As Sri Lanka grapples with the ongoing COVID pandemic and economic crisis, the government has announced a cabinet reshuffle.
The reshuffle has appointed G.L. Peris to the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs, whilst former Foreign Affairs Minister, Dinesh Gunawardena has been appointed as Minister of Education. Sri Lanka's former Health Minister, Pavithra Wanniarachchi, has been appointed as Minister of Transport. Former Media Minister, Keheliya Rambukwella has been appointed Minister of Health.
In the reshuffle, Namal Rajapaksa, the fifth member of the Rajapaksa clan in the Cabinet and son of Mahinda Rajapaksa, was further awarded a new Cabinet portfolio, Development Planning and Monitoring. Namal Rajapaksa already holds the position of Minister for Youth and Sports as well as Minister of Digital Technology and Enterprise Development.
Foreign Minister
G.L. Peris, who had served as Foreign Minister under the previous Rajapaksa regime and as a negotiator during peace talks with the LTTE under the UNF government, has been reappointed as Foreign Minister.
In the aftermath of the Mullaivaikkal genocide, Peris maintained that the government had no obligation to answer for the Tamil civilian death toll. UN analysis from the final week alone puts the figure at 17,000 killed, though other estimates state the number killed could be as high as 25,000 people.
In the lead up to the 2020 Sri Lankan parliamentary elections, Peris advocated for a two-third government majority, stressing it was needed to repeal the 19th amendment and centralise power within the Presidency.
In his call, he maintained this was essential to protect the armed forces from allegations levied by international forces. He further chastised the previous administration for co-sponsoring the UN Human Rights resolution which he alleges did "incalculable damage to the good name" of Sri Lanka's armed forces.
Since this statement, the UN Human Rights Council has passed a resolution demanding the collection and conservation of evidence which may be used in a future war crimes tribunal. The UN High Commissioners report which informed the resolution stressed the inability and lack of political will in Sri Lanka to address issues of accountability for war crimes and human rights abuses in Sri Lanka.
Health Minister
Recently, the new Health Minister, former Media Minister, Keheliya Rambukwella, insisted that a lockdown was not needed and should only be used as a “last resort, but we are not there yet”.
His appointment comes as the average daily death toll for Sri Lanka exceeds 100, with the reported death toll coming to 5,620. However, senior military and health officials have come under fire for reportedly distorting data to underplay the impact of the pandemic.
Despite Sri Lanka’s Medical Association and World Health Organisation officials urging the government to impose a lockdown, so as to avert the deaths of an estimated 18,000 people, Sri Lanka’s government has refused.
Education Minister
Dinesh Gunawardena, the newly appointed Education Minister, has strongly advocated for the controversial Kotelawala National Defence University Bill which would see the country's military have greater influence over High Education.
In August, Sri Lanka's government arranged a workshop led by Chamal Rajapaksa which Gunawardena claimed would counter false information being disseminated about the bill.
Sri Lankan police have since arrested scores of leading student activists and teachers who have protested the bill arguing that it further silence dissent in Sri Lanka.
Development Planning and Monitoring Minister
The appointment of Namal Rajapaksa to the position of Development Planning and Monitoring has raised concerns of nepotism and the increasing concentration of state power within the hands of the Rajapaksa family.
In March of this year, the Sri Lanka Peace and Justice Campaign highlighted that an estimated 24% of Sri Lanka's budget was under the control of the Rajapaksa's. This includes 9 ministerial roles and 7 out of 30 cabinet posts.
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