Sudath Gunasekara

3.20.2019.

The list of Cabinet Ministers of the Present Government

01.  Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesighe – Ministry of National Policies and Economic Affairs, Ministry of Rehabilitation and Prison reforms, Northern Development, Vocational Training, Skill Development and Youth Affairs.

02.    John Amaratunga – Minister of Tourism Development and Christian Religious Affairs.

03.    Gamini Jayawickrema Perera– Minister of Buddha Sasana & North Western Province Development.

04.    Mangala Samaraweera – Minister of Finances and Media

05.   Lakshman Kiriella– Minister of Public Enterprise Development, Upcountry Heritage and Kandy Development

06.    Rauff Hakeem – Minister of Town Planning, Water Supply and Higher Education

07.    Tilak Marapana – Minister of Foreign Affairs

08.    Rajitha Senarathne – Minister of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine

09.    Ravi Karunanayake– Minister of Power and Energy and Business Development

10.  Vajira Abeywardhane– Minister of Internal & Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government

11.   Rishad Bathiudeen– Ministry of Industry and Commerce and Resettlement and Cooperative Development

12.   Patali Champika Ranawaka– Ministry of Megapolis and Western Development

13.   Naveen Dissanayake– Minister of Plantation Industries

14.   P. Harrison- Minister of Agriculture, Rural Economic Affairs and Animal Husbandry Development.

15. Kabeer Hashim – Minister of Highways and Road Development and Petroleum Resources Development.

16.   Ranjith Maddumabandara – Minister of Public Administration and Disaster Management

17.   Gayantha Karunathilake – Minister of Lands and Parliamentary Reforms

18.   Sajith Premadasa – Minister of Housing, Construction and Cultural affairs.

19.    Arjuna Ranatunga – Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation

20.  Palani Digambaran – Minister of Upcountry New Villages, Infrastructure and Community Development

21.   Chandrani Bandara – Minister of Women and Child Affairs and Development of Dry Zones

22.    Thalatha Athukorale – Minister of justice and Prison Reforms

23.    Akila Viraj kariyawasam – Minister of Education

24.    Abdul Haleem Mohamed Hashim – Minister of Postal Services and Muslim religious Affairs

25.    Sagala Ratnayake – Minister of Ports, Maritime Affairs and Southern Development

26.   Harin Fernando – Minister of Telecommunication, Digital Infrastructure facilities, Foreign Employment and Sports

27.    Mano Ganeshan – Minister of National Integration, Official Languages, Social Progress and Hindu Religious Affairs

28.    Daya Gamage – Minister of Labour, Trade Union Relations and Social Empowerment

29.   Malik Samarawickrema – Minister of Development Strategies, International Trade, Science, Technology and Research

 My comments

It is common sense that certain basic principles have to be adhered to when you make a Cabinet. The first and foremost thing is a clear scientific and functional classification and separation of major functions of Government in an intelligent manner avoiding overlapping and inter-Ministerial clashes. Once the major functions of the government are identified inte- related subjects should be grouped under each Ministry.  Functional relationship between or among the subjects assigned to a Ministry is crucial for smooth coordination of related subjects for smooth and efficient Governance. To give few examples Land and Irrigation, Agriculture and Agrarian Services, Transport and Aviation, Education and Youth Affairs, Trade and Commerce, Finance and Public Administration, Home Affairs and Local Government and Industry and technology to name few major areas. Such clarity in allocating functions and correlation between allied subjects in naming the Ministries is a sine qua non for allocating government departments and other institutions firstly, for smooth and efficient delivery of services and secondly to fix responsibility and accountability on a specific ministry and officials for implementing governments’ policies and programs. Next to make annual budgetary allocations for better financial management and to fix accountability on public funds

The next critical step is to assign each Ministry to the best person who can handle that subject and command the institutions and personnel under that Ministry and earn their repsect.

 If these fundamental requirements are not met then there will be utter chaos and confusion, inefficiency, overlapping, waste and corruptions inefficiency and delays all over. There will be no one to take responsibility. Each Minister will pass the ball to the other’s court with impunity and they might start fighting among themselves putting the blame on another. The other will then deny. Then while the quarrelling among them will go on, the country will suffer resulting in complete brake down in governance. But still the Ministers and politicians will enjoy their fabulous privileges and perks with no benefit to the country in return. Then the question arises as to why we have Ministries and why we maintain a set of men and women called Minsters and public servants and finally why we maintain a government at all at public expense?         

Now look at the utterly unscientific and absurd naming and allocation of functions among different Ministries listed above.  If this is an answer for a question at a public examination for making a list of Ministries for a newly elected government’ I would not give more than 20 out of 100.

Overlapping, duplication, absurdity, absence of any correlation among subjects, stupidity, repetition, political hypocrisy, immaturity and lack of common sense in basic principles and ABCD of governance are some of the glaring features even an ordinary man can see in this classification.

At first sight as I saw this as a list of Ministries I thought it is a list of Departments allocated among 29  Ministers. Obviously first it is a list cleverly and tactfully prepared to deceive the MPP who got the Ministries. Second, to deceive the foolish voters of different ethnic and religious groups, just to collect their votes at the next election.  In this list there appears to be wheels within wheels and many an interlocking traps. Some functions are given to particular Ministers just to satisfy them. For example why Minister of Power and Energy is given  Business Development, why Rehabilitation, Prison reforms and Northern Development are retained by the Prime Minister, if not to deceive and attract the Tamil vote in the North and East, why Rishad Bathiudeen- Minister of Industry is given Commerce and Resettlement and Cooperative Development, a veritable jumble, unless for him to make money by illicitly importing pepper and dried Arica and export them as Sri Lankan products depriving the country colossal amounts of valuable foreign exchange and destroying the local pepper and Arica growers and remunerating him for Wilpattu devastation with possible Yala and Kumana encroachment in the offing.

Meanwhile some Ministries are given to some people without considering the long term serious national threats   to the Islands environment, hydrological stability, national security and territorial integrity and even posing a threat to national security leading to chain of political and social catastrophes. The best example is the Ministry of Upcountry New Villages (Tamil) and  Infrastructure and Community Development to Palani Digambaran, for him to go ahead with his plan for future Malayanadu an Indian enclave right at the center of the country that forms the pinnacle and the Heartland of the nation and forms the only watershed that provides water for the whole country and which sustains the entire life system and civilization of this Island nation without realizing the colossal damage and destruction he is doing to the geographical heartland of this Island nation by establishing thousands of houses with Indian aid at elevation going even above 7000 feet msl, that was never touched by ancient rulers, until finally  it was opened up by the colonial invaders after 1840.

The other example is Mano Ganeshan another extremist militant Estate Tamil MP who is appointed as the Minister of National Integration, Official Languages, Social Progress and Hindu Religious Affairs. What better betrayal of a Nation and a Language a government do more than this.  How can you expect a man who is fighting for Tamil rights only, do national integration and to do justice for Official languages. It is just like putting the chicken under the charge of a cunning fox.

Moreover most subjects allocated to them could have been easily listed as government Departments under Ministries. Actually looking at this list, at first sight, I thought it was a list of Departments. Most of the Ministries listed are definitely superfluous. This mad messy list could have been easily grouped in to about 15 Ministries and thereby cut down the overheads and colossal wastage of public funds particularly at a time when the National Budget deficit is running in to trillions and the masses are being taxed even for breathing.

Doesn’t this classification of Ministries look funny in the first place? Why should the Prime Minister who is called the Primus inter pare, first among equals, bags many other non-important flimsy seasonal subjects like rehabilitation, Prison Reforms unless he has something up his sleeves, as usual.  The other joke is the subject of Prison reforms. It is shared by him and Thalatha Athukorale – Minister of justice Prison reforms. One is lost to understand as to who is actually responsible for this subject.

 Again when a Minister is called the Minister of Northern, North Western, Southern, Eastern, Dry zone and Upcountry Development, does it mean other Ministers have nothing to do in those areas. Grey areas leading to confusion? When another is called Minister of Development Strategies does that mean he is handling development strategies of all Ministries? Then what are the other Ministers doing? Isn’t it interesting to find out?

 Now this Government has Ministers for all the four religions. Under this situation what has happened to Sec 5 of the Constitution which say Buddhism is given the foremost place. Isn’t it another violation of the Constitution? This clearly demonstrates the ignorance of those who made this list and proves Sec 5 has been cleverly put in to the dust bin of history by giving equal status to other religions. The architects of the conspiracy surely must have done this with an eye on the minority vote.

Lakshman Kiriella- is called the Minister of Public Enterprise Development (as if other Ministries are not Public enterprises), Upcountry Heritage and Kandy Development what does this mean. What are the other Ministers are doing in these regions. The whole country knows how he betrayed the Kandyans and their heritage by giving upcountry tea lands to Indian Estate Tamils as an election promise made in 2015 and bagged over  150 000 Tami votes at the 2015 polls.  

Rauff Hakeem – Minister of Town Planning, Water Supply and Higher Education. What is the relationship between Town and country planning and Higher Education?  Why can’t Higher Education, be given to the Minister of Education instead of Parliamentary Reforms for which you need not have a Ministry at all.

Gayantha Karunathilake –is Minister of Lands minus irrigation –water. What is more is this Cabinet has no Minister or Ministry for irrigation. Doesn’t this clearly demonstrate how much they know about this country and its civilization?

11.Rishad Bathiudeen- Ministry of Industry and Commerce and Resettlement and Cooperative Development. Why is resettlement given to this man? Is it for him to clear the other National reserve like Yala and Maduru oya also and settle Muslim people imported from other countries as he has already done to Wilpattu

20.Palani Digambaran – Minister of Upcountry New Villages, Infrastructure and Community Development This I believe is given to this man to catch the estate Tamil vote not realizing that he will carve out an Indian enclave right at the center of the Central Hill country

What does a Ministry of Internal Affairs given to Wajira Abewardhana when he is already appointed as Minister of Home Affairs? It must be just to show him a long list. Prime Minister and the President must be thinking he is a baby, in which case he should have been given a teat which could have been much cheaper to the country.

Overall other than Ministries 7, 8, 1 3, 19 and 23 all others are like jumble sale joints. They are meticulously designed for vote caching. These politicians have no idea of governance or development. Among this long list of 29 I don’t see even five fellows fit to be Ministers of State. It looks a conundrum par excellent for the general public to solve.

If the Prime Minister cannot prepare an intelligent list of Ministries or on the other hand he submits an inconsistent and childish list by design why couldn’t the President at least correct it? When both have failed that clearly and precisely shows the quality Heads of Government we have. Isn’t it a classic case in world political history where the blind is leading the blind at the peril of a nation?

I can go on. But now for brevity I leave for you to add your own comments for your own amusement.