UNP to move motion to increase Cabinet

By Ashwin Hemmathagama – Our Lobby Correspondent 

The Unity Government is to move a motion soon in Parliament to strengthen its numbers in the House before the announcement of elections this year.

By way of a motion, United National Party (UNP), which is the key stakeholder of the Unity Government, plans to welcome some lawmakers now willing to cross over to join the Government as a team representing the Opposition.

Currently, the Unity Government has 106 seats in the Parliament while the Opposition has 118 seats. The proposed move will make room to award Cabinet Minister and Deputy Minister portfolios for those who are joining the Government.

According to the motion listed in the Order Paper, the UNP, which obtained the highest number of seats in Parliament has formed a National Government, Parliament determines in terms of Article 46(4) of the Constitution that the number of Ministers in the Cabinet of Ministers will not exceed 48 and the number of Ministers who are not Cabinet Ministers and the number of Deputy Ministers will not exceed 45.

After the Constitutional crisis in last October with Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) withdrawing from the Government, the Cabinet came down to 30. This was in keeping with provisions in the 19th Amendment as there was no longer a National Government. 

In reality, however, there are only 28 functioning ministers with the resignation of Ministers Rishad Bathiudeen and Rauff Hakeem after Easter Sunday attacks. Currently, there are six non-Cabinet Ministers, 15 State Ministers and six Deputy Ministers functioning in Parliament.