, when the House convenes on Tuesday (September 01).