Sri Lanka Prez opts for smaller Cabinet with fresh faces – The Tribune

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayaka on Monday appointed a 21-member Cabinet in the new NPP government, keeping with his pre-election promise to streamline the governance system and ease the burden on taxpayers.

The National People’s Power (NPP) has been advocating a smaller government to reduce costs for the public. Since the NPP won the presidential election in September, the government functioned with just three ministers, including the President.

As per the island nation’s Constitution, there is a provision for appointing a 30-member Cabinet.

Dissanayaka retained the finance and defence portfolios, while appointing 12 new parliament members to key positions and entrusting eight veteran members, who have served since 2000, with significant responsibilities.

Among the fresh faces in the Cabinet are five professors. Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya, who holds the education portfolio, and Saroja Savithri Paulraj, who has the women and child affairs portfolio, are the two women members in the Cabinet. Paulraj, a minority Tamil from the Sinhala majority south, was involved in the party’s long struggle.

A significant feature of the swearing-in ceremony was Fisheries Minister Ramalingam Chandrasekaran, who took his oath in Tamil, highlighting the representation of the minority community in the new government.

The new parliament will convene on Thursday.

The NPP, led by Dissanayake, swept the parliamentary elections held on Thursday by winning a two-thirds majority. It also dominated the Jaffna electoral district — the heartland of the nation’s Tamil minority. The NPP won a near 62 per cent of the vote, 2/3rd majority of 159 seats in the 225-member Assembly.

21 members appointed

• Dissanayaka retains finance, defence portfolios
• 12 new members, 8 veterans appointed
• Five professors among fresh faces
• Women members include Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya (education), Saroja Savithri Paulraj (women and child affairs)