Chandrika strips lottery board admin responsibility from Morogoda

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 May 2003, 00:49 GMT]
President Chandrika Kumaratunge Friday took over responsibility for the administration of the National Development Lottery Board that functioned under the Minister of Economic Reforms, Science and Technology Mr.Milinda Morogoda, a senior Minister in the United National Front (UNF) government using the executive power vested on her by the presidency, sources said.

The President issued an extra ordinary gazette notification with effect from Thursday midnight in regard to the take over, presidential secretariat said in a press release Friday, political sources in Colombo said.

Sri Lanka's Prime Minister, Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe, promptly wrote a letter Friday to Ms.Kumaratunge expressing his dissatisfaction over the manner in which responsibility of administering the Lottery board was transferred from one of his senior ministers without consulting him, sources said "I cannot agree to the change of a subject that comes under a minister without consulting me. Hence I request you to stop issuing a extra gazette notification giving effect to the change," said the Sri Lanka's Prime Minister, sources said.

The presidential press release further said that several proposals were put forward in the past to amend the Lottery Board Act. There were also some moves to privatize and transfer the Lottery Board to another ministry. "The President is of the view that none of the changes put forward by the authorities is not in the interest of the public. The take over of the Development Lottery Board was not due to any problem with Economic Reform Minister's management," said the press release.

President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge has used her executive power for the first time to remove a subject from an influential minister in the United National Front government since the PA assumed power two years ago. President's action has caused some tension in Colombo ruling party political circles, sources said.