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Politics bane
of public services It was reported
that as many as 24 ministry secretaries who have passed the compulsory
retirement age of 60 years are still in the public sector. Whenever
a new government assumes office, ministry secretaries are usually
changed to ensure the smooth implementation of policies of the new
government. An example is the appointment of 10 officials, who were
not in the administrative service, as secretaries of key ministries
under the present regime. Some had even held senior positions in
their respective political parties. Under these circumstances an
efficient public service cannot be expected. After 1977
and prior to the 1990s there were many such political appointees
whose only qualification was their loyalty to the ruling party.
Consequently, there was a deterioration in the state sector. However, no
action has been taken to remedy the situation. It is understood
that moves are afoot to appoint non-administrative officials as
heads of departments. As a prelude to this, a non-administrative
service official is to be appointed the Post Master General, the
top post in the Postal Department. This matter was brought to the
notice of the President recently when the Sri Lanka Administrative
Service officials' union met her to discuss the issue. These officials
expressed fears that the public sector would slip into a state of
inefficiency due to political interference. Administrative
service officials selected on merit have no political affiliations
and execute their duties while maintaining their independence.They
do not give in to political pressure. Meanwhile,
many senior SLAS officials have been relegated to the pool. Why
isn't the government making use of their experience? The government
should treat this as a priority and take speedy action. Way to show
gratitude Some years
back, the late President J.R. Jayewardene could not offend Britain
and we were one of the few countries which voted with the UK over
the Falklands issue at the UN. We paid dearly for that and now the
UK seems to be showing her gratitude in selecting Sri Lanka first
for fingerprinting! If the UK insists
that visa applicants stand on their heads, our government will agree,
rather than offending a friendly country. Puran Appu
must be turning in his grave. Un-intelligent
intelligence and American moles The fact is
that the human "quantity of intelligence" is a pre-requisite
for effective functioning in this area. In terms of pure logic,
how could an intelligence meeting function without intelligence?
On the one hand, one needs data (which is termed "intelligence")
and on the other, one would also need advice which is in the mind's
intelligence! The worst scenario occurs when something un-intelligent
might be on the agenda! In such an event, what would be the name
of the meeting? Could the readers,
therefore, be informed of the agenda at these meetings? They could
use the Fourth Estate to intelligently analyse the "quality"
of governance. They would thereby become (somehow) intelligent by
the time of the next elections. Pensioners need
a raise too These people
have retired from service before 1988. Some of them happen to be
my old friends in the railway. As some say,
their subordinates with shorter periods of service are getting a
higher pension. They are merely
stating a fact to prove the injustice. None of us who retired before
1988 are jealous or uncharitable as to grudge bigger pensions to
others. The cost of living has gone sky high and they fully deserve
what they get. Those of us
who retired before that are also living in the same period and circumstances
as the others. There is something called anomaly - this is a grave
anomaly. We know we
are powerless; we can't strike and can't make things stand still.
The government
and others in power think that we will pass into the unknown, so
why should they spend or waste government money on this useless
lot. The majority in this country believes in karma - probably our
plight is due to our past karma. We are not
trying to come to power. We justwant to lead a decent life. Cohabitation
government or non-government, may I appeal to the powers that be,
to come to our aid . Lingering years Shortage of
50-cent coins When you go
to a railway station and ask for a Rs. 3.50 ticket, the counter
clerk charges you Rs. 4. Even when you
go to a hotel or boutique, it is the same. Therefore,
the Finance Minister should take necessary action to mint sufficient
stocks of fifty-cent coins. Suntel fails
to ring Then I was
informed by the company that my residence is "out of coverage/weak
signals" and deprived of the facility. Over to the Telecommunications
Regulatory Commission. Mid-East trauma
While all should
read this article twice-over and understand the gravity of the situation,
it is hoped that by now a copy of this would have been forwarded
to the authorities in Riyadh for proper action . 'Letters
to the Editor' should be brief and to the point.
Address them to: 'Letters to the Editor, The Sunday Times, P.O.Box 1136, Colombo. Or e-mail to editor@sundaytimes.wnl.lk or feature@sundaytimes.wnl.lk Please note that letters cannot be acknowledged or returned. |
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