Newly appointed Ministers Harin Fernando and Manusha Nanayakkara say their calls for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to resign have not changed, despite obtaining ministerial portfolios under the incumbent government.
The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MPs were appointed as ministers today, under the government headed by the President and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Addressing the media today, MP Harin Fernando said, “I told sir fail. And this is the curse brought by him. My stance remains unchanged.”
The Minister said that he has taken up the ministerial portfolio on behalf of his party, which failed to rise up to the occasion to resolve the current issues.
Stating that tourism and foreign employment are two key ways to bring in money to the country, MP Fernando said he and MP Manusha Nanayakkara have taken the two sectors in the government.
He said the two MPs will work in the ministerial portfolios for the next three months and in the event, they feel it has not produced any results or is being influenced by other ruling party politicians, then they will resign from their posts.
MP Harin Fernando further invited experts in the tourism industry to work with him to help rebuild Sri Lanka and bring in the necessary dollars.
Meanwhile, MP Manusha Nanayakkara said they had accepted ministerial portfolios to fulfill the calls of the public protesting at the Galle Face Green and the Mahanayaka Theros on a system change and an all-party government to resolve the current political and economic crises.
He further said they have accepted the ministerial portfolios with an aim to help reduce the hardships faced by the people due to the economic crisis.
Minister Manusha Nanayakkara said over the next three months if the foreign exchange through dollar remmitances of migrant workers could be increased from USD 300 million to at least USD 700 million, then people will be able to obtain necessary fuel, medicine, and also continue with their day-to-day activities.
The two MPs said they have not left the Samagi Jana Balawegaya, but have taken up ministerial portfolios to rebuild the nation and reduce the suffering of the people. (NewsWire)