Colombo, May 23 (newsin.asia): Eight more MPs were included in the multi-party Sri Lankan cabinet on Monday, taking the total number of cabinet ministers to 19. However, the minority communities are under-represented. There is only one Northern Tamil, and a single Muslim. There is no representative of the Indian Origin Tamil or the plantation labor community. And there is no Finance Minister, though Sri Lanka is facing an acute financial problem.
The new ministers whi were sworn in at the President’s House in the Fort were:
Douglas Devananda – Minister of Fisheries
Mahinda Amaraweera – Minister of Agriculture, Forest Resources & Wildlife
Roshan Ranasinghe – Minister of Irrigation, Sports and Youth
Bandula Gunawardena – Minister of Mass Media, Transport & Highways
Vidura Wickramanayake – Minister of Buddhashasana, Religious Affairs and Cultural Affairs
Keheliya Rambukwella – Minister of Water Supply
Ramesh Pathirana – Minister of Industries
Ahamed Naseer Zainulabdeen – Minister of Environment
Thirteen cabinet ministers including Rambukwella and Pathirana had been appointed on two previous occasions. Accordingly, this brings the total number of cabinet ministersColombom to 19.
The following ministers were sworn-in on May 20:
1. Nimal Siripala de Silva – Minister of Ports, Shipping and Aviation
2. Susil Premajayanth – Minister of Education
3. Keheliya Rambukwella – Minister of Health
4. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe – Minister of Justice, Prison Affairs and Constitutional Reforms
5. Harin Fernando – Minister of Tourism and Lands
6. Ramesh Pathirana – Minister of Plantation Industry
7. Manusha Nanayakkara – Minister of Labor and Foreign Employment
8. Nalin Fernando – Minister of Trade, Commerce and Food Security
9. Tiran Alles – Minister of Public Security
The following ministers were sworn-in on May 14:
• Prof. G.L. Peiris – Minister of Foreign Affairs
• Dinesh Gunawardena – Minister of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government
• Prasanna Ranatunga – Minister of Urban Development and Housing
• Kanchana Wijesekara – Minister of Power and Energy
There is still no minister representing the plantation or Indian Tamil community in the cabinet. There is no Finance Minister either. There is only one Muslim.
END