The government is facing a dilemma over the refusal of the provincial governors to step down to pave the way for nominees of the UNP and the SLPP to take charge of the positions.
The new appointments are to be made according to an agreement reached between the president and the SLPP leadership, and accordingly, four governors representing East, Uva, Sabaragamuwa, and North Western Province have been asked to quit their jobs at their earliest.
Eastern Governor Anuradha Yahampath has already expressed her willingness to step down according to this notification; however, she has been influenced to stay put, and she too has now decided otherwise.
Meanwhile,the North West Governor, Admiral of the Fleet Wasantha Karnagoda, has reportedly consulted former Chief Justice Sarath Nanda Silva, who had advised him to remain in the post since the removal of the governor has to be approved by the relevant provincial council after an address to the PC.
Since the PCs are not in existence, the government has encountered a problem, and the governors may continue their full term of five years.
In the meantime, three other governors have told the media that they have not received any written communication from the president’s office.
Northern Province Governor Jeevan Thyagaraja has not made any statements so far. Three governors have announced that they have not made a final decision regarding their resignations as they have not given written notices.
However, sources in the Presidential Secretariat say that the Governors of the North, East, North West, and Sabaragamuwa have been notified through the Presidential Secretariat to resign on the instructions of the President.
It has been the convention and tradition of governance that the governors resign when the presidency changes hands, and several months have now lapsed since Gotabaya Rajapaksa quit and Ranil Wickramasinghe took over as president, but these governors are still trying to remain in office without taking notice of the new development.
Therefore, a spokesperson of the Presidential Secretariat told Lankasara that they were given a verbal reminder to resign from their positions.
An agreement was reached when Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as President to share governorships between the SLPP and the United National Party as a basic understanding between Pohottuwa and the United National Party.
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