During the 17 month tempestuous period of the United National Front government, there were many instances in which President Kumaratunga could have locked horns with the government and precipitated a political crisis as she had done now over the Development Lotteries Board. However, despite regular threats of taking over ministries and even of dissolution of parliament, she had held back. The Development Lotteries Board issue, it is apparent is neither as serious nor controversial for a crisis of this magnitude to have been precipitated but it has happened.

We have often likened the political co-existence of the personalities of President Kumaratunga and Prime Minister Wickramansinghe as that of fire and dynamite. And there had been many incendiary issues that could have exploded. The ‘Peace Process” initiated by Prime Minister Wickramasinghe had enough and more political potential for a crisis to break out. The Ceasefire Agreement itself, which President Kumaratunga refused to accept, the brazen violation of the provisions of this agreement by the LTTE as well as the laws of the land which the government decided to ignore were provocative enough for the two leaders to lock horns. But President Kumaratunga has instead decided to take over the Development Lotteries Board away from the UNF government knowing very well the serious consequences that would ensue.

She wants to bring the lotteries board under her wings not because she is dissatisfied with the management of it by Minister Milinda Moragoda. She had thanked Mr. Moragoda for the efficient and disciplined manner in which he had run the institution. This lotteries board was needed to generate money for the President’s Fund and she had allocated it to the Ministry of Economic reforms by an oversight, she has stated.

The public will wonder, if the issue was as simple as that, why the President and Prime Minister could not settle the problem through discussions. Instead, she had without consultations decided to take over the ministry by gazette notification-a move that is being strongly resisted by the UNF government. If the main issue is the flow of funds from the lotteries board to the President’s Fund, it is not as serious an issue to precipitate a crisis that should threaten the existence of a government. Prime Minister Wickramasinghe too, should be flexible enough to keep funds flowing to the President’s Fund.

The situation took a very ugly turn during the week-end with UNP political goons invading the Government Printer’s Department to prevent the gazette notification of the President taking over the Lotteries Board from being published. Prime Minister Wickramasinghe should take firm action against such political thuggery of which he was severely critical when in the Opposition.

The crisis it now appears can be resolved only by a decision of Attorney General K.C. Kamalasabeyson or the decision of the Supreme Court, if an appeal is made to it. It is imperative that whatever the legal pronouncements made may be, the political parties will have to abide by those decisions if law and order is to prevail and anarchy is to be prevented.

This constitutional crisis is fraught with possibilities of grave political instability that could even call into question the political loyalties of the armed forces, as pointed out in the article adjoining this editorial. If the executive powers of the President extend to removal of Cabinet Ministers and take over of ministries, then this system of government where the president is not from the same party as that of the government cannot go on. The alternative will be chaos or dissolution of parliament. But dissolution of parliament does not necessarily mean the return of the president’s party and stability. It could well mean the return of the status quo.

Where would all this leave the ‘Peace Process” that President Kumaratunga and Prime Minister Wickremasinghe say they are committed to the hilt?