Senior Ministers are unclear about their exact functions and duties, despite last week’s gazette notification giving details of their ministerial duties.
The Senior Ministers will be operating from an office building in Kollupitiya that formerly housed the Employees’ Trust Fund (ETF).
Staffing is a prime concern for the Senior Ministers, who are not sure whether they will be given secretaries and other key staff members who were once part of a Minister’s privilege.
The Senior Ministers discussed their concerns with the Sunday Times.
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| The interior of the building getting a facelift . Pix by Sanka Vidanagama |
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| ‘Vishramapaya’:The building in Kollupitiya from where the senior ministers will function |
The Minister (Senior) for Urban Affairs, A. H. M. Fowzie, who has been told that he will be co-ordinating six ministries, said he was awaiting further instructions from the Presidential Secretariat on how the co-ordination was to be done. Ministries coming under Mr. Fowzie’s purview include Health, Education, Housing, and Highways.
The National Assets Minister (Senior), Piyasena Gamage, said he was not clear on the exact nature of his duties, and that ministerial secretaries had not yet been named.
The Consumer Welfare Minister (Senior), S. B. Nawinna, had expected the ministerial secretaries to be appointed after the November budget. “Consumers have issues in relation to some of the ministries I will be working with, including the Agriculture and Power ministries. I look forward to helping to sort out these problems,” he said.
Minister Nawinna said reports on functional shortcomings in ministries would be sent directly to the President.
The Human Resources Minister (Senior), D. E. W. Gunasekara, said his brief was to develop the human resources of the ministries he would be co-ordinating.
International Monetary Co-operation Minister (Senior), Dr. Sarath Amunugama, said he would be representing the government at meetings with international financial institutions. He will be overseeing Finance, Economic Development, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment, Trade and Commerce, Science, Technology, Industry, Tourism and Aviation. Dr. Amunugama will be working from an office at the Treasury.
Renovations are under way at the Kollupitiya office premises for the Senior Ministers. Some state institutions, including the former Public Service Commission, continue to occupy the building.
Meanwhile, some Cabinet Ministers have not been assigned any state departments, public corporations or statutory institutions.
Mervyn Silva, who was appointed Cabinet Minister of Public Relations and Public Affairs, has no institutions under him.
Water Supply and Drainage Minister, Dinesh Gunawardena, is overseeing just one entity, the National Water Supply and Drainage Board.
C. B. Ratnayake, Minister of the newly formed Private Transport Ministry, is also overseeing just one entity, the National Transport Commission.
Likewise, Public Management Reforms Minister, Navin Dissanayake, will be overseeing only the National Administrative Reforms Council. |
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