State Minister Faizer Mustapha resigns?

Parliamentarian Faizer Mustapha has tendered his resignation as State Minister of Aviation and has flown overseas, this afternoon, a source close to the Government said.

The source said Mustapha had been disappointed with the Government’s decision to shuffle some state institutions that came under the Minister of Aviation. 

Several institutions which came under the Aviation Ministry were detached and added to Minister Arjuna Ranatunga’s Ports, Shipping and Aviation Ministry, it was reported. 

State Departments, Institutions, and Public Corporations that come under a specific Ministry have been amended by a Gazette Extraordinary published on 10 January, 2015. 

The source added only the operation of the Mattala Airport has been allocated for Mustapha. However, when contacted, Private Secretary of Mustapha told Ada Derana that the State Minister flew to Singapore due to a personal matter.

Ada Derana also learns that some governmental bodies including the Central Bank and the Securities and Exchanges Commission, which were previously handled by the Ministry of Finance, have been added to the Ministry of Economic Development & Policy Implementation. 

Mustapha who was the former Deputy Minister of Investment Promotion and Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Colombo Central Organizer quitted the ex- government and pledged to support President Maithripala Sirisena, on 31 2014.