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Business

The return of R. Paskaralingam
R. Paskaralingam, the influential former Finance Ministry Secretary widely known as late President R. Premadasa's right-hand man, is back after eight years in self-exile and is playing a key behind-the-scenes role in the present regime as advisor to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

The soft-spoken bureaucrat is keeping a low profile and lives at the Galadari Hotel under a different name. Hotel staff refuse to even acknowledge his presence or put through telephone calls. The Sunday Times spent weeks trying to track him down. Last week, Paskaralingam, or 'Paski' as he is known, finally relented and gave a rare interview in which he describes his present role but would not talk about the past. Citing legal advice, he declined to comment on the allegations against him or the Special Presidential Commission of Inquiry into malpractices in public bodies that found him guilty of 'misuse or abuse of power' and recommended that he be deprived of his civic rights.

That verdict was overturned by the Supreme Court on technical grounds. Paskaralingam says the allegations against him were probably the work of those jealous of his work and position. During his stint as Treasury Secretary, he says he used to work virtually 18 hours a day and neglected his private life to work for the betterment of the country. "When you take decisions you're bound to displease some people," he says. "You can't please all the people all the time." One of the reasons that prompted him to remain in self-imposed exile all these years, he says, was that he feared for his personal safety.

You were a key player in the previous United National Party government. You have returned after a long period abroad. Can you describe what role you are playing in this government?

I have been appointed as advisor to the Ministry of Policy Development and Implementation. The development of the economy, especially from a position of negative growth, is going to be an uphill task. My role is advisory - it is not a line position. I expect to co-ordinate and work with all government development agencies in order to accelerate the pace of growth.

Will you move into a more permanent position?

I don't expect to move into a more permanent position. I prefer to continue in an advisory role purely because I have held line positions in the past and after retirement I don't want to take on a line position. An advisory role gives me a lot of flexibility in order to express my own views on various matters and not be bound by various rules and regulations of the government bureaucracy.

I especially like to work with the private sector and to put forward their issues and concerns and assist in the rapid development which the country needs through private sector investment.

Why have you been keeping such a low profile. You are living in this hotel under a different name. Why the 'hush-hush' nature of your presence? Also, who is paying the hotel bills?

I decided on my own volition to be an advisor and as an advisor it is not proper to project my image and my authority over the line positions and the various officials who shoulder the responsibilities of administration.

But your role right now is being seen as a kind of 'super-bureaucrat' where you sometimes even exceed the authority of the line officials. In that context you're playing a very influential role.

No. It is not correct to call it the role of a 'super-bureaucrat'. It is purely an advisory and a co-ordinating role. It is true that having been in the public service almost all the secretaries and the officials have worked with me in the past and that is a big help because I can count on their co-operation.

Rapid economic development needs a co-ordinated effort. It's not possible to do it through one or two people. It has to be the combined effort of all ministries and the various agencies. So if I am able to get the co-operation of the entire bureaucracy to deliver the goods and accelerate the pace of implementation then I feel that I would have contributed towards the development effort of the government.

But why the 'hush-hush' nature of your presence?

That is purely because if you're available, it is not possible to do any work. There would be innumerable phone calls. It is difficult for any officer or an advisor to keep on answering all the telephone calls. Because I have to answer them myself since there is no secretary to support me.

Why live in a hotel? Is the government paying for it?

I am paying for it. It is a temporary arrangement till I get my residence organised. My family is living in England. I have come here after eight years. It is not easy to get organised in a hurry and run a residence. I also have to go out of the country a few times.

I have been doing some work outside. I have still not wound up my work outside the country. So taking all that into consideration the hotel arrangement is the best for the present.

Why were you abroad for eight years? It was some kind of self-imposed exile. What was the reason? And why have you returned now?

There is no specific reason why I was out for eight years. I started several projects on my own in the United Kingdom and I have been working with my family and close relatives. While I was working here I had neglected the family. So this gave me an opportunity to be with the family. They have all settled down in the UK. Not only my own family, but even my brothers, sisters and close relations.

But you left when the government changed. The impression given is that you ran away. That you wanted to avoid the Special Presidential Commission of Inquiry?

I left in 1993, one year before the government changed. I was only in President D.B. Wijetunge's government for four or five months.

Can you at least say why you didn't bother to appear before the Presidential Commission of Inquiry?

I don't want to answer that question either. These are legal matters which have been dealt with and finally the Supreme Court had found me not guilty of whatever charges that were brought against me. So I don't like to go into the pros and cons of it.

The Supreme Court decision was on technical grounds?

In my opinion, legally I've been found not guilty. The Supreme Court decided not to go into the substance of it. That is a matter on which I cannot answer.

During the previous UNP government you were seen as a kind of a 'super-bureaucrat' who was able to cut through red tape and speed up the decision making process. And also your personal relationship with President Premadasa counted a lot. Are such personal relationships required to run the administration? Shouldn't there be a system where personalities are irrelevant and the system takes care of the decision-making?

Always, a proper system must be in place. Personal relationships and arrangements are only temporary.

Do you think such a system is in place now?

A system is being developed.

What would you say are the shortcomings of the existing arrangement?

It is too early for me to comment on the shortcomings of the existing arrangement but I find that the decision making process has to be accelerated. Confidence among the bureaucrats has to be improved. The bureaucracy must be able to make decisions in an environment in which they should not fear the consequences for taking the right decisions.

Are you referring to your experience?

No, I'm referring to the general thinking of the bureaucrats.

In which areas do you think decision-making needs to be speeded up? How do you think this should be done? Is it the people that have to be changed or the procedures?

The bureaucracy has to become more confident about their role and they should not be frightened of unnecessary victimisation. It is difficult to elaborate. What they fear is unjust and unnecessary victimisation.

Do you think some kind of system should be built to prevent that kind of victimisation?

Some kind of system has to be built but it is difficult for me to explain all that at a meeting like this. Maybe the reforms which the present government expects to bring in will be able to improve the climate for the bureaucrats to work with a lot of confidence.

One of the issues that was brought up during your previous stint in government was your connections with certain business groups - that you had a very close relationship with certain business groups like the Maharajas. Can you explain what kind of relationship you had with them?

I do not like to answer that question because there was no such relationship with any special group.

But there was an impression like that?

I don't know. Maybe because I am a Tamil and the group was Tamil they thought there was a relationship but there was absolutely no such relationship with any group as such.

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