President appoints acting heads of state media; Mangala cries foul

President Maithripala Sirisena moved to appoint acting heads to state media institutions late last night, but his actions drew sharp criticism from Government Ministers he sought to oust last Friday (26), since he had no constitutional authority over subjects assigned to the Media Ministry.

Senior Presidential Advisor Dr. Sarath Kongahage was appointed acting Chairman of Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation and ITN, filmmaker Somaratne Dissanayake was appointed Acting Chairman of Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) and Wasantha Ramanayake was appointed Acting Chairman of Lake House.

Mangala Samaraweera, who held the portfolio of Finance and Mass Media Minister until last Friday’s shock sacking, denounced the move on his official Twitter account when the reports of the appointments emerged.

“President Sirisena appoints three stooges as heads of state media in clear violation of the Constitution again,” Samaraweera charged.

He said that under the 19th Amendment, President Sirisena had no powers over subjects and functions of ministries other than Defence, Environment and Mahaweli. 

“Shame on you, Sirisena,” the firebrand UNP politician charged.

In a letter to President Sirisena yesterday, Speaker of Parliament Karu Jayasuriya talked about reports of “forcible takeovers” at state media institutions and warned about the international implications of the moves.

The transitional provisions in the 19th Amendment, placed there purely for the term of the Sirisena Presidency, explicitly states that the President “may assign to himself the subjects and functions of Defence, Mahaweli Development and Environment.” 

The post-2020 president will have no constitutional authority to hold any ministerial portfolios whatsoever, under the terms of the 19th Amendment.