Mother Lanka weeps for you 

The Public Service

By  I. P. C.  MENDIS

In the melee, the people of this country find themselves today, it is quite evident that there is an instant need for the country’s Public Service to return to its pristine glory.  It could be said without contradiction, that the Public Service has lost its honour and independence and the rot set in with the introduction of the Republican Constitution  of  1972., the provisions  of  which  were re-affirmed in the Constitution of 1978, tightening the screws further and paving the way for politicisation. . The appointment, transfer, dismissal and disciplinary control of public officers are  vested with the Cabinet of Ministers and all public officers hold office at pleasure.  (  Article.55).  The Cabinet of Ministers is  empowered to delegate such powers   to the Public Service Commission,   other than in respect of Heads of Departments. Provided that the Cabinet of Ministers is  enabled to delegate powers of transfer  to any Minister  in respect of any category specified.  The PSC or Committee thereof,  is powerless to intervene.   An aggrieved party has no recourse to any court, or tribunal,  except to the Supreme Court, under para 1 of Article 126 (Fundamental Rights).  Indeed, servility and politicisation  of the Public Service has been consciously enshrined constitutionally !   Independence can only be ensured at personal cost and only where conscience, principle,  integrity and public estimation can play an integral part for such considerations to provide a turbo boost to moral,.  Other pieces in the jigsaw puzzle, have  necessarily to fit in.   One has to provide for some leeway for  special circumstances and unenviable situations considered personal . but certainly not when national interests are at stake or any issue cuts across principle, integrity or  the very grain of minimum standards expected of a  “homo sapiens” .in the service of the nation. !   Indeed, the country witnessed recently how a lady officer stood her ground single-handedly, against various odds.   However, it often happens that news   reports are distorted, mis-reported or based on hearsay/mis-representation, in which case, it behoves on the powers-that-be to come to the officer’s  defence or assume responsibility. –  (perhaps too much to ask).

Recent Instances

One is the case of the Secretary to the Treasury who  was reported to have signed the Kerawalapitya  Agreement.  Both the Minister of Finance and the Secretary  are silent and it is still anybody’s guess as to who signed it. Why,  Oh Why ? If there is nothing intrinsically wrong, why the secrecy ?  To brush off queries saying  that there are two more Agreements to complete the transaction is to dodge and imply there is no finality. That  is not what is expected of quarters that have  the purse strings with them and are endowed with sacred trust to safeguard national assets as Trustees.

Cheek by jowl write  it is the serious allegation made by Minister Wimal Weerawansa that

the Kerawalapitya  proposal was not in the  Agenda of the particular Cabinet meeting, even quoting the Secretary to the Cabinet as having told the Minister concerned that he had not even read it , having received it a while earlier,   Minister Weerawansa maintained, that there was no discussion on the Cabinet Paper , corroborated by certain others in the ” group of eleven”. However, the relevant. Cabinet minutes allegedly  reflect a position which showed that the  Cabinet proposals had been approved by the Cabinet.  The situation is as far as media reports go  confusing as some Cabinet Ministers (outside the group) claim that the ” group of eleven” had every opportunity of expressing their views at the meeting which implies that the proposal was  presented for discussion. Nevertheless , if there  has been any opposing view on the part of the Minister or Cabinet Secretary,in  regard to the allegations made by Minister Weerawansa, the country has

 had no  information so far.   Such serious allegations without the slightest doubt qualify to be furiously challenged and suitably dealt with, yet their apparent continued silence is deafening and does no good either for the govenrnent or those concerned. .The Secretary to the President in a separate incident has set the precedent in  initiating steps for seeking legal remedy for what he considers as an affront to his integrity, I believe. Similarly, the allegation against the Cabinet Secretary  is  serious enough for him to pursue action not only  to vindicate himself  but also to uphold the honour and dignity of the Public Service.

Moreover, in the context of the fast depreciating and deteriorating  confidence  and mis-trust in the Public Service, it is  very essential for top public officers to lead by example, particularly where  the Secretary to the Treasury was once considered as “primus inter pares” ( the first among equals) in the category of Secretaries which honour as far as could be remembered was later passed on to the Secretary/ Defence, and the Cabinet Secretary too enjoying a close relationship in the hierarchy.   Mother Lanka mourns the present predicament and weeps for a speedy restoration of  the pristine glory of the Public Service  for which a return to the pre- 1972 era is undoubtedly  a “sine qua non”.