Cabinet meeting next Tuesday

By Chathuri Dissanayake

President Maithripala Sirisena has agreed to convene a Cabinet meeting next Tuesday as per custom, Cabinet Ministers confirmed yesterday. 

President Maithripala Sirisena

The President gave instruction to make arrangements to inform the Cabinet Ministers of the meeting before leaving for Tajikistan to attend the fifth Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), Daily FT learnt. 

Cabinet Minister Mano Ganesan also confirmed the Cabinet meeting was to be held on Tuesday on his official Twitter account yesterday.

@ManoGanesan said “Next meeting of Cabinet of Ministers will be held on 18th Tuesday. #lka “ 

Sirisena did not hold the weekly Cabinet meeting as customary last Tuesday, after he threatened to not summon the Cabinet until the Parliamentary Select Committee investigating the Easter Sunday attacks was called off, during an emergency Cabinet meeting held on Friday night.

It was reported that a number of Ministers met the President to discuss the matter before he left the country on Thursday morning, and convinced him to hold the Cabinet meeting as per usual practice. 

The UNF Government was drawing up plans to pass a Motion in Cabinet, asking the President to hold Cabinet meetings, using certain provisions in the Constitution. A number of senior Ministers prepared to pass a Motion in Parliament using Article 42 of the Constitution, which states that “The President shall be responsible to Parliament for the due exercise, performance and discharge of his powers duties and functions under the Constitution and any written law, including the law for the time being relating to public security,” with Article 43 (1) of the constitutions which states “there shall be a Cabinet of Ministers charged with the direction and control of the Government of the Republic, which shall be collectively responsible and answerable to Parliament” to compel the President to hold Cabinet meetings as per normal practice.

However, the UNF Government will not proceed with the plan, as the Cabinet has been called for a meeting on Tuesday.