A reshuffle of Governors is expected to follow a spate of resignations, a highly placed source at the Presidential Secretariat told the Sunday Observer.
Uva Province governor, Marshal Perera who is also the father of MP Dilan Perera tendered his resignation on Thursday (1) citing personal reasons, while Central Province governor Maithree Gunaratne, who was appointed on January 4 this year, handed over his resignation yesterday (3). According to Gunaratne, he had resigned in response to a request by the President’s Office.
More governors are expected to hand in their resignations. Authoritative sources said that a reshuffle would take place in the coming weeks, though he refused to give a reason for the sudden decision. He also said it is likely that some provincial governors serving currently, would not be reappointed.
Following Gunaratne’s appointment, the President also appointed three other governors in January including Dhamma Dissanayake, Keerthi Tennekoon and Dr Suren Raghavan as governors of the Sabaragamuwa, Uva and Northern provinces respectively. Later Tennekoon was reassigned as governor of the Southern Province.
Meanwhile, sources from the Southern Province governor’s office said Tennekoon will also submit his resignation from the post. According to reliable sources, he too has been asked by the President’s Office to tender his resignation prior to the reshuffle. Tennekoon, however, was not available for comment.