report in The Sunday Times, Sept 3, 2023
A ‘mini war’ has broken out between Cabinet Ministers and State Ministers in the execution of their duties.
The State Ministers have complained to President Ranil Wickremesinghe that they have no functions to discharge allegedly due to their ministerial colleagues usurping them. In addition, they have also complained that they have not been issued with good vehicles or other facilities they are entitled to.
The issue has reached serious proportions prompting President Wickremesinghe to summon a meeting tomorrow afternoon (4 p.m.) at the Presidential Secretariat. He will call upon State Ministers to identify their problems.
There are a multitude of reasons confronting the State Ministers. The main one appears to be the absence of any select government institutions under their control, a practice that was previously followed. This was after such bodies were gazetted under the state minister. Consequently, there is also no State Secretary for their ministries. There is only one Secretary for each ministry. State Ministers complain that no minister had been good enough to voluntarily cede any institution under him or her.
Ministers concede that at present, state ministers are not bound by a directive to divest any of their functions as in the past. One angry minister, who did not wish to be named for obvious reasons, said there have been instances where state ministers have shown interest in tenders for projects and other matters involving finances. However, he said, they could not get involved officially. A state minister, who also spoke anonymously, said even ministers resorted to such practices and cited a deal where state land, amounting to 80 acres, had been given by a minister through an irregular practice. True the process has involved Cabinet approval, but irregularities existed, he claimed.
Besides their monthly salaries, both ministers and state ministers are entitled to several perks. Ministers are entitled to two vehicles for their use with the option of picking their own drivers. Both categories are entitled to five different secretaries (a private secretary, a Public Relations Officer, Two Co-ordinating Secretaries, and a Media Officer). Each minister is entitled to 12 security guards, a vehicle for his or her use and a bungalow in Colombo.
There is added significance to tomorrow’s meeting. The Sunday Times learns that President Wickremesinghe is to affect a minor cabinet re-shuffle anytime in the coming weeks. The idea, a government source said, is to replace or shift ministers who have been found wanting in their ministries. This is particularly after reports that their non-performance had caused the public great hardships and led to an unprecedented deterioration of work carried out by their ministries.
Already a vote of no confidence is being moved by the opposition parties against Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella. Among other matters, they have accused him of “not duly appointing the Board of Directors to the National Medicines Regulatory Authority, importing low quality drugs, importing drugs deviating from the tender procedure, importing drugs at exorbitant prices, being responsible for the scarcity of essential drugs and shortage of laboratory equipment in the hospital system and purchasing of unregistered drugs on the pretext of emergency purchases thereby resulting in deaths and impairments due to their use”. The motion will be debated in Parliament on September 6,7 and 8. There has been widespread criticism about the shortage of medicinal drugs, exodus of specialist doctors and the deteriorating service at public hospitals amidst allegations of mounting bribery and corruption.
With a majority in its favour, the ruling SLPP government led by President Wickremesinghe is sure to have the motion defeated. Its parliamentarians have been told not to undertake overseas visits until the debate is over. Nevertheless, there are a considerable number of SLPP parliamentarians, not to mention their opposition colleagues, who are disenchanted……..
https://www.sundaytimes.lk/230903/columns/battle-rages-between-cabinet-and-state-ministers-531274.html
