Front Page

Front Page

CBK works out budget strategy for 3 ministries
President Chandrika Kumaratunga is planning to amalgamate the Defence and Interior Ministries and offer the Deputy Minister positions of the Defence and Mass Communication to the UNF as a compromise to avoid a situation of the Minister not being present in Parliament during the Committee stage when the votes of the respective ministries are taken up for debate, political sources said.

They said the debates on the Defence, Interior and Mass Communication ministries have been intentionally delayed towards the end of the Committee stage though the Defence budget is usually taken up earlier. The votes of the three ministries have been fixed for December 17, the penultimate day of winding up the budget debate.

The move has come as the President has set December 15 as the deadline to conclude discussions with the UNF on reaching a common ground on national issues. The Sunday Times learns that President Kumaratunga has told the Prime Minister that he could name two deputy ministers from the UNF.

The sources told The Sunday Times that if the UNF government did not reply by December 15, President Kumaratunga would appoint two deputy ministers from the People's Alliance.

The Sunday Times learns that some SLFP frontliners have entered the fray for these posts. They include General Secretary Maithripala Sirisena, Sarath Amunugama, Nimal Siripala de Silva and Anuruddha Ratwatte.

Back to Front Page