S. B. unintentionally downplays portfolio given to him

After being excluded from the Cabinet over the past two years, Nuwara Eliya District Parliamentarian S. B. Dissanayake was sworn-in on Thursday as the new Industries Minister. He replaced National Freedom Front Leader and Minister Wimal Weerawansa, who was sacked by the President on Friday.

It was no secret that Mr Dissanayake had been disappointed with not being given a Cabinet portfolio earlier. He tried to make light of it by saying he was attending to his estate, but the bitterness was easy for anyone to see. It had earlier been reported that Education Minister Dinesh Gunawardena would replace Mr Weerawansa as Industries Minister and Mr Dissanayake would be given Education; a post that he had held before and which he had hinted was one he was again interested in, though it did not materialise.

After being appointed as a minister on Thursday, Mr Dissanayake told journalists the new portfolio was no challenge to him as he had held far more important Cabinet positions before.

“If you take politicians in this government, only Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has held a larger number of senior Cabinet posts over the years than me,” he told the media. Unintended maybe, he downplayed the importance of the ministry allocated to him.