Constitutional crisis on NLB take over deepens

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 May 2003, 16:50 GMT]
The constitutional crisis precipitated by the take over of the National Lotteries Board (NLB) by the Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge from a senior minister of the United National Front government deepened further Tuesday when the President wrote to the Prime Minister stating that she would take drastic action if the government failed to print the concerned gazette notification issued by her, political sources said.

Ms Kumaratunge Tuesday ordered the chairman of the NLB to stop payments to propaganda activities and new recruitment until further notice without her instruction. However, the Chairman of the NLB said he would only discharge his duties on the instruction of the minister concerned and not of the President, sources said.

The Government Printer Mr. Neville Nanayakkara has not printed the said gazette notification on the order the Mass Communication Minister Mr.Imtiaz Bakir Markar under whom the government printing press comes, sources said.

s.Kumaratunge further told the Prime Minister by her letter that the Attorney General's advice in this regard is not relevant for her as she acted according to the constitutional powers delegated to her, sources said.

The President has further told the Prime Minister that those who differ from her decision in taking over the NLB could go to courts and get legal relief, sources said.