Sri Lanka’s Water Supply Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara on Monday said he will boycott cabinet meetings to protest the sacking of his two colleagues by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa during a snap cabinet reshuffle last week, underlining the deep-rooted fissures within the ruling coalition government.
On Thursday, Rajapaksa sacked two high-ranking cabinet ministers — Udaya Gammanpila from the energy minister portfolio and Wimal Weerawansa, industries minister after they openly criticised his younger brother and Minister of Finance Basil Rajapaksa, accusing him of having a rigid working style that caused the island nation’s ongoing economic woes.
Sri Lanka is currently reeling under a severe foreign exchange crisis with falling reserves and the government is unable to foot the bill for essential imports. The ousted ministers were members of the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP).
“My party’s central committee has decided that I stay away from attending cabinet meetings but continue to function as a minister,” Nanayakkara said.
Both Gammanpila and Weerawansa have taken potshots at the younger Rajapaksa, terming him as an ugly American for holding dual citizenship. The Rajapaksa family has a strong political image in Sri Lanka and holds a tight grip on the island nation’s politics.
Following the 2019 Sri Lankan elections, the Rajapaksa family has kept several portfolios in the current government under their control. President Rajapaksa, while holding the all-powerful executive presidency has his older brother Mahinda Rajapaksa, the former president, as the current prime minister.
Mahinda’s son Namal, the heir apparent, is the current minister of youth and sports. Chamal Rajapaksha, the older brother of both president and prime minister, is also a senior minister. Basil, who is younger than the three, is currently holding the Finance ministry portfolio.
Chamal’s son Shasheendra is also a state minister. Gamini Lokuge who replaced Gammanpila as the energy minister said it was wrong for the sacked ministers to be critical while being members of the Cabinet.
Nanayakkara’s Democratic Left Front along with 10 other smaller parties, including the two led by Gammanpila and Weerawansa have been in the ruling SLPP-led coalition government after the August 2020 parliamentary elections.
The largest party, helmed by the former President Maithripala Sirisena’s Freedom Party and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa are scheduled to meet to discuss the fissures within the ruling coalition, sources confirmed.
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