Dilan, Pavithra, C.B. and Mahinda Yapa to resign from Minister posts

Dilan, Pavithra, C.B. and Mahinda Yapa ....

to resign from Minister posts

11 a.m.

Four members of parliament of United National Freedom

Alliance who received Minister portfolios in the new government have resigned from their positions a short while ago. Dilan Perera, C.B. Ratnayaka, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena and Mrs. Pavithra Wanniaarachchi have tendered their resignations at a media briefing now being held at Colombo Opposition Leaders's office.

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8.45 a.m.

Though portfolios of Ministerial posts were assigned to those who represented the UNP after the new government came into power, a number of positions of Ministerial posts and Deputy Minister posts were bestowed on group of MPs of the SLFP a few days later by the President as a strategy of approving the 19th Amendment with the purpose of getting the support of the Opposition Party. It became a challenge even to the Mahinda faction built up by Wimal who started a power on its ownself on a side during the time opposition MPs struggled to grab Ministerial positions in a derogated environment when a powerful influence could be exerted at the elections which was defeated. A group of such Ministers who had been appointed as representing the Sri Lanka Freedom Party made a special announcement saying that they are leaving their positions at a moment when the life-span of their their positions is drawing to a close.

The fact that the provincial councils are being dissolved in an informal manner without taking into consideration the strong protests of the Party and that the government has so far not taken any interest in conducting elections in respect of same are the causes which they point out as the main reasons for their resignation.

In actual fact, the President brought the provincial councils under a commissioner according to a legal procedure because the time has elapsed in relation to the provincial councils not for that particular reason as such, but because it was not Maithripala supporters were not present there.

It was the strategy of Mahinda and his crowd to go for the general election and win the vote by retaining the provincial council powers within the SLFP with the support of those powerful elements. As reported, a number of Cabinet Ministers, State Ministers and Deputy Ministers totalling close upon ten are supposed to give up their portfolio in this manner.