Sri Lanka’s President appoints 3-member cabinet

Colombo: Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake appointed a new Cabinet of Ministers on Tuesday evening, with Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya, lawmaker Vijitha Herath and himself taking on Cabinet portfolios.

Dissanayake will now oversee defence, finance, economic development, policy formulation, planning, tourism, energy, agriculture, lands, livestock, irrigation, fisheries and aquatic resources, Xinhua news agency reported.

Dissanayake, 55, has taken the key finance portfolio himself as Sri Lanka looks to emerge from its most punishing economic crisis in 70 years and its first debt default, while keeping promises to aid the nation’s poor.

The Marxist-leaning firebrand politician will also hold the economic development and tourism jobs in the cabinet.

Dissanayake’s intentions to slash taxes and desire to revisit the terms of a $2.9 billion I

International Monetary Fund bailout have worried investors, who fear that it could delay a crucial $25 billion debt restructuring.

His comments during Monday’s inauguration offered few clues as to how hardline his economic approach will be.

“Our politics needs to be cleaner, and the people have called for a different political culture,” the 55-year-old said.

“I am ready to commit to that change.”

Dissanayake ran in Saturday’s presidential election as the candidate for the National People’s Power coalition, which includes his Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna Party that traditionally championed Marxist economic policies centred on protectionism and state intervention. In recent years the party has taken more centrist positions.

Earlier, Amarasuriya was sworn in as the Prime Minister, and was appointed as the Minister of justice, public administration, provincial councils, local government, education, science and technology, labour, women, child and youth affairs, sports, trade, commerce, food security, co-operative development, industries and entrepreneur development, and health.

Herath was assigned the Minister of Buddhist affairs, religious and cultural affairs, national integration, social security, mass media, transport, highways, ports and civil aviation, public security, and foreign affairs, environment, wildlife, forest resources, water supply, plantation and community, infrastructure, rural and urban development, housing and construction.