The President has made several cabinet reshuffles, including the removal of Prof. GL Peiris from the post of Minister of Education and appointing Dinesh Gunawardena to replace him at a time a massive campaign demanding to eliminate teacher principal salary anomalies exists.
Former Power and Energy Minister Dallas Alahapperuma has been sworn in as the new Minister of Mass Media and Gamini Lokuge as the new Minister of Power and Energy. Pavithra Wanniarachchi has been removed from the post of Minister of health and appointed as the Minister of Transport. Keheliya Rambukwella has been appointed as the new Minister of Health.
The decision taken by the President to appoint officials of private companies to foreign embassies is being implemented by the Ministry Secretary Jayanath Colombage. There was talk in the town that former Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena did not agree with the move, and interestingly, Dinesh Gunawardena has been taken off the portfolio.
Also, when Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi was preparing to speak on the rapid spread of the coronavirus at the Cabinet meeting held on the 9th of this month on Zoom technology, the President did not allow her to do so. It is noteworthy that the President has changed her portfolio.
Keheliya Ramukwella’s appointment as the new Minister of Health is too is interesting. For, responding to a question raised by a journalist during the media briefing on the Cabinet decisions, Cabinet Spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella said that the suppression of corona would be handed over to God.
In addition to this exchange between the Ministries, Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa has been given a new Ministerial post called Development Coordinator. It is in addition to the post of Minister of Sports.
