News
Political appointments erode working culture of state institutions – Anura
The UNP, the SLFP and the SLPP are responsible for the overstaffing of the public sector, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake says.
“A lot of people are now talking about the overstaffing of government institutions. How did this happen? There are people coming from Matara to Colombo port everyday in five buses. There are two buses that come from Kuliyapitiya to Isusrupaya. Two buses come each day from Ratnapura to the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment. God knows how many buses come from Badulla to hospitals across the country. This happens because there were ministers from the above-mentioned areas in charge of these institutions,” the JVP leader said on Thursday.
Dissanayake said that the same people who had overstaffed state institutions now pretended that the JVP was responsible for the surplus workforce in government institutions.
“Let’s look at Universities. Qualified academic staff is low in almost all universities, there are shortages everywhere. However nonacademic staff is through the roof. This is because its harder for a minister to fill up academic positions. To be recruited to the university academic staff, a graduate should have a first or second upper class dirision pass for his or her degree and has to go through the interview process, which is very tough. But it’s easy to recruit nonacademic staff members. Minister Kanchana Wijesekera says he can run the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation with 500 people and that Ceylon Electricity Board can operate with 50 percent staff. Well, that’s good to know. Go tell that to your colleagues that sit next to you,” he said.
The JVP leader said that more than the financial burden in the form of salaries, politicized staffing has a detrimental impact on the working culture of state institutions.
“The driver is a stooge of the minister. He won’t even listen to a director. These stooges are impolite to people who come to government institutions. Given that they have nothing to do, they would make it harder for people who actually have work. Soon, the output of the institution goes down. This is what has been happening to us since 1977,” he said.
The government, under heavy Opposition fire over inclusion of a sex website in the Grade 6 English module, as well as overall education reforms, has decided to put on hold reforms in respect of Grade 6.
Cabinet Spokesman and Media and Health Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa announced the government decision yesterday (13) at the post-Cabinet media briefing at the Information Department.
According to him, the decision had been taken at the previous day’s Cabinet meeting, chaired by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Dr. Jayatissa said that education reforms pertaining to Garde 6 had been put on hold until 2027.
The Minister said that other proposed education reforms would be implemented as planned. The Minister said that action would be taken against those responsible for the inclusion of a link to a sex website following investigations conducted by the Criminal Investigation Department and the National Education Institute.
The SJB and several other political parties, as well as civil society groups, have accused the government of promoting an LGBTQ agenda, through the proposed education reforms.
The Opposition grouping Mahajana Handa, on Monday, made representations to the Mahanayake Thera of the Malwatta Chapter regarding the controversial reforms, while urging their intervention to halt the project.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake yesterday (13) vowed to go ahead with his government’s agenda, regardless of the destruction caused by Cyclone Ditwah.
Emphasising the responsibility on the part of all to contribute to the post-Ditwah recovery efforts, President Dissanayake said that he would have complete faith in the public service.
The President said so at the launch of the re-building Sri Lanka project at the BMICH yesterday.
The JVP and NPP leader said that he wouldn’t take advantage of the death and destruction caused by the cyclone or use the situation as an excuse to reverse their agenda or weaken it.
President Dissanayake said that in spite of many calling for amending the then Budget, in view of the cyclone, the government presented the proposals that were agreed before the disaster struck.
The United States has announced that it will provide the Sri Lanka Air Force with 10 US Navy TH-57 helicopters free of charge.
The announcement was made by outgoing US Ambassador Julie Chung, who stated, on social media, that the helicopters would be transferred under the United States’ Excess Defence Articles programme. The aircraft are Bell 206 Sea Ranger helicopters previously operated by the US Navy.
US sources said that the transfer was intended to strengthen Sri Lanka’s disaster response capabilities, following the devastating cyclone that struck the island at the end of 2025 and killed more than 600 people. US officials have framed the move as a humanitarian measure aimed at improving aerial rescue and relief operations.
Fair weather will prevail except for a few showers in the Uva, Eastern, Western and Central provinces and in Galle, Matara and Rathnapura districts
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Govt. bows to pressure, shelves Grade 6 reforms
AKD: Govt. agenda on track despite Ditwah disaster
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Foreign couple held over alleged biopiracy at Horton Plains
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