State of confusion
‘The public officers are paralysed, the ultimate victims are the people’
Three weeks of political turmoil have had a crushing effect on the functioning of the entire state apparatus, with tourism, the economy and many other vital sectors also being hit. Since President Maithripala Sirisena abruptly sacked one government and installed another on October 26 the functions of many state agencies have been severely affected, with ousted Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe claiming he still holds the post and that his government remains legitimate.
MPs who held ministerial portfolios in Mr Wickremesinghe’s cabinet have issued several statements warning state officials not to follow orders from the Sirisena-appointed “illegal” government of Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Adding to the confusion, President Sirisena took two weeks to appoint his new government, with cabinet, state and deputy ministers being variously sworn in on more than 12 occasions – some even hoursbefore the gazette announcing the dissolution of parliament was issued.
Even after Mr. Sirisena’s new cabinet was sworn in, many departmental head positions remained vacant, resulting in government agencies being mired in uncertainty and bewilderment. Among the key institutions affected were the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation and the National Water Supply and Drainage Board.
Government ministries where no minister had been appointed were in a state of confusion. The Ministry of Lands, for example, could take no long-term policy decisions due to not having a minister. The ministry did not even have a proper letterhead until this week.
Neither the chairman nor any members of the board of directors of the petroleum corporation have turned up for work since October 26. “None of the senior management has come to office since the 26th and we haven’t been notified of any new appointments either,” a corporation official confirmed.
“In the absence of a senior management team to make long-term plans and take crucial decisions, work at the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation is restricted to dayto-day functions only,” D.J. Rajakaruna, Convenor of the Petroleum Joint Trade Union Alliance, said.
He lamented that without a senior management team in place, all other activities and projects, including vital upgrades to oil pipelines, have ground to a halt.
A similar shambolic situation existed at the water board where the chairman and other board members have stayed away from work since the events of October 26. No replacements have been named.
In the absence of senior management, the general manager, additional general managers and other executive staff are ensuring that administrative functions are being carried out.
“Internal operations have not been affect- ed but executive staff cannot take policy decisions and there is a general sense of bewilderment about what’s happening,” the General Secretary of the Employees’ Union at the board, Upali Ratnayake, said.
He pointed out that the water board was engaged in many vital joint projects with other agencies and their continuation was now in doubt due to the ongoing turmoil.
“If this crisis drags on the results could be catastrophic,” the head of the Joint Postal Trade Union Alliance (JPTUA), Chinthaka Bandara, warned.
He said although day-to-day functions were continuing at the Postal Department all recruitment was on hold and postal employees were uncertain about what was happening, adding to the state of confusion pervading all institutions.
At the Wildlife Ministry, officials said there was uncertainty about carrying out orders by senior officers and the newly-appointed ministry secretary as the minister, Wasantha Senanayake, had crossed over to the UNP after having resigned from his post.
“A new minister has not been sworn in yet. Therefore, for the time being, the ministry secretary issues orders. But without a new minister officials are reluctant to work out of fear of having to obey orders that don’t carry any authority,” an official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The official also pointed out that in the new cabinet the wildlife portfolio was but half of the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Wildlife. The areas of provincial development and sustainable development have been given to Minister S.B. Navinna and his ministry secretary.
“The uncertainty in parliament has affected the ministries. We don’t know whom to follow or which secretary is at office as ministers come and go. We don’t even know their contact numbers,” the source said.
A tussle over the decision to change the school uniform voucher system and provide uniform material instead was also threatening to leave tens of thousands of schoolchildren without either option.
The new Education Minister, Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, obtained cabinet approval to replace the “gift voucher” system introduced under Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam with the old system in which material was distributed to students. Education Ministry sources however, said it would be difficult to provide the material to everyone before school vacation starts in three weeks.
Mr. Kariyawasam, meanwhile, released a statement severely criticising the move, stating that all vouchers had already been printed and that the move to revert to the old system would waste an enormous amount of taxpayer funds.
He further accused Mr. Rajapakshe of delaying the distribution of school textbooks for 2019 because they contained a message from Mr. Kariyawasam as the minister.
The economic impact of the constitutional crisis is being felt throughout the country. The rupee continued its plunge against the US dollar, breaking records almost every day. Most people were not visiting money exchanges to change dollars this week owing to the rupee’s rapid depreciation.
On Wednesday, the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, International Chamber of Commerce Sri Lanka, Joint Apparel Association Forum and the Women’s Chamber of Industry and Commerce released a strongly-worded statement.
“The events of the last few weeks have resulted in absolute instability, which is a situation that Sri Lanka simply cannot afford. This will, no doubt, hinder development and have a significantly adverse impact on the social and economic trajectory of our country.
“It is observed that the entire administration of this country has come to a standstill and the public officers are paralysed, being unable to discharge their functions. The ultimate victims are the people of our country,” the statement stressed.
Exporters are worried about the continuation of the crisis, the Secretary-General of the National Chamber of Exporters of Sri Lanka, Shiham Marikkar, said.
He said programmes such as the National Exports Strategy under the Export Development Board and the National Single Window programme under Sri Lanka Customs, were beneficial to exporters.
“We don’t want these programmes to be stopped suddenly,” Mr Marikkar said. “We urge those responsible to sort this crisis out in a democratic manner without causing disturbance to the business community.”
He said no member had so far complained about business suffering but all cautioned against ad hoc policy changes. Ensuring that the country, government and government policies were stable would go a long way towards reassuring buyers.
The turmoil was also affecting the tourism industry. M. Amal, 42, a tour guide from Kalutara who works in Colombo, said he had had no work for five consecutive days.
Mr. Amal, who drives tourists around in his vehicle, lamented that he was now on the verge of losing his vehicle as he was behind on the lease.
“I have to find Rs. 300,000 by November 30 or I will lose my car,” he said, adding that he feared for the future of his wife and three children.
Whatever government emerges from this crisis will have to mount a major public relations offensive overseas in order to entice tourists back to the country, he said.
“The images of the disgraceful scenes in parliament will be broadcast all over the world. Tourists who are planning holidays will surely cancel their bookings after seeing all the negative coverage. Unfortunately, public relations drives may come too late for people like me,” Mr. Amal said.