Sirisena hits SLAS with home truths

 President Maithripala Sirisena speaking at the SLAS AGM yesterday - Pic by Chamila Karunaratne

• In blistering speech says public sector has failed in duty to help develop the country
• Calls out strike action, agendas, and infighting among top officials
• Says efficiency of 1.6 m public servants only 30%, insists on increase to 50%
• Argues that close connections with politicians has resulted in diminished respect for public servants
• Proposes SLAS set up national plan for development as politicians only make policies to win polls
• Sirisena says not focused on elections but on country’s future   

By Nuwan Senarathna   

Delivering some home truths, President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday took the cream of Sri Lanka’s public sector to task for making tough demands from the Government on salaries and other perks, but failing to deliver on critical services efficiently to develop the country.

The President, speaking at the 36th Sri Lankan Administrative Service (SLAS) Annual General Meeting (AGM) at Nelum Pokuna, held back no punches on a range of issues, which included the behaviour of public servants, their interactions with politicians, their disregard for delivering public services efficiently, infighting among top officials, and failure to work collectively to develop the country.

The President also did not mince his words as he pointed out that all Governments, including his, had done their utmost to meet demands for salaries and other perks from the public sector, but the Government servants had failed to work efficiently to hold up their side of the bargain.

“All the major unions, whether it is transport, power, ports, aviation, and health among others, have extremely powerful unions. These unions all have salary agreements with the Government and if there is even one small issue, they resort to trade union action. 

I have done my best to be receptive and resolve these issues. I have even asked the police to let protestors come to the Presidential Secretariat without hindrance. 

I have asked the police not to tear gas them. I have personally met with trade union representatives, though a President does not usually take such meetings. If a President met with unions, he would have no time left for anything else. But I have listened and done as much as is possible from the side of the Government. Even when there was no room within public expenditure to make such allocations.”

“But when you take surveys done on the public service, it shows that efficiency has slipped to 30%. This is not acceptable. It is the responsibility of SLAS, and the public sector by extension, to work to at least increase this efficiency level to 50%. You as members of SLAS have to concede that the respect commanded by public servants has declined over the decades. Do not be angry with me for saying this, but that is partly due to your own actions. You yourselves refuse to work with each other. I have seen how top officials of State institutions disregard orders by the Ministry Secretaries. You are all part of the same SLAS, but there is no unity,” he said.

President Sirisena then went onto question why the SLAS could not formulate a national plan to fast track development in the country, as in his view, there was growing political, social and economic turmoil among the public, who are becoming increasingly frustrated that their aspirations are being unmet by both politicians and the public sector. He called out agendas within public service which he stated was akin to “different Governments attempting to pull the country in different directions” and stymied unified policy making.

“But you have the power to counter this. You can create an overarching policy plan for the country and help to develop it. Politicians only make policies thinking of the next election, but you don’t have to be short-term. You can see what the politician cannot see. I believe it is time to have a nationwide discourse on the challenges this nation is facing. Most people are talking about the upcoming Presidential Elections, but my focus in on the future of this country. No matter who becomes President in 2020, no matter who forms a Government, if they cannot trigger a revolution in the way this country functions, Sri Lanka will face huge challenges.”

The President also acknowledged that with the decline of politicians and the political sphere, the quality of the public service also degraded, but insisted SLAS should give the leadership to reverse this decline.