Former Minister Navin Dissanayake has called on Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe to resign from the Cabinet, for breaching the principle of collective Cabinet responsibility by publicly contradicting Prime Minister Dr Harini Amarasuriya.
The controversy stems from a parliamentary statement by the Prime Minister, who asserted that no government funds were used for the controversial Supreme SAT project, and that it had generated significant revenue for the Board of Investment.
Minister Samarasinghe, however, publicly challenged that claim the next day, alleging the Prime Minister had been misinformed.
Dissanayake said such contradictions undermine Cabinet solidarity and called on Samarasinghe to step down. “Cabinet ministers must be held accountable for collective decisions and public statements,” he said.
Drawing on political precedent, Dissanayake recalled that his late father, Minister Gamini Dissanayake, and the late Anandatissa de Alwis had also disagreed with Cabinet policy in the 1980s, but upheld the final decision in public.
He also criticised growing inconsistencies in government communication, noting that at least three ministers, including Dr Nalinda Jayatissa, have made conflicting public statements about the same project.
“This confusion only erodes public trust. The people deserve a clear and honest explanation,” Dissanayake said.
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