Non-Cabinet Ministers with limited powers handle key ministries
View(s):Sri Lanka government is facing an uphill task of politically controlling the administrative machinery in several state institutions coming under the purview of non-Cabinet ministers owing to their limited powers in decision-making on policy matters, informed official sources said.
Five non-Cabinet ministers have been appointed to the subject ministries of Economic Reform and Public Distribution, Digital Infrastructure and Information Technology, Science, Technology and Research, Labour and Trade Union Relations and Special Area Development.
These non-Cabinet ministers who were appointed under the ‘other ministers category’ stipulated in the constitution are responsible to the President, the Prime Minister, Cabinet of Ministers and Parliament.
Several state institutions and departments have been allocated as subjects coming under the purview of those ministries.
According to Article 44 (2) of the Constitution, “the President may, in consultation with the Prime Minister where he considers such consultation to be necessary, determine the assignment of subjects and functions to Ministers and the Ministries, if any, which are to be in charge of, such Ministers”.
Non-Cabinet ministers cannot participate in Cabinet meetings and their Cabinet papers should be submitted to the Cabinet by the President, a senior Public Administration Ministry official told the Business Times.
Secretaries of these five ministries bear the responsibility as the ministry accounting officer while the Secretary to the President is the chief accounting officer, he disclosed.
Under these circumstances non-Cabinet ministers will have to function under the President as he “may at any time change any assignment, subjects and functions and the composition made under paragraph (2) of Article 44 (3) of the Constitution”.
They will be allowed to attend Cabinet meetings when subjects relevant to their Ministries are taken up for discussion or respective cabinet papers or memorandums are presented for approval, he disclosed.
State Ministers and Deputy Ministers are also categorised as non-Cabinet ministers but they have no powers to submit cabinet papers even through the President.