Ever Ending Ministry Portfolios

Currently there  are 47  Cabinet Ministers, 23 Deputy  Ministers and  19 State Ministers.In addition yesterday three Ministers took oaths. UPFA Galle District MP Manusha Nanayakkara was sworn in as the Deputy Minister of Foreign Employment while United National Party Kalutara District MP Palitha Thewarapperuma was sworn in as the Deputy Minister of Internal, Cultural and Wayamba Development and Badulla District United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) MP Lakshman Seneviratne was sworn in as the State Minister of Science, Technology and Research.

Wimal Weerawansa raised the issue of increasing number of Ministers in Parliament. He said that according to constitutional amendment No 19th , Cabinet Ministers should have been confined to 30. But in the name of National Government,Ministers are increased. He requested the Speaker to disclose the real number of Ministers in the Government.

In quick response, the Speaker said, that disclosing the number of Ministers is none of his business. But Wimal Weerawansa continued to insist  stating  in his capacity as speaker , he should  inform the House.

At this juncture leader of the House , Laksman Kirriella rose to answer. He said, that there are still vacancies in the Cabinet and some of your members are preparing to cross over to the Government  party. Hence, it is not possible to fix the numbers and announce it.

Intervening Minister, Wijedasa Rajapakshe said, if you deduct the number of members leaving joint opposition and add the same number to the number in the cabinet, you get at the correct numbers of Ministers. All so called  joint opposition members in parliament stood up and shouted slogans demanding to announce the number of Ministers.