Shyamon did not quote fully what Minister Kiriella

Shyamon Jayasinghe did not quote fully what Minister Kiriella

Veluppillai Thangavelu

Shyamon Jayasinghe did not quote fully what Minister Kiriella told Minister and UNP Chairman Kabir Kashim.  He omitted vital parts of it. Here is the full version-

One: he had secret dealings with President Sirisena. This was together with Premadasa. The leader of the party was never kept informed of any of these secret discussions ordeals, he said. Kiriella also said Hashim did not inform UNP leader Wickremesinghe that he was taking his oaths after he had resigned together with Muslim ministerial colleagues.  He was the Minister for Minister of Highways & Road Development and Petroleum Resources DevelopmentPostal ServicesThough he was Chairman of the party, he has thus surreptitiously by-passed the leader, charged Kiriella.

Two: Being Chairman of the UNP, he has endorsed the conduct of public rallies in favour of Premadasa. No decision over such meetings had been taken by the party or its leader. This, he said, was in open defiance of the UNP leadership.

Three: Hashim has met SLPP candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa secretly. Kiriella said that the matter had been made public by Minister Navin Dissanayake at a government parliamentary group meeting. He has had a three-hour-long meeting.

Four: He tried to stall the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) from being added to his own portfolio. Kabir Saha Sajith Janadipathi Sirisena ekka deal daanawa or Kabir and Sajith are working deals with President Sirisena. “The President told me Kabir ‘magey oluwa kanna hadanawa’ or Kabir is trying to eat my head. He had come with four others to tell me not to give CPC to me,” declared Kiriella. This had been conveyed to him when he visited the Presidential Secretariat.

Kiriella said that the CPC was only ‘parked’ in Hashim’s Ministry and the Premier had made it clear to him. Before the Premier was to write to the President, he had, in fact, telephoned Hashim and told him about it. After the Premier had recommended to the President that he (Kiriella) should be given the CPC, he (Hashim) went to meet Sirisena and scuttled it. In my view, this is treachery, he charged. “What right have you got to defy the party leader,” asked Kiriella from Hashim. (http://www.sundaytimes.lk/190908/columns/new-alliance-with-premadasa-not-working-out-sirisena-shifts-bets-back-with-slpp-367615.html)

So the UNP Chairman did not have the common courtesy to inform his leader that he was taking his oaths as a Minister before President Sirisena. Of course, it is a mystery how the President appointed these  Ministers without Prime Minister’s advice. Knowing the idiosyncrasies of Sirisena who exhibits total ignorance of the constitution this comes as no surprise.

The 19th Amendment to the constitution is clear on the point who can appoint a Minister and whose advice the appointment is done. The 19 A  restored certain degree of powers to the Prime Minister.

The prime minister is the second in the order of procedure after the president and head of the cabinet of Ministers. The Prime Minister would be a member of the constitutional council national council, national security council and the most senior member of the Cabinet of Ministers.

As head of the cabinet of ministers, the Prime Minister has the power to:

Determine the number of Cabinet Ministers and Ministries and assignment of subjects.

Determine the number of Non-cabinet Ministers and Ministries and assignment of subjects.

Principal adviser to the president

By the constitution, the Prime Minister holds formal power to ADVISE the president on:

Appoint, dismiss, or accept the resignation of cabinet and non-cabinet ministers.

Change of subjects assigned to cabinet ministers.

Kabir Kashim was not the lone sheep. He was joined by Abdul Haleem who took oaths as Minister of  Postal Services & Muslim Religious Affairs. Abdul Haleem was an appointed MP owing allegiance of the UNP, especially its leader. In all 4 Muslim Ministers, 4 State Ministers and one Deputy Minister resigned on June 03.2019.

All Muslim Ministers including the cabinet, state and deputy ministers in the Sri Lankan government resigned from their ministerial portfolios on June 3rd citing the government’s failure to ensure the safety of Muslims following Easter Sunday attacks. Citing growing instances of Sri Lanka’s Muslims being “demonised” and “framed” following the Easter terror attacks, all nine Muslim Ministers stepped down.. This sudden move came in the wake of a fasting Buddhist monk’s demand that three key politicians, including a Minister, resign over alleged links with Easter suspects.

But, Kabir Kashim and Abdul Haleem rejoined the cabinet on June 19th  just two weeks after resigning their portfolios. They could no wait a minute longer and both were in such a hurry they had no time to inform their leader.

Speaking to the media on 22 July,  former minister Rauf Hakeem said the present problems need to be resolved before they can accept the ministerial portfolios again and they have informed the government of the issues. “We need to see an atmosphere of resolving those issues swiftly. No decision has been made yet and may take some time.”

Fish cannot survive even for a few minutes without water,  so are the Muslim Ministers. They join the ruling party comes rain or sun. Rauf Hakeem and the rest of the SLMC during Mahinda Rajapaksa’s dispensation voted for 18A. They also voted in favour of 19A which nullified 18A. The Muslim leaders have no policies or principles, what matters is self-interest!