• RW angers SLPP with reshuffle while group of SLPPers discusses need to distance from Govt.
• Kariyawasam meets MR to explain displeasure of SLPPers with RW; MR tells RW to be mindful
• Group of state ministers meets with Namal, wants to regroup for further discussion on action
• RW warns of dissolving House and calling polls after anti-Govt. public comments by SLPPers
• SLFP tries to downplay SLPP’s objection to additional portfolios; dissident SLPPers support SLFP
• Lanza defends RW’s move and challenges Kariyawasam; Nishantha blames Lanza for 2015 defeat
• Foreign Ministry gets tough with NARA, says no joint work with China’s Shi Yan 6 without approval
• IMF wants strong Budget and narrower deficit from Govt. while awaiting Board approval for tranche
• Prasanna and Sarath denied visas to US; Sarath asks Defence Ministry to warn US Envoy on statements

That all is not well within the Ranil Wickremesinghe Government could be an understatement given the inter-Government clashes and increasing displeasure among Government members witnessed last week.

While the country awaits the complete revival of the economy, President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Monday (23) surprised many people, including his Government and key coalition partner – the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) – with a surprise mini Cabinet reshuffle. 

Unsurprisingly, Keheliya Rambukwella, who had been under heavy criticism for the health crisis in the country, was the main Minister who was shuffled. Removed from his portfolio, Rambukwella was handed the Environment portfolio, which fell vacant following the expulsion of Naseer Ahamed from Parliament several weeks ago. With the President handling environmental matters, it appeared as though Rambukwella’s operations within the ministry would be coming under close scrutiny of the President. 

Seeing the displeasure on Rambukwella’s face following the reshuffle, the President had informed him that there was a lot to be done at the Environment Ministry. Ramesh Pathirana was handed the Health portfolio, alongside his existing Industries portfolio. 

This change, however, was not a smooth one, with sources indicating that Pathirana had been reluctant to take up the portfolio following pressure from several SLPPers, including Basil Rajapaksa, to not support a shuffle. 

Pathirana, it is learnt, had told the President that taking up the Health portfolio was similar to drinking from a poisoned chalice. However, his concerns seem to have been assuaged with the indication that the public was well aware of the issues caused in the sector by his predecessor, and that his assumption of duties would be viewed as a rescue effort. 

The SLPP was expectedly annoyed with Party General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam lashing out at the President over the shuffle. SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa was also quick to follow suit, accusing the President of not being aware of how to work in a coalition. These comments did not go unnoticed, with Nimal Lanza hitting back, accusing Rajapaksa of staying silent when Gotabaya Rajapaksa continually shuffled his Cabinet. 

Highly-placed sources have indicated that Namal had been vocal in a recent meeting, suggesting that the SLPP should threaten to withhold support for the President over these changes. However, he had not received support at the time, with many members saying that Rambukwella’s change was necessary as the public had lost all confidence in the Minister.

Another concern had been raised over the additional portfolio handed over to Ranjith Siyambalapitiya (non-Cabinet Minister of Plantation Industries) and the additional portfolio of Plantation Industries being handed over to Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera. 

However, the President had reportedly informed the SLPP that with Ahamed’s removal from the Cabinet, there was one less member of the coalition members and so handing over this non-Cabinet portfolio to a member of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) should not cause any concerns. 

Certainly the President’s move, while angering the SLPP, has helped reduce the pressure exerted by the public over the mismanagement of the health sector.

Meanwhile, Opposition and Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Leader Sajith Premadasa has claimed that Cabinet reshuffles are the latest joke by the President and his Government. Premadasa had said that the Cabinet reshuffle was nothing but a reshuffle of the same people within the Cabinet. He had noted that Rambukwella, who was accused of being unsuitable for the portfolio of Health, had been made Environment Minister.

According to the Opposition Leader, the appointment of Rambukwella as the Minister of Environment poses the risk of the environmental sector crashing, similar to that of the health sector in the past.

Displeasure over SLFP

The SLPP meanwhile has specifically expressed its displeasure over the allocation of an additional Cabinet portfolio and a state ministerial portfolio to members of the SLFP. 

The SLPP was displeased that Wickremesinghe had assigned additional portfolios to the SLFP when there was a list of SLPPers awaiting ministerial appointments. The party claimed that Wickremesinghe’s presidency had been secured by the SLPP Members of Parliament (MPs) and that only five SLFP MPs had supported him (the President).

SLPP General Secretary Kariyawasam had noted that the President should have understood that it was the SLPP’s support that had helped him and not the SLFP.

Downplaying displeasure

Meanwhile, the SLFP members in the Government tried to downplay the SLPP’s displeasure over the allocation of additional portfolios to its party members.

The SLPP was in full force at Rambukwella’s new office at the Environment Ministry when he assumed duties on Tuesday (24). Kariyawasam and many pro-Basil members of the party were present at the event. There was however no SLPP presence when Amaraweera and Siyambalapitiya assumed duties in their new offices.

After assuming duties, Amaraweera downplayed the issue of objections raised by the SLPP over SLFPers being given more portfolios, by saying that there were SLPPers with him that day by pointing at SLPP MP Arundika Fernando.

Fernando told the media that Kariyawasam could not make statements against the SLFP since it was his personal view and not that of the party. He added that the SLPPers and SLFPers were together. 

However, SLPP Parliamentarian Rohitha Abeygunawardena slammed Fernando for his comments about Kariyawasam. Abeygunawardena charged that Fernando had entered Parliament after the last General Election from the SLPP and that Kariyawasam was the General Secretary of the party. “It was Sagara Kariyawasam who signed the nomination papers of the SLPP at the polls. He is the General Secretary of the party and what he says is the party’s stance,” he claimed.

MR displeased

Meanwhile, SLPP Leader, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa (MR) had also expressed his displeasure over last week’s mini Cabinet reshuffle.

Soon after the reshuffle, Kariyawasam had met with MR and explained that many SLPPers were displeased with the President’s latest move and that some members had even expressed the difficulty in remaining in the Government.

MR had responded saying that he could not interfere with Wickremesinghe’s actions as the President. However, Kariyawasam had reiterated the need for the SLPP to express its displeasure to the President.

It was afterwards that MR had spoken to Wickremesinghe and explained the concerns raised by many SLPPers and that they felt they were being sidelined in the Government they had helped form.

Also, a senior member of the Rajapaksa family and his son had also met with Wickremesinghe after the Cabinet reshuffle with a request. Their request was for the President to take under his purview the Pelwatte, Hingurana, and Kantale sugar factories from the Plantation Industries Ministry.

Namal advises RW

Wickremesinghe’s reshuffle also resulted in Namal making a statement on the need for President Wickremesinghe to understand coalition politics. He had noted that problems in the Government could not be solved through Cabinet reshuffles alone.

Namal had told the media last week that the President should have discussed with alliance leaders in order to maintain peace among the party. “During the Yahapalanaya Government, both leaders went in two different directions and it resulted in the country facing instability,” he had said. 

Namal had said that he believed the President should discuss with alliance leaders when making decisions in the future. When questioned about the conflict between the SLPP and SLFP, Namal had refuted the claims, alleging that it was an attempt by other groups to create such rumours of a rift.

State ministers meet

Following Wickremesinghe’s surprise Cabinet reshuffle, displeased SLPPers held several meetings in Colombo to take stock of the current developments and the future course of action of the SLPP. One such meeting had taken place at Namal’s residence as well.

A group of state ministers had attended the meeting at Namal’s place and several chairpersons of State institutions had also attended it.

The state ministers had once again expressed their grievances in carrying out their work in their ministries, which they had claimed had been ignored by the President even after explaining the problems in detail to him. They had claimed that the President had not even heeded the request made by several state ministers to change the secretaries in their ministries. “We have to work for our people and we cannot do anything. People feel that we are in the Government and are ignoring them,” one state minister had said.

Namal had responded saying it was difficult to help the people in the electorates due to the lack of financial allocations.

Another state minister had pointed out the difficulties faced by SLPPers due to the increase in utility bills and taxes due to International Monetary Fund (IMF) guidelines.

Namal had once again agreed, saying that the people blamed the SLPP as well since the party was the key coalition partner of the Government. “All the good goes to them (Wickremesinghe) and the bad goes to the SLPP.”

However, towards the conclusion of the meeting, several state ministers had noted that they would have to make some serious decisions about remaining in the Government if people were not provided with any relief in the 2024 Budget.

The state ministers had also proposed that they re-group once again to discuss the issues further. Namal had agreed and said that he would get MR’s advice and inform Basil Rajapaksa as well.

The meeting had concluded with Namal organising a dinner for all those who had attended it.

SLPP’s limited support

Senior SLPP MP S.B. Dissanayake had meanwhile made a public statement that the Government would even be toppled if the President went against the SLPP and removed ministers. He had told a private electronic media channel that his party was capable of doing a lot of things, including defeating the Budget.

However, Dissanayake had added that actions such as toppling the Government would not be resorted to at present.

This statement was further endorsed by SLPP MP Abeygunawardena, who had said the SLPP would support Wickremesinghe until the 2024 Presidential Election. “This is a temporary agreement to support the Wickremesinghe Government. We will not prematurely topple the Government, but we will support until the 2024 Presidential Election,” he had said.

He had observed that the voters could then decide who should govern the country. However, Abeygunawardena had added that the party would keep a close eye on whether the 2024 Budget would provide relief to the people.

RW gets tough

Nevertheless, comments like those made by Dissanayake and Kariyawasam on the SLPP’s support to the President and the Government and the power held by the SLPP seem to have irked Wickremesinghe.

Wickremesinghe, it is learnt, has responded to the SLPP’s various statements since the reshuffle by saying that he was prepared to dissolve Parliament immediately and go for a General Election if the SLPP decided not to support him to govern the country

The President had further told a senior SLPPer that he would not increase the number of ministers in the Government to waste public funds further when the country was facing an economic crisis. “No new portfolios were given, except a reshuffle among existing ministers. There will not be any new persons added to the Government,” Wickremesinghe had added.

Lanza defends RW

Meanwhile, the statements and counter-statements over last week’s mini-reshuffle resulted in dissident SLPP MP Nimal Lanza lashing out at SLPP General Secretary Kariyawasam. Lanza had spoken in defence of the reshuffle, which he had claimed was the right move by the President.

Lanza had told the media that if the SLPP could not work with the President, it was free to defeat Budget 2024 and go for a General Election. He had challenged the SLPP General Secretary to make such a move and leave the Government.

According to Lanza, the Health Ministry was changed following a discussion between the President and the SLPP leadership. The dissident SLPPer had explained that amalgamating Plantation Industries with the Agriculture Ministry would help both ministries work closely. “It was a correct decision by the President.”

Lanza had further explained that State Finance Minister Siyambalapitiya being assigned an additional state ministerial portfolio that had several institutions that were to be privatised was also the right decision.

“If Sagara Kariyawasam and others have the power, they can show it. They can make a firm decision without saying all this. They can sit in the Opposition,” Lanza had noted, adding that Kariyawasam should tell the President directly that they would no longer support him.

“The SLPP General Secretary kept his silence when Namal Rajapaksa was showered with ministries during the Gotabaya Rajapaksa regime, which had four or five Cabinet reshuffles,” he had added.

Lanza had further challenged the SLPP General Secretary to a one-on-one debate with him on past and present affairs of politics.

Inter-SLPP clashes

Soon after Lanza’s controversial claims, he came under fire by SLPP State Minister Sanath Nishantha. Nishantha accused Lanza of being part of the reason for the then MR Government’s defeat at the 2015 Presidential Polls.

Participating in a political discussion of an electronic media station, Nishantha had claimed that Lanza had a good knowledge in narcotic drugs and ‘kansa’ and would therefore defeat Rajapaksa (Namal) during a debate since he (Namal) did not possess such knowledge.

The State Minister had further claimed that then President MR had intervened to protect Lanza at the time when Lanza had been accused of having narcotics at his residence and that it was one of the reasons for MR’s defeat in 2015.

Criticism continues

Lanza had also faced criticism at a recent meeting of the SJB parliamentary group. A group of SJBers had discussed a group of parliamentarians who were in the habit of providing information to Lanza, with SJB seniors criticising this move.

Lanza had recently been in the Parliament lobby having a chat with Minister Amaraweera, Nalin Fernando, State Minister Lasantha Alagiyawanna, and MP Anura Priyadarshana Yapa when a young SLPP parliamentarian had made his way towards the group. The SLPPer had asked whether the group was discussing the next course of actions with the Party Leader.

Yapa had responded saying that there were no secret discussions among them. Lanza had further noted that everyone who had tried to do things in secret had failed and they (the new alliance formed by SLPP dissidents) had decided to do everything in the open.

The SLPP parliamentarian had then said that the Opposition Leader could not stand Lanza and had recently reprimanded him during a meeting. Lanza had said that although he too had heard of such an incident, he was not fully aware of the details.

However, Amaraweera had noted that there may have been some misunderstanding since the Opposition Leader was most often misled by many people. “I know him well since I too am from the Hambantota District,” he had added.

Lanza had then been informed that the Opposition Leader had asked the SJBers to stop giving information to Lanza.

After listening to the story, Fernando had laughed, saying that they had earlier been under the impression that Lanza only received information from the SLPP, but it had now transpired that Lanza was receiving information from the SJB as well. Fernando’s comment had made everyone laugh, including Lanza.

Gearing for polls

Be that as it may, the drama over last week’s reshuffle was followed by discussions in political circles on the need to gear for polls following President Wickremesinghe’s announcement last week that the Presidential Election would be held next year, followed by General Elections and Provincial Council Elections in 2025.

Addressing the party convention at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium in Colombo on 21 October, Wickremesinghe said that as per the Constitution, the Presidential Polls would be followed by Parliamentary Elections next year and the Provincial Council Elections would be held in 2025.

However, despite the President’s statement, some media reports have speculated that the country could witness an early General Election, with the Government being dissolved following the 2024 Budget presentation.

These reports have further stated that the SLPP is already holding internal discussions on facing the General Election.

SLPP pushes polls

However, claiming that it is unable to determine whether the Government intends to introduce electoral reforms in good faith or not, the ruling SLPP stated that any programme to bring in such reforms should not be a hindrance to upcoming elections.

President Wickremesinghe recently issued a gazette notification appointing a nine-member Commission of Inquiry (CoI) headed by President’s Counsel and former Chief Justice Wewage Priyasath Gerard Dep to prepare proposals for electoral reforms.

SLPP General Secretary Kariyawasam had stated that none of the upcoming elections should be postponed under the guise of electoral reforms. “We also don’t understand if this is something done in good faith or not. We all can see what has happened to the Provincial Council Elections today. So we should ensure that these reforms will not drag any of the coming elections to such a situation.”

He had also said that during a recent party leaders’ meeting to discuss the proposed electoral reforms, he had made a proposal on behalf of the SLPP to prevent any adverse situation from occurring. “We need to decide after a long discussion whether the existing electoral systems are right or wrong. However, if these proposed reforms cannot be completed before the elections are to be held in the future, the Election Commission should be empowered to conduct the relevant elections under the existing system,” Kariyawasam had noted, adding that most attendees at the meeting had agreed to his proposal.

Shi Yan 6 arrives

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was once again in the spotlight this past week with the arrival of the Chinese research vessel Shi Yan 6. Despite concerns raised by India and other countries, the Chinese vessel docked in Colombo on Wednesday (25) afternoon. 

Previously the University of Ruhuna and the Shi Yan 6 vessel had signed an agreement to carry out research in Sri Lankan waters. However, the Government has since informed the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA) that this agreement cannot go ahead without adequate approvals from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other security agencies. As such, highly-placed sources have indicated that the Government had requested to be furnished with all details regarding this research project before considering any approvals. 

The vessel was initially only permitted to dock for replenishment purposes, however permission was later granted for a two-day limited survey in the western waters with Sri Lankan scientists on board.

The arrival of Chinese vessels in Sri Lankan waters has been a topic of contention, with India and the US previously voicing concerns. During the recent visit by the President to China, this matter had been discussed with members of the delegation, indicating that Sri Lanka would decide on which countries were permitted to enter Sri Lanka’s ports. Furthermore, it had been stressed that the Indian Ocean must remain a zone of peace.

IMF looks at Budget

The IMF meanwhile is looking for a strong budget and narrower deficit from Sri Lanka as it seeks funding to bridge the gap between Government revenue and expenditure, according to the IMF Mission Chief for Sri Lanka.

Senior Mission Chief for Sri Lanka Peter Breuer had reportedly stated that the objective is not to let a shortfall happen next year and ensure revenue exceeding 12% of GDP.

“Just like approximately 12 months ago, we are of course looking for a strong budget that can achieve that, with, of course, the objective being that the gap between expenditure and revenues needs to be narrowed so that Sri Lanka can, once again, find creditors who are willing to finance the remaining gap,” Breuer had told reporters at an online briefing from Washington.

Meanwhile, State Finance Minister Shehan Semasinghe has stated that Sri Lanka would utilise the IMF’s second tranche of the bailout deal to settle arrears owed to multilateral creditors while expediting the debt restructuring process.

Semasinghe had further noted that the Staff-Level Agreement (SLA) would enable the World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB), and other multilateral financial institutions to make the remaining payments.

Visa denials

Meanwhile, the US had reportedly turned down requests for visas by two ruling party politicians – Minister Prasanna Ranatunga and Sarath Weerasekara. Both MPs had been named to attend a United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-organised international meeting of parliamentary sectoral oversight committee chairpersons.

The local delegation was to leave for the US on 21 and 22 October to study the committee process of the United States Congress, with the full financial sponsorship of the USAID and technical and coordination assistance of the National Democratic Institute (NDI), a statement from the Parliamentary Media Unit had stated.   

This study programme is being conducted with the aim of sharing knowledge and ideas about the activities of the committees that have been active for a long time in the US Congress, holding discussions with the members of those committees, and identifying their technical achievements, as well as observing their innovative trends and studying the public participation in the respective committees. 

According to reports, Parliament had been informed that a court verdict against Ranatunga and war crimes allegations against Weerasekara were the reasons for the refusal to grant visas for them to visit the US.

Opposition MP Ajith Mannapperuma, who was suspended from Parliament for one month, was also to attend the programme but had to miss it due to his suspension. The US had previously refused to allow MP Sarath Fonseka to enter the country.

Warning envoy

Meanwhile, in what seems a tit-for-tat move, Weerasekara had called for a warning to be issued on the US Envoy in Sri Lanka over some of her statements last year.

The Parliament’s Sectoral Oversight Committee on National Security had recently recommended informing US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung to refrain from making statements regarding internal affairs of Sri Lanka in the future. This recommendation had been made in response to the US Envoy’s remarks following the incidents on 9 May 2022.

The committee had convened at the Parliament Complex several weeks ago, with committee members, the Defence Secretary, three forces commanders, the Police Chief, and other Government officials in attendance. The discussion had been on matters pertaining to national security.

In a letter addressed to the State Defence Minister last week, Sectoral Oversight Committee Chairman MP Rear Admiral (Retd) Sarath Weerasekara had expressed concerns over the US Envoy’s statement on the aforementioned incident.

Weerasekara had reportedly emphasised that the Ambassador had advocated for a transparent investigation into the shooting of unarmed protesters and had stressed on the importance of safeguarding the people’s right to peaceful protest.

He had then gone on to question the Ambassador’s understanding of whether actions such as burning tyres, blocking highways and railway lines, destroying petrol stations, slashing tyres of oil bowsers, and throwing stones at the Police constituted a protest or peaceful acts.

Weerasekara had further noted how the US Army had quelled protesters who breached the Capitol Hill building in the US and inflicted damage, pointing to the Ambassador’s experience in her own country. He had also accused her of directly supporting acts of sabotage against the Government through her statements.

Julie meets Nandalal

Meanwhile, US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Chung has reinforced the need for fairness in Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring, highlighting the need for equal and equitable treatment for all creditors. Ambassador Chung had made the remarks during a meeting with Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe. 

“Today, at my meeting with @CBSL Governor I extended my congratulations on the IMF’s Staff-Level Agreement, marking progress in Sri Lanka’s effort to secure the second IMF instalment,” she had posted on X.

Reiterating the need for fairness in Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring, Chung had stated that transparency from every party involved was crucial. “The United States remains committed to an economic landscape that values fairness, transparency, integrity, and inclusivity, ensuring stability and growth in Sri Lanka,” she had added.