15-member cabinet becomes 20! Once again Govt's craziness emerges !!

The new Cabinet of ministers will be sworn in before President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa at the President's House in Fort tomorrow (18), reports say.

Also it was initially reported that the cabinet will consist of 15 ministers, reports now say the number of ministers will be 20 and will feature 10 former cabinet ministers.

The rest will all be young MPs, reports add.

It is said that in addition to current cabinet members Prof. GL Peiris, Dinesh Gunawardena, Ali Sabry and Johnston Fernando, several former ministers including Dr. Ramesh Pathirana, Douglas Devananda and Dilum Amunugama are to be re-appointed as cabinet ministers.

Meanwhile, it is also said that a group of state ministers including Kanchana Wijesekera, Roshan Ranasinghe, D.V. Chanaka, Shehan Semasinghe, Kanaka Herath, Janaka Wakkumbura and Prof. Channa Jayasumana are likely to be appointed as cabinet ministers as well.

Meanwhile, it is said that a number of former cabinet ministers had informed the President last night (16) that they did not want ministerial posts.

Dr. Bandula Gunawardena, Gamini Lokuge, Prasanna Ranatunga, S.M. Chandrasena, Janaka Bandara Tennakoon, C.B. Ratnayake, Pavithra Wanniarachchi and Rohitha Abeygunawardena have informed of this to the President.

Meanwhile, Dullas Alahapperuma and Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekera had issued Tweets today (17) stating that they will not accept the new cabinet portfolios.

It is learned that Prof. Charitha Herath, Pramitha Bandara Tennakoon, Dilan Perera, SAD Jagath Kumara and several others will be appointed to state ministerial portfolios which will fall vacant after several present state ministers are appointed to the cabinet.

Amid the wide public protests, the Cabinet, except for the PM, resigned on April 03. Three ministers were appointed by the President afterwards.