Promotions, Demotions
24 May 2017
Monday's Cabinet reshuffle centred round four key portfolios, though there was double that number involved.
Those were 'Ports', going under the expanded version of 'Ports and Shipping,' 'Media', 'Finance' and the creation of a new portfolio called 'Development Assignments.'
In these aspects, Ports and Shipping Minister Arjuna Ranatunga was demoted to be Petroleum Resources Development Minister, Parliamentary Reforms and Mass Media Minister Gayantha Karunathilaka to 'Lands and Parliamentary Affairs' and Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake to Foreign Affairs.
And the promotions: Foreign Affairs Minister Mangala Samaraweera as Finance and Mass Media Minister and UNP's national list MP Tilak Marapana, PC, as the minister of a new ministry especially created for him, i.e. that of 'Development Assignments' Minister.
Samaraweera's promotion rests not in him being granted the 'Finance' portfolio, but rather the 'Mass Media' portfolio.
Mahinda Samarasinghe's re-assignment from Skills Development and Vocational Training Minister to Ports and Shipping Minister, more than being a promotion to him, may be classified as being a punishment to Ranatunga, the former Ports and Shipping Minister.
Among Ranatunga's sins is opposing the leasing of one of several of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa's white elephant projects, the Hambantota Port to the Chinese for US$ 1.1 billion to get over the current debt trap. Nonetheless, Ports and Shipping is a key ministry portfolio in the Cabinet. Forty years ago, President J. R. Jayewardene appointed an unknown MP called Lalith Athulathmudali as Trade and Shipping Minister to usher in his dream of making the Colombo Port the hub port in South Asia. There was no separate Ports Ministry then.
Athulathmudali, hearkening unto 'his master's voice,' made this dream a reality with Japanese aid, given as one of several marks of gratitude, due to Jayewardene's plea for mercy for war defeated Japan, in the dock at San Francisco in 1951 and which plea won the day.
'Media' is a sensitive portfolio. Samaraweera as the Unity Government's Foreign Minister, successfully steered the country to regain the lost GSP+ duty free facility in exports to Sri Lanka's largest market the EU, lost in August 2010 due to Rajapaksa's blunderings. Samaraweera, who in part was responsible for the controversial October 2015 Geneva resolution which called for foreign jurists to interfere in the internal affairs of the country vis-à-vis alleged human rights violations committed by the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) in its 26-year war with Tamil terrorism, nevertheless, helped GoSL to get a reprieve till at least 2019 to implement these recommendations. Nonetheless, GoSL and its Cabinet cannot run away from the responsibility of co-sponsoring this resolution together with the USA, Sri Lanka's largest export market, countrywise.
Under these circumstances, the media portfolio plays a key role, being Sri Lanka's voice, overseas, in this era of globalization, GSP+, Geneva and human rights and all that. For that purpose, Sri Lanka needs an articulate voice. Samaraweera, who had been the Media Minister before, i.e. in the Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga government of August 1994 to December 2001, fits the groove.
It was the UNP which won the day at Monday's Cabinet reshuffle, by getting one of its MPs, Marapana, once more into the Cabinet.
Marapana served in the National Unity Government's Cabinet for two months previously, from September to November, 2015, before resigning over the Avante Garde affair. This affair now appears to have had died a natural death.
Samaraweera, Karunathilaka and Karunanayake are also all from the UNP, whereas Samarasinghe, a former UNPer, crossed over to the SLFP/UPFA during Rajapaksa's tenure.
Ranatunga is also from the SLFP/UPFA. As far as the other ministers who were subjected to yesterday's reshuffle, namely W. D. J. Seneviratne, Mahinda Amaraweera, S. B. Dissanayake and Chandima Weerakkody, are from the SLFP/UPFA and were Cabinet Ministers even before Monday's reshuffle.
Nonetheless, Karunanayake, the Unity Government's Finance Minister from January 2015 to Monday, has presented three budgets, appointed his brother-in-law as one of two managing directors of Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation Ltd. and was responsible for increasing the VAT, a baby of the IMF, by four percentage points to 15% whilst also making supermarket retail transactions VATable. Nevertheless, there is collective Cabinet responsibility over the VAT hike.
If J. R. Jayewardene, as Finance Minister in 1953, was responsible for the hartal after raising the price of a measure of rice by 50 cents to 75 cents, resulting in the resignation of Premier Dudley Senanayake, the demotion of Jayewardene from Finance to Agriculture Minister and the UNP losing the Parliamentary Election three years later, there are similarities to Karunanayake's demotion 64 years later.
The first budget which Karunanayake produced in January 2015, no sooner the Unity Government was instituted to power after Maithripala Sirisena's presidential election victory of 8 January, 2015, was an election budget targeting the parliamentary elections, subsequently held in August 2015.
His second budget held soon after, was checkmated by his Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as being austere. And his removal took place seven months after the presentation of his third budget in November.
Nonetheless, Karunanayake, in his new role as Foreign Minister should take advantage over the terrorist bombing at Manchester on Monday, by issuing a message of condolence to London and Whitehall over this tragedy as his first positive move in his new role. UK, USA and the rest of the West played key roles in drafting the controversial October 2015 resolution involving Sri Lanka.
Those were 'Ports', going under the expanded version of 'Ports and Shipping,' 'Media', 'Finance' and the creation of a new portfolio called 'Development Assignments.'
In these aspects, Ports and Shipping Minister Arjuna Ranatunga was demoted to be Petroleum Resources Development Minister, Parliamentary Reforms and Mass Media Minister Gayantha Karunathilaka to 'Lands and Parliamentary Affairs' and Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake to Foreign Affairs.
And the promotions: Foreign Affairs Minister Mangala Samaraweera as Finance and Mass Media Minister and UNP's national list MP Tilak Marapana, PC, as the minister of a new ministry especially created for him, i.e. that of 'Development Assignments' Minister.
Samaraweera's promotion rests not in him being granted the 'Finance' portfolio, but rather the 'Mass Media' portfolio.
Mahinda Samarasinghe's re-assignment from Skills Development and Vocational Training Minister to Ports and Shipping Minister, more than being a promotion to him, may be classified as being a punishment to Ranatunga, the former Ports and Shipping Minister.
Among Ranatunga's sins is opposing the leasing of one of several of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa's white elephant projects, the Hambantota Port to the Chinese for US$ 1.1 billion to get over the current debt trap. Nonetheless, Ports and Shipping is a key ministry portfolio in the Cabinet. Forty years ago, President J. R. Jayewardene appointed an unknown MP called Lalith Athulathmudali as Trade and Shipping Minister to usher in his dream of making the Colombo Port the hub port in South Asia. There was no separate Ports Ministry then.
Athulathmudali, hearkening unto 'his master's voice,' made this dream a reality with Japanese aid, given as one of several marks of gratitude, due to Jayewardene's plea for mercy for war defeated Japan, in the dock at San Francisco in 1951 and which plea won the day.
'Media' is a sensitive portfolio. Samaraweera as the Unity Government's Foreign Minister, successfully steered the country to regain the lost GSP+ duty free facility in exports to Sri Lanka's largest market the EU, lost in August 2010 due to Rajapaksa's blunderings. Samaraweera, who in part was responsible for the controversial October 2015 Geneva resolution which called for foreign jurists to interfere in the internal affairs of the country vis-à-vis alleged human rights violations committed by the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) in its 26-year war with Tamil terrorism, nevertheless, helped GoSL to get a reprieve till at least 2019 to implement these recommendations. Nonetheless, GoSL and its Cabinet cannot run away from the responsibility of co-sponsoring this resolution together with the USA, Sri Lanka's largest export market, countrywise.
Under these circumstances, the media portfolio plays a key role, being Sri Lanka's voice, overseas, in this era of globalization, GSP+, Geneva and human rights and all that. For that purpose, Sri Lanka needs an articulate voice. Samaraweera, who had been the Media Minister before, i.e. in the Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga government of August 1994 to December 2001, fits the groove.
It was the UNP which won the day at Monday's Cabinet reshuffle, by getting one of its MPs, Marapana, once more into the Cabinet.
Marapana served in the National Unity Government's Cabinet for two months previously, from September to November, 2015, before resigning over the Avante Garde affair. This affair now appears to have had died a natural death.
Samaraweera, Karunathilaka and Karunanayake are also all from the UNP, whereas Samarasinghe, a former UNPer, crossed over to the SLFP/UPFA during Rajapaksa's tenure.
Ranatunga is also from the SLFP/UPFA. As far as the other ministers who were subjected to yesterday's reshuffle, namely W. D. J. Seneviratne, Mahinda Amaraweera, S. B. Dissanayake and Chandima Weerakkody, are from the SLFP/UPFA and were Cabinet Ministers even before Monday's reshuffle.
Nonetheless, Karunanayake, the Unity Government's Finance Minister from January 2015 to Monday, has presented three budgets, appointed his brother-in-law as one of two managing directors of Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation Ltd. and was responsible for increasing the VAT, a baby of the IMF, by four percentage points to 15% whilst also making supermarket retail transactions VATable. Nevertheless, there is collective Cabinet responsibility over the VAT hike.
If J. R. Jayewardene, as Finance Minister in 1953, was responsible for the hartal after raising the price of a measure of rice by 50 cents to 75 cents, resulting in the resignation of Premier Dudley Senanayake, the demotion of Jayewardene from Finance to Agriculture Minister and the UNP losing the Parliamentary Election three years later, there are similarities to Karunanayake's demotion 64 years later.
The first budget which Karunanayake produced in January 2015, no sooner the Unity Government was instituted to power after Maithripala Sirisena's presidential election victory of 8 January, 2015, was an election budget targeting the parliamentary elections, subsequently held in August 2015.
His second budget held soon after, was checkmated by his Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as being austere. And his removal took place seven months after the presentation of his third budget in November.
Nonetheless, Karunanayake, in his new role as Foreign Minister should take advantage over the terrorist bombing at Manchester on Monday, by issuing a message of condolence to London and Whitehall over this tragedy as his first positive move in his new role. UK, USA and the rest of the West played key roles in drafting the controversial October 2015 resolution involving Sri Lanka.
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