Berates lack of ‘collective responsibility’:
There has been a breakdown in ‘collective responsibility’ of ministers in Cabinet, Co-cabinet spokesperson and Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine Minister, Dr Rajitha Senaratne said.He stressed the need for the government to speak in one voice yesterday.
The minister said the matter will be taken up for further discussion at the next Cabinet meeting.
“This happens when parties which have opposed each other for so long are bound together and asked to work with each other. Many don’t know how to behave within such a structure”, Dr Senaratne said.
Over the past few weeks, criticism against the government has been more vociferous within government rather than from outside. SLFP Cabinet ministers have called for the resignation of their former cabinet colleague Ravi Karunanayake and UNP Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe has openly criticised the Hambantota Port Agreement; a key achievement of the government.
“We may express different opinions within cabinet but when a final decision is made, we abide by that.When Arjuna Mahendran was appointed Central Bank Governor, I opposed it greatly but when the Prime Minister said it was an institution under him and he wanted to make that appointment, we agreed to his decision, we did not oppose it outside”, the Cabinet spokesperson said.
He also went on to condemn statement made by the Justice Minister on the Hambantota Port and said, “If he cannot differentiate between a sale and lease being a lawyer, how is he going to look into other aspects of the agreement?”.
As Minister Wijeyadasa wins praise from the Joint Opposition for his statements, the Health Minister asked that his colleague listen to advice given by Mao Tse Tung in his book ‘On Contradiction’,
“If your enemy praises you, know that you are wrong, when your enemy attacks you, then you are right”.“I ask Wijeyadasa to learn from Mao”, Dr Senaratne said.