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Sidelined
Mangala comes out against JM "If the Joint Mechanism is the reason to weaken the coalition or destroy it, then the JM will be useless and it is essential to think again," he told our sister paper Irida Lankadeepa in an interview. Mr. Samaraweera said that though members of the SLFP and the people believed that there were no ill-effects in the Joint Mechanism, if it were to create a crisis in the government the majority would oppose the proposed mechanism. "This is not a time to take strong decisions," he said. "Even if we need the mechanism, we will have to rethink about the process if it would endanger the government," he said. His remarks came as Mr. Samaraweera appeared sidelined by President Chandrika Kumaratunga. She has named two of her confidants to spearhead a campaign to educate the public about the virtues of the Joint Mechanism now officially known as the Post-Tsunami Operational Management Structure (P-TOMS). Harim Peiris, Director General of Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction and Eric Fernando, Director General of the Presidential Media Unit have been assigned for the campaign. They have been asked to meet heads of state media daily at 8.30 a.m. President Kumaratunga had intimated this appointment directly to Media Ministry Secretary W.B. Ganegala and Mr. Samaraweera had not been told. |
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