Stop being unethical, do not work against us’’ - President tells cabinet

 

- Urges cabinet, state ministers, to be a part of one group and work together

- Susil's sacking an indirect message to all ministers

- President angered at ministers who have gone against Yugadanavi Power deal

- Says cabinet, state ministers must maintain discipline

- New faces in cabinet reshuffle

5 January 2022 

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has urged his ministers to stop being unethical when criticising the government, stating ministers and state ministers should not work on personal agendas to topple the government, the Daily Mirror learns.

President Rajapaksa who was clearly angered at the recent remarks made by Susil Premajayantha, where he allegedly criticised the government at a market, asked his cabinet of ministers on Monday night if it was ethical that while being in government, ministers and state ministers made comments which were critical of the government policies.

The President said that any government should maintain discipline among its members and criticising in public was not a solution.

The cabinet ministers present at the cabinet meeting agreed that Premajayantha should be removed from his post as the State Minister in order to maintain this discipline as concerns should be discussed within rather than going public with it.

Senior political sources told Daily Mirror that the President's decision to sack Susil was also an indirect message to those ministers who had gone against the Yugadanavi Power Plant deal as well, and those who were passing criticising comments in the media in recent weeks.

The President has already clearly mentioned that the three ministers who went to court against Yugadanavi, namely Ministers Wimal Weerawansa, Udaya Gammanpila and Vasudeva Nanayakkara - should 'do what is right' while being in government especially since they had also agreed to the project while being seated in cabinet and acted against, behind the scenes.

The rising political war brewing within the government has led to the President agreeing to a cabinet reshuffle whilst also managing a new internal campaign carried out by Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa who is now eyeing the Prime Minister's position.

The Daily Mirror learns that while Wimal, Udaya and Vasudeva, who had been critical against some government policies in recent months as well as had been critical of Basil Rajapaksa, will remain in their portfolios in the upcoming reshuffle, some of the other key ministries will change heads.

Some state ministries will also be strengthened in order to carry out the work this year, sources said. (Jamila Husain)