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Strap: State Ministers meet PM & Prez

In the wake of certain State Ministers lamenting that fulfilling their duties and responsibilities has been hindered due to the respective Cabinet Ministers' actions, President Ranil Wickremesinghe has hinted at the gazetting of specific subjects for State Ministers in the coming days, The Daily Morning learns.

Claiming that several State Ministers including himself have been hindered from fulfilling their duties and responsibilities due to the actions of the respective Cabinet Ministers, the State Minister of Ports and Aviation Premalal Jayasekara recently said that they (the affected State Ministers) would soon inform the President of the matter.

Against this backdrop, sources within the Government told The Daily Morning that all the State Ministers had gone to meet the Prime Minister and Minister of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government, Dinesh Gunawardena and informed the latter that they were not willing to work in the current situation as they were being totally neglected by the Cabinet Ministers, and have not been entrusted with any authority or responsibility.

"When the Ministers and State Ministers were appointed by former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, specific responsibilities were given to the State Ministers, and the relevant gazette notifications were published. They had some direct duties. However, what President Wickremesinghe did was that he appointed Cabinet Ministers and State Ministers, and directed the Cabinet Ministers to gazette what they feel is better for the State Ministers under them. Only the Urban Development and Housing Minister Prasanna Ranatunga and the Plantation Industries and Industries Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana have done it though," a senior Government member said.

Considering the explanations made by the State Ministers, sources said that the Premier had then taken them to meet Wickremesinghe on 4 September, where they had a special discussion with the President. "During this discussion, the President gave some indication that the State Ministers would be given specific subjects, and that they would be gazetted under them. He (President Wickremesinghe) did not promise it, and it is totally for him to decide what should be done, but his indication was of such a nature," one of the attendees said while speaking to The Daily Morning.

Speaking to The Daily Morning recently, Jayasekara said that even though it had been several months since he assumed office as the State Minister of Ports and Aviation, he had not had the opportunity to perform any significant work or responsibilities. He claimed that the reason for the situation was that the officials of the relevant institutions that are under the Cabinet Ministry, always work only on the advice of the relevant Cabinet Minister (in reference to Minister attorney Nimal Siripala de Silva).