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37 State Ministers sworn in

09 Sep 2022

  •  New State Ministers say they refuse privileges
A total of 37 new State Ministers were sworn in at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo, under the patronage of President Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday (8) morning, following which the new State Ministers told media that they do not require privileges to support the President’s efforts to rebuild the economy. Accordingly, Jagath Pushpakumara was sworn in as State Minister of Foreign Employment Promotion, Ranjith Siyambalapitiya was sworn in as State Minister of Finance, Lasantha Alagiyawanna was sworn in as State Minister of Transport, Janaka Wakkumbura was sworn in as State Minister of Provincial Councils and Local Government, and Mohan Priyadarshana de Silva was sworn in as State Minister of Agriculture. Rohana Dissanayake was sworn in as State Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs, Lohan Ratwatte was sworn in as State Minister of Plantation Industries, Indika Anuruddha was sworn in as State Minister of Power and Energy, Sanath Nishantha was sworn in as State Minister of Water Supply, and Dilum Amunugama was sworn in as State Minister of Investment Promotion. Vijitha Berugoda was sworn in as State Minister of Piriven Education, Siripala Gamlath was sworn in as State Minister of Highways, Shantha Bandara was sworn in as State Minister of Mass Media, Kanaka Herath was sworn in as State Minister of Technology, and Shehan Semasinghe was sworn in as State Minister of Finance. Thenuka Vidanagamage was sworn in as State Minister of Economic Development and Housing, Pramitha Bandara Tennakoon was sworn in as State Minister of Defence, Arundika Fernando was sworn in as State Minister of Urban Development and Housing, Tharaka Balasuriya was sworn in as State Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Anuradha Jayaratne was sworn in as State Minister of Justice and Prisons Reforms. Sathasivam Viyalanderan was sworn in as State Minister of Trade, Sisira Jayakody was sworn in as State Minister of Indigenous Medicine, Piyal Nishantha de Silva was sworn in as State Minister of Fisheries, Prasanna Ranaweera was sworn in as State Minister of Small- and Medium-Scale Enterprise Development, and D.V. Chanaka was sworn in as State Minister of Conservation of Wildlife and Forest Reserves. D.B. Herath was sworn in as State Minister of Livestock Development, Shasheendra Rajapaksa was sworn in as State Minister of Irrigation, Dr. Seetha Arambepola was sworn in as State Minister of Health, Kader Masthan was sworn in as State Minister of Rural Economy, and Ashoka Priyantha was sworn in as State Minister of Home Affairs. Aravindh Kumar was sworn in as State Minister of Education, Geetha Kumarasinghe was sworn in as State Minister of Women and Child Affairs, Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan was sworn in as State Minister of Rural Road Development, Suren Raghavan was sworn in as State Minister of Higher Education, and Diana Gamage was sworn in as State Minister of Tourism, while Chamara Sampath Dasanayake was sworn in as State Minister of Primary Industries and Anupa Pasqual was sworn in as State Minister of Social Empowerment. Following their swearing in, the new State Ministers told reporters outside the Presidential Secretariat that they do not require privileges to support the programme carried out by President Ranil Wickremesinghe in his efforts to develop the country. They pointed out that establishing economic stability in the country is the priority at the moment, and as State Ministers, they hope to provide maximum support to the line ministries by taking on the responsibilities of the Government. Expressing his views, State Minister of Mass Media Shantha Bandara said: “At this point, the hope of the President and the Prime Minister is to build the country. We all have a responsibility to build the country that has fallen economically. A ministry should fulfil the responsibility that has been entrusted to it, regardless of the portfolio. Someone may think that we will have to bear a lot of expenses through this. Therefore, we also need to compromise.  “We have clearly told the President that we will not obtain our ministerial salaries, but only avail our salaries as MPs and carry out our duties. This is a duty that we have to do for the country. The President acted in accordance with the Constitution. It should be specially mentioned that no activity has been done in violation of the Constitution. “A strong government is required to attract investors and get loan assistance. It needs political stability. We need a Cabinet, including State Ministers. The strength of the Government depends on that. Due to this decision, there is some positive response from the  International Monetary Fund (IMF). While everyone is working with dedication towards a specific goal, we must extend our praise to the President, as he deserves it.” State Minister of Primary Industries Chamara Sampath Dasanayake stated: “We worked in the past with or without privileges. There is no need to make State Ministries an ornament. We worked back then and we are working even now. I did not accept this portfolio to get privileges, to run after vehicles and fuel. I took over this ministry to serve the people. This is a ministry where I can work with the people in the village. I hope to provide maximum service to the people through this new position.” State Minister of Foreign Employment Promotion Jagath Pushpakumara stated: “The country was in a political crisis during the recent past. No one wanted to take over this country at that time. The current President Ranil Wickremesinghe accepted the post of Prime Minister. Later he accepted the Presidency. We gave him our support through Parliament.  “State Ministers were appointed to assist the President. Now we have got the opportunity to work under him. I accepted this post in order to strengthen the hands of the President. We cannot hoodwink the country any further by being divided.  “It is pointless for those who are sent to work being divided and forming alliances. Alliances are necessary only in elections. We have continuously said that we need to strengthen Parliament. It doesn’t matter whether the ministry is big or small. We should accept what is entrusted to us and work. I will execute the responsibility given to me with transparency.”  State Minister for Urban Development and Housing Arundika Fernando stated: “According to the President's decision, several State Ministers took their oaths after several rounds of negotiations. We made him President. He assumed the presidency with our blessings. We should support him unconditionally. As State Ministers, we have taken decisions to get only the MPs’ salaries without getting any special privileges. This will be a relief for the country. Not just a few, but all of us have taken a collective decision not to accept privileges. We unconditionally support the President’s efforts to save the country from its dire predicament. We don’t want to take privileges and rebel. We believe that the other MPs will also support us.”  State Minister of Home Affairs Ashoka Priyantha stated: “At this moment, the time has come to unite as a country. Back then, under the Ministry of Home Affairs, it was necessary to strengthen the State machinery and build the country by gathering all the district offices and regional offices of the country. I am still working as an MP. I have not taken decisions based on privileges. The country can serve the people only if the President and the Prime Minister are empowered. The State Ministry of Home Affairs will do its best to build the country.”


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