Nepotism; Father Defence Minister, Son-In-Law PRO, Daughter Chief Guest

December 27, 2015

Public anger on social media has skyrocketed towards President Maithripala Sirisena – Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe led yahapalanaya government as the Head of State’s daughter Chathurika Sirisena isscheduled to be the chief guest at a Ministry of Defence led Civil Security Departmental function to be held on the 28th of December 2015 at the BMICH.

A disgruntled voter of yahapalanaya said that this nepotism phenomenon is getting more sick and ugly by the day. “The Minister of Defence is the President Sirisena himself. He then appoints his son-in-law Wewelpanawa Gamage Thilina Suranjith as the Public Relations Officer of the Defence Ministry and now brings his daughter to even be the chief guest in such a distinguished Ministry, where far more respected individuals could have been bestowed the honor instead” she posted on her Facebook page.

It is worthy to note that President Sirisena’s daughter Chathurika Sirisena who was an absolute non-entity till her father’s appointment in January 2015, started off as being the chief guest at lesser prominent functions such as the National Kite Festival, at school functions at Rathnavali Girls School Gampaha and Royal College Pollannaruwa and gradually moving on to be the chief guest at the recently held annual concert of the Naval Pre-schools of SLNS Gamunu, SLNS Tissa and SLNS Dakshina at the Navy Headquarters in Colombo on 06th December 2015.

Meanwhile another commentator said on his Facebook page “Chathu is now known as the nepotism ‘chief guest queen’ and that is how the ugly head of nepotism lifts its head. Even Mahinda Rajapaksa waited a couple of years prior to introducing his own sons gradually into the public eye before nepotism in the last decade virtually blew itself out of proportion”.

However President Sirisena who shocked all by appointing his brother Pallewatta Gamaralalage Kumarasinghe Sirisena as the Chairman on Sri Lanka Telecom barely 18 days after seizing power, has recently also hinted that he may continue to remain in power even though he promised to retire from politics at the end of his first term as President.                                                                    Read More