The mini-Cabinet reshuffle effected by President Ranil Wickremesinghe last week, mostly to reallocate the Health Ministry previously held by Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, has caused waves in political circles with many an opinion being expressed, quite publicly and candidly.
It will be recalled that Minister Rambukwella was reassigned a different portfolio despite surviving a No Confidence Motion (NCM) spearheaded by the main Opposition party, the Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) but also endorsed by the three members of the Jathika Jana Balavegaya (JJB).
The NCM against Minister Keheliya Rambukwella was defeated by 113 votes to 73 with 38 MPs being absent at voting time. In the process, the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) again demonstrated that it had sufficient numbers in the legislature to retain a simple working majority.
Logical Choice but Public Dissent
It is known that President Wickremesinghe canvassed support against the NCM. In so doing, he sent a message to his Cabinet that, although they were from a different political party which had been at loggerheads with his own United National Party (UNP) most of the time, he backed his Ministers.
However, it was evident that there was continued dissatisfaction in the health sector even after the NCM as issues that plagued the healthcare system persisted. The exodus of doctors, shortages of essential drugs and allegations of corruption continued, prompting the President to take action.
The President’s choice for the portfolio was logical: Minister Pathirana is a medical doctor by training. It had been reported that he was not too enthusiastic about taking on this onerous responsibility as the sector has been in crisis for some time and represented a major challenge.
Nevertheless, Minister Pathirana acquiesced to President Wickremesinghe’s request. To accommodate the change, a reshuffle was required. That is because Minister Pathirana already held two portfolios, that of Industries and Plantation Industries and could not be burdened with three ministries.
This was achieved with Mahinda Amaraweera being sworn in as the new Minister of Agriculture and Plantation Industries. Former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella retained his place in the Cabinet and took oaths as the new Minister of Environment. It was these changes that caused controversy.
The apparent discontent arose not because of the change that prompted the reshuffle. Minister Pathirana remains a well-liked and respected figure in the SLPP. It was the decision to allocate the Plantation Industries portfolio to Minister Amaraweera that sparked a debate that became public.
SLPP’s Response to the Cabinet Portfolio Changes
Amaraweera, along with Nimal Siripala De Silva are one of two ministers representing the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) in the Cabinet. Two SLPP stalwarts, its General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam and parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa took issue about this ‘redistribution’.
The President has, understandably, chosen not to reply to these remarks in his public appearances since then. As Executive President and the Head of Government, there is no denying his right to allocate Cabinet portfolios at his discretion, a responsibility assigned to him in the Constitution.
Interestingly, the strongest response to the comments from Kariyawasam and Rajapaksa came from within the SLPP, from Gampaha district MP Nimal Lanza. He has been known to be working closely with President Wickremesinghe and has often liaised with SLPP parliamentarians.
Defending President Wickremesinghe’s decision to re-allocate portfolios, parliamentarian Lanza lashed out at his SLPP colleagues, challenging them to defeat the upcoming budget in Parliament thereby precipitating a general election if they were unhappy with the President’s decision.
These outbursts from the SLPP raise the question as to whether the re-allocation of portfolios initiated by the President has damaged the relationship he has with the SLPP, especially since parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa, known to be close to the SLPP leadership, has also voiced his displeasure.
In this context it is worthwhile noting that, when he assumed office President Wickremesinghe took care to retain virtually the identical Cabinet that last functioned under his predecessor, Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Only a few necessary changes – such as the removal of G.L. Peiris – were made.
Since then, there have been many representations to the President from the SLPP’s leadership group to assign Cabinet portfolios to senior leaders of the SLPP who were stripped of their positions during the latter days of the Gotabaya Rajapaksa Presidency but the President’s response has been lukewarm.
Economic Challenges
The only positive response from the President to these requests has been the appointment of Pavithra Wanniarachchi as the Minister of Wildlife and Forest Resources Conservation. This is despite the fact that, constitutionally, the President has provision to appoint about another eight ministers.
This has been interpreted as a conscious decision taken by the President. It is noted that former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa reconstituted his Cabinet twice- in April 2022 and in May 2022- in a bid to appease public dissatisfaction against his government due to the economic crisis.
While the economic crisis is not as acute as it was then, it has not abated. The country is in the throes of a process of restructuring. While this is in progress, the President appears to be of the opinion that the status quo of the Cabinet should be maintained without enlarging it to suit political needs.
Hence the decision to retain a Cabinet almost identical to the ‘final’ Cabinet under former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The rationale for this is that any expansion of the Cabinet will be viewed by the public as politicians serving their own needs which could be to the government’s detriment.
With discussion about these changes dominating the headlines this week, the focus will now be on the vote on the Budget which will be presented to Parliament on November 13 by President Wickremesinghe himself in his capacity as Minister of Finance. Its vote will be eagerly watched.
Despite the public expression of disappointment and annoyance at the reallocation of portfolios, it is understood that these sentiments have been conveyed to the President by SLPP General Secretary Kariyawasam formally as well. The concerns have been acknowledged but the decision is unchanged.
It is no secret to the SLPP hierarchy that some of its younger Ministers are enjoying their stint in Government and benefiting from the experience of President Wickremesinghe. This has caused some concern within the SLPP. This is why they want their ‘senior’ stalwarts included in the Cabinet.
Also, the SLPP is yet to decide what its political strategy for national polls in 2024 – the presidential and general elections – will be. It does not have a leader of national stature who has a ‘fresh’ image.
In such a scenario, the SLPP is apprehensive that the loyalties of some of its parliamentarians may change in the coming months. Therefore, the angst about the Cabinet reshuffle is more a reflection of the state of affairs in the SLPP, rather than a bona fide clash between the party and the President.
The question that will necessarily follow is precisely what parliamentarian Lanza pointed out: is the SLPP ready to add to the chaos by defeating the budget and paving the way for a general election? Will that lead to a satisfactory resolution of its current ‘dispute’ with President Wickremesinghe?
The answers to those questions are what will define the SLPP’s final response. Admittedly, the SLPP has seen better days and is not at the peak of its popularity right now, so a General election will not be advantageous to it. Then, even if such a poll is held, President Wickremesinghe will still be in Office.
Considering all these political undercurrents, the current status vis-à-vis the SLPP and President Wickremesinghe is best seen as a difference of opinion and nothing more. As a result, the Budget when it is presented in Parliament and put to a vote, is likely to be endorsed without reservations.
