Will never reappoint Ranil Wickremesinghe as PM, says Sri Lanka President Sirisena

Sirisena accepts action against arch- rival created ‘ some form of political unrest’

There is some form of political unrest in the country due to my decision, but I do not consider it as a serious political crisis — Maithripala

Sirisena,

Lanka Prez

that I will be re- appointing him ( Wickeremesinghe).

“There is some form of political unrest in the country due to my decision, but I do not consider it as a serious political crisis.”

The President said that he and Mr Wickremesinghe had developed serious policy differences on their approach to governance.

“The first one was on the appointment of the Cabinet. I had entrusted a committee of academics to recommend ways to appoint a cabinet based on a scientific division of subjects. But Mr Wickremesinghe ignored those recommendations,” he said.

Mr Sirisena said that Wickremesinghe appointed one ministry to handle both the higher education and the highways.

One of the major issues of conflict was Mr Sirisena’s opposition to Mr Wickremesinghe’s nominee to the post of Central Bank governor Arjuna Mahendran, a Singaporean national.

“I told him ( Wickremesinghe) that he should not be appointed because he is a non Sri Lankan. He insisted that he ( Mahendran) be appointed,” Mr Sirisena said.

The President said that Mr Mahendran was responsible for the biggest financial scam in the country over the Central Bank’s issuance of bonds.

A probe had found Mahendran guilty of providing insider information to a dealer linked to his son- in- law.

“He ( Mahendran) is absconding and Ranil Wickremesinghe knows his whereabouts,” Sirisena said, adding that he would appoint a special probe on Wickremesinghe’s three years as prime minister, accusing his government of being corrupt.