A conflict between the executive presidency and the legislature in Sri Lanka has sparked with the United National Front (UNF) led by the United National Party (UNP) refusing to give defence portfolio to President Chandrika Kumaratunga.
The conflict was triggered off when the president issued a special directive on Saturday to all ranks of security forces and police ascertaining her position as the executive president, commander-in-chief and minister of defence.
In a statement, she said, ''My government has guaranteed the conduct of a free and fair elections since it was voted into power in 1994. My government has always acted to prevent post-election violence. I am committed to maintain and continue this tradition as
the executive president and defence minister. As president, defence minister and commander-in-chief, I am fully empowered to issue directives to the security forces and the police. These orders should be complied with. I will not hesitate to take stringent legal action against any security forces or police officer who acts extraneous to these directives or neglects them regardless of his rank or stature.''
Besides defence, Ms Kumaratunga also holds the finance portfolio.
The United National Party led by Mr Ranil Wickremesinghe, in an urgent party central committee meeting in Colombo on Saturday, decided that the UNF would not allocate any ministry to the president, including the ministry of defence, prominent UNP leaders told a news agency.
''We fully agree that she is the executive president of this country and accordingly she could be the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and the police. There is no dispute over it. But there is no legal stipulation in the constitution that the president should hold the portfolio as the minister of defence,'' said Dr Rajitha Senaratne, central committee member of the UNP and elected Member of Parliament from Kalutara district.
Bureau Report
