Power highly centralized in the government : Dr Jayatilleka

COLOMBO (News1st): A former Sri Lankan ambassador has blamed the government over a power monopoly, citing that power has been highly centralized in the administration. "...I caution you against thinking that we are going back to the bad old days of Mahinda Rajapaksa and the SLFP and so on. But we are not, it is much worse than that," Dr Dayan Jayatilleka, the former Sri Lankan Ambassador to Russia said. He pointed out that the government is now ruled by the President and several task forces that do not include the Prime Minister and the cabinet of ministers. "That is the worse possible thing that can happen to the country and them as well," Dr Jayatilleka said during a media briefing on Wednesday. He observed that a two-third majority in the government comprises former military personnel and an unprecedented number of family members at the helm. "So tell me where is the space for everyone else?" the former ambassador queried.