Business leader Dhammika Perera (right) receives the SLPP membership from its General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam

• Extraordinary Gazette published naming Dhammika Perera as SLPP National List MP
• Top business leader resigns from all of his companies
• Dhammika tipped to be appointed as Minister of Technology and Investment Promotion shortly
• President issues Gazette declaring new Ministry of Technology and Investment Promotion
• BOI, Port City Commission, TRC, ICTA, SLT, Department of Immigration and Emigration, SLSI, ITI, SLINTEC among 15 institutes to come under new Ministry
• Will take oaths as MP when Parliament meets third week of June
• Dhammika previously served as Transport Ministry Secretary from January 2011 to January 2015 and as BOI Chairman in April 2007 to May 2010

By Nisthar Cassim

Top business leader and Minister-to-be Dhammika Perera yesterday resigned from all his companies and was named as a National List MP via an extraordinary gazette as part of preparations to be appointed as a Cabinet Minister.

The respective Colombo Stock Exchange-listed companies notified Dhammika’s resignation yesterday. The move is ahead of Dhammika’s appointment as the Minister of Investment Promotion and Technology following his appointment as a National List MP from the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP).

With Dhammika obtaining the party membership SLPP General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam wrote to the Elections Commissioner naming Dhammika as the party’s nominee to fill the National List seat vacated by Rajapaksa who resigned on Thursday. 

Dhammika will take oaths as a MP when the House next meets in the third week of June whilst he is tipped to be appointed as Minister shortly.

Dhammika is the Co-Chairman and Non-Executive Director of the country’s most diversified blue chip Hayleys PLC. Hayleys and subsidiaries separately announced his resignation from the Board of Directors. Companies which announced the move yesterday included Hayleys PLC and its subsidiaries, Vallibel One PLC and its subsidiaries, Singer Sri Lanka PLC and its subsidiaries, Royal Ceramics Group, Lanka Walltiles Group and LB Finance PLC. In most of these entities he was either the Chairman or Executive Director. 

In a related development, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Thursday issued an Extraordinary Gazette declaring the creation of two new Ministries - Technology and Investment Promotion and Women, Child Affairs and Social Empowerment.

The Gazette notification indicated that President Rajapaksa has transferred several institutions, powers and responsibilities previously held by the Defence Ministry, to the newly created Technology and Investment Promotion Ministry.

Government institutions transferred to the new Ministry include the Board of Investment (BOI), Colombo Port City Economic Commission, Department of Registration of Persons, Department of Immigration and Emigration, Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (TRC) and allied institutions, Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) and allied institutions, Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team, Sri Lanka Telecom and its subsidiaries, Colombo Lotus Tower Management Company Ltd., Techno Park Development Company Ltd., Information Technology Parks (Jaffna and Mannar), Industrial Technology Institute (ITI), Sri Lanka Institute of Nanotechnology Ltd., (SLINTEC), Sri Lanka Standards Institute (SLSI) and Sri Lanka Institute of Biotechnology Ltd.

Dhammika previously served as the Secretary of the Ministry of Transport from January 2011 to January 2015 and as BOI Chairman in April 2007 to May 2010.

Centre for Policy Alternatives expresses concern  over Perera’s National List appointment