More new Ministers for Sri Lanka; Milinda to run Justice while Nanda to do tourism

(July 02, 2009) Sri Lanka's National Freedom Front (JNP) MP Nandana Gunathilaka is to swear in before the President as the Minister of Tourism today. Former Minister of Tourism Milinda Moragoda is to be appointed as the Minister of Justice.

Moragoda, a United National Party (UNP) MP, crossed over to the government in 2007. He was the Minister of Economic Reform under the Ranil Wickramasinghe government between 2001-2004. The privatization of Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation and the Lanka Marine Services Company by the Public Enterprises Reform Commission (PERC) that was under the direct purview of Minister Moragoda then was ruled as corrupt deals and the Supreme Court has ruled to revert them to the state. The activities of the Minister Milinda Moragoda under the UNP regime were heavily criticized by the Committee on Parliamentary Affairs (COPE) report.

Meanwhile, the JNP MP Piyasiri Wijenayaka is to swear in today as the non-cabinet Minister of Cultural Affairs and National Heritage.