Friday Nov 15, 2024
Friday Nov 15, 2024
Friday, 23 January 2015 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
The Government owns certain companies (e.g., SriLankan Airlines and the ICT Agency) and corporations. Exercise control in the same way that any entity owning shares in a company exercises control: appoint members of the board of directors. Let the board make the appointments to the senior executive positions. Hold the board accountable for good performance of the organisation
I quote below something I had written in the subject back in 2006 (still online), when the first Rajapaksa administration rolled back an improvement in appointment procedures I had helped put in place: 
For the Agency to succeed, its leadership must have legitimacy.
Not the kind of legitimacy that comes from being able to get an appointment with the President, but the real legitimacy that comes from being selected for the job through a transparent and rigorous procedure.
The United Kingdom is currently advertising for a CEO for the communications regulatory body, OFCOM.
Not only in the UK papers, but in the Economist, because it wants to attract the best possible applicants.
Why not do the same when filling the vacancy of the ICTA CEO?
Do better than was done in 2002; advertise in the Economist this time.
Sri Lanka has grievously suffered from the wrong people being appointed to leadership positions.
Why take the risk?
Why not do the right thing with ICTA, a sunset organisation that cannot afford to mark time?
It has only three more years left before the money runs out and the Agency shuts down.
They had better be good years.
Let the non-executive Chairman liaise with the political authorities; let an independent and credible Board of Directors mediate the political influences; and let the executive staff roll up their sleeves and get the job done within the broad parameters set by the Board.
This could be the beginning of a trend. Just imagine: advertisements and transparent procedures for appointing the Governor of the Central Bank . . . the Chairman of the Airport and Aviation Services Limited . . . the General Manager of the Ceylon Electricity Board . . .
The current system requires no job descriptions, no competitive selection, just a series of phone calls and confidential nominations from whoever is trusted or has to be rewarded by the decision maker. The result is the appointment of persons with no real accountability.
It also results in problems of continuity. If every time the government (or minister) changes, the senior people heading government owned companies and corporations have to change, it’s unlikely that you will have coherent leadership or policies. And you are unlikely to get the right kind of people to take on these positions.
Claims that the previous administration had stuffed all important positions with unqualified political hacks are no defence. One cannot come to power promising good government and do exactly the same thing as the people you criticised.
But quick action is needed, I would be told. We do not have the luxury of time to draft job descriptions, run newspaper ads. Here is the pragmatic solution:
The Government owns certain companies (e.g., SriLankan Airlines and the ICT Agency) and corporations. Exercise control in the same way that any entity owning shares in a company exercises control: appoint members of the board of directors. Let the board make the appointments to the senior executive positions. Hold the board accountable for good performance of the organisation.
Not only will this contribute to Yahapalanaya, it will also free up the Ministers, State Ministers and the Deputy Ministers to focus on their prime deliverable: The 100 day program.
