Cazino
The key defender of Sri Lanka's controversial cazino policy has quit the government and will support the opposition presidential candidate, despite his promise to end tax holidays for gambling.
Faizer Mustapha, a president's counsel and deputy minister of investment, switched allegiance before next week's presidential election in which Maithripala Sirisena is challenging the incumbent Mahinda Rajapakse.
Mr Sirisena, who himself defected last month to take on Mr Rajapakse, has vowed to withdraw generous tax concessions granted to foreign-funded cazinos.
Mr Mustapha has been a strong proponent of three mega "integrated resorts cazino" - a government euphemism for plush cazinos - and has been the public face of Mr Rajapakse's controversial policy both in and outside parliament.
"When I was in the government I supported integrated resorts, but now that I want Mr Sirisena to be the president, I will abide by his policies [against gambling]," Mr Mustapha told reporters.
His defection brought to 24 the number of ruling party lawmakers who have joined the opposition to Mr Rajapakse, South Asia's longest serving leader.
Mr Rajapakse called the election two years ahead of schedule before his popularity waned further, after his party suffered a 21-point decline in September local polls.
Parties representing Tamils, the country's largest minority ethnic community, as well as the group representing Muslims, the second largest minority, announced support for Mr Sirisena.
He has also secured the support of the main political party of Buddhists monks.
After crushing Tamil guerrillas and ending a 37-year separatist war in May 2009, Mr Rajapakse abolished the two-term limit on the presidency, tightened his grip on the police, the judiciary and the civil service and also legalised cazinos and other forms of gambling.
Sri Lanka's influential Buddhist clergy had opposed cazinos, including one with investment from Australia's gambling mogul James Packer.
None of the proposed gambling resorts have opened in Colombo yet, but several local cazinos have been in operation for decades, exploiting legal loopholes.