In the process Wickremesinghe would have skillfully achieved some of the changes that he would have personally liked without getting the blame for it. It also provided him an opportunity to get his close confidante and one time cabinet minister Tilak Marapone back to the fold.
By Gamini Abeywardane
The week
began with the long awaited and much speculated cabinet reshuffle becoming a
political reality. Though there were changes in practically nine ministries, the
most far reaching change among them was the exchange of finance and foreign
portfolios between Ravi Karunanayake and Mangala Samaraweera.
This was a
change much anticipated as that was one of the key demands of those who were
agitating for a reshuffle and probably the whole idea of a revision would have
been to effect that particular change. Despite much reluctance at the beginning,
both ministers finally agreed to the change and that was a major win for the
government as the prolonged issue could have developed into a political crisis,
a situation which a government embroiled in many issues could ill afford to
face.
It was more
than face saving for President Maithripala Sirisena as he had been under
pressure for quite some time while the real difficulty was that he had to agree
with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe for any change. His arch rivals in the
Joint Opposition who are challenging his leadership of the SLFP would have been
the happiest if he could not reshuffle the cabinet which he technically heads.
Thus, for President Sirisena it was an opportunity to reassert his position as
the executive president.
On one hand
it is a consensus government and avoiding major disagreements is essential for
its continuance, particularly because the initial two year agreement reached
between the two parties will be up for renewal by August this year. On the
other hand lack of such agreement would have developed into a constitutional
crisis brining the whole idea of consensus government into question.
For Prime
Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe it would certainly have been the end of a long
headache. There was opposition for a change from some of the strong sections of
his party, while some of the backbenchers were asking for bigger
responsibilities and more opportunities for them to work for the people. Since
it was President Sirisena who insisted on the reshuffle Wickremesinghe could
escape from much of the blame that would have come from his own party men who
were not happy with the change.
In the
process Wickremesinghe would have skillfully achieved some of the changes that
he would have personally liked without getting the blame for it. It also
provided him an opportunity to get his close confidante and one time cabinet
minister Tilak Marapone back to the fold.
Some of the
young and up-and-coming MPs who had worked hard to bring this government into
power made rather hard hitting public statements expressing dissatisfaction over
positions that they currently hold. Their cries would have been in expectation
of some favourable changes through the impending reshuffle and the outcome was such
that they will have to remain unhappy.
Overall, the
very fact that the reshuffle happened as expected augurs well for the
government as it averted a situation of uncertainty, although the critics,
mainly from the Joint opposition, have belittled it as a cosmetic change to
hoodwink the people.
The long
delay and the difficulty of the reshuffle was ample proof of the problems that
could arise in a government run by two political parties. However, at the same
time the ability of the two parties to resolve the issues amicably is also the
proof that two parties can work together in a government. This is a good
political lesson for the country which is trying out a consensus government for
the first time in its history.
This
experience can be quite useful in the current constitutional debate since the
idea of consensus government has been discussed as an effective way of
resolving some of the inherent issues in a multi-racial country. With this
success, now they could develop the consensus system into a more viable option.
Impact of the change
Despite reservations
on some aspects of the reshuffle, the major changes in the cabinet particularly
that of the finance portfolio has been well received in most quarters and that
will place the government on a stronger footing in the face of three provincial
council elections that are likely to be held any time after September.
Meanwhile,
the reshuffle has also led to a new issue with reports to the effect that
former finance minister Ravi Karunanayake has asked that some of the institutions
like National Lotteries Board, SriLankan Airline and Mahapola Scholarships Fund
be placed under his new ministry.To make things even more complicated, there was also a media story to the effect that a similar request has been made by former media minister Gayantha Karunathilaka that Government Printing Department, National Film Corporation and State Printing Corporation be placed under his new ministry. However, Karunathilaka has subsequently denied it leading to the suspicion whether the story was planted by some interested parties aiming to put a stop to the ridiculous idea of dragging institutions out of the relevant ministries when the ministers change.
Whether such
requests are accommodated or not will be seen only when the names of the institutions
coming under these new ministries are gazetted and thus the very process of
gazetting could be delayed by a few weeks due to this controversy. However, since
the relevant ministers have already assumed duties it will be too late for them
to kick up a row even if the additional institutions are not gazzetted under
their portfolios.
New opportunities
Then the
reshuffle has also given some new opportunities to remove some of the obstacles
placed on the development plan of the government. It is well known that Port
Minister Arjuna Ranatunga was opposed to certain clauses in the agreements that
are to be signed with China in the Hambantota port development project.
Ranatunga’s
hardline position on this issue had delayed signing of this agreement which is
a priority in the economic agenda of the government. The new Port Minister
Mahinda Samarasinghe being more flexible is likely to be helpful for the government
to resolve this issue more diplomatically.
There is a
similar situation in petroleum ministry as well. The proposed development of
the Trincomallee oil tank farm with India is another project that could have
controversial aspects and now the new Petroleum Minister Ranatunga could
perhaps face a similar issue. But this time it’s going to be with India with
whom he has better relations and the whole thing will depend on the terms of
the agreement which are still not clear.
Another area
where the reshuffle will have a direct impact is the Ministry of Public
Enterprise Development coming under Minister Kabir Hashim. Hashim had issues
with some of the directors and chairmen of state enterprises given to him for
reform who had been earlier appointed by Finance Minister Karunanayake under
the 100 day programme. Most of them, under Karunanayake’s instructions, refused
to resign paving the way for Hashim’s nominees.
This
controversy had stifled the reform of some of the state enterprises although a
separate ministry has been created for the purpose. With Mangala Samaraweera as
the finance minister there could be a change of scenario and that could
expedite the reform process of the state enterprises.
Thus the
cabinet reshuffle, though ridiculed by the critics as a mere eyewash, will
place the government on a stronger wicket while also removing some of the
obstacles placed on its path towards faster growth and development.
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