PM, top ministers to fast-track appointments
State ventures headless as confusion on vetting process continues
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will meet ruling United National Front ministers today to fast-track stalled appointments to state banks, corporations and statutory boards amidst confusion on these appointments in the wake of a Presidential directive for a Vetting Committee to certify the suitability of the nominees.
More than a month after the Cabinet of Ministers was re- appointed following the post-October 26 constitutional crisis last ye a r, the Government is yet to finalise appointments to some of the key institutions, including two state banks.
Some Cabinet Ministers have begun appointing chairpersons and directors to boards under their purview bypassing the five- member Presidential Committee which has been asked to scrutinise the appointments. These ministers argue that they are legally empowered to make these appointments.
However, presidential committee sources said the the delay was because the committee had received incomplete applications and the names of those without proper qualifications. In some cases only a name had been proposed by the Minister, instead of sending the nominee’s bio data, they said.
A Prime Minister’s office spokesman told the Sunday Times yesterday there was confusion because some appointments were being made outside the Presidential guidelines. He said the Prime Minister had called for a meeting of party stalwarts, including UNP Chairman Kabeer Hashim and Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera, in a bid to finalise the appointments by next week.
He said that even though the President might not have the legal authority to prevent these appointments which are under the purview of the relevant Minister, they would speak directly or through the Presidential Committee to those not qualified for the posts to step down.
Among the nominees sent for appointments to boards have been Personal Assistants to Ministers, coordinating secretaries, and persons who have studied only up to G.C.E (O/L). In one such case a person specialising in contact lenses was nominated to a Lanka Electricity Company (LECO) post for which an engineer was required. Experience in the specific field in lieu of educational qualifications would be to be considered, a Presidential Committee official said.
Some of the Cabinet Ministers, including those of Housing, Education, Social Empowerment, Water Resources and Higher Education, were yet to send their nominees. UNP sources were critical of the President making some appointments to the Ministry of Mahaveli Development which is under his charge by dispensing with his own guidelines.
A major contention between the President and the UNP is the appointment of chairpersons to the two state banks. The UNP is yet to decide whether it should allow the President to make one of the nominations and the UNP the other, or if the UNP should make both nominees. The influential UNP Lawyers Association has asked the party leadership not to give in on this issue and argued that the Enterprise Sri Lanka drive of the party could be disrupted by a change of officials who have been handling it for some time now.