Transfer to Peradeniya!

Continuing protests and holidays dominate Sri Lanka’s public service. the official explained the point further: “You know why? For so many years under many different governments, the Higher Education Ministers have come from Kandy area.”

The professor replied: “Oh…really...? No more explanations are needed! It is clear enough why so many university employees too are from Kandy and having the same problem of asking transfers to Peradeniya.”

Prior to the early 1970s, heads of the government institutions, including the stateowned enterprises (SOEs), had the legitimate responsibility and power to recruit their employees. It was a lucrative business for the politicians to take over this responsibility and powers.

In fact, it must have changed at the commencement of policy reforms. But policy reforms in 1977 did not carry out public sector reforms and did not discharge the responsibility of public sector employment from the hands of the politicians.

Thanks to the liberalisation process, this has created some opportunities for employment generation in the expanding private sector. But nevertheless, private sector expansion continued to remain subdued due to inadequate economic reforms (coupled with political crises), even for the people the government was the major ‘job-provider’ to the nation.

For both sides, it was viewed as a ‘winwin’ opportunity. The politicians could attract the electoral support by promising public sector jobs to their supporters. The people could also go an extra mile beyond exercising their democratic rights of voting, by extending their active support for the politicians’ electoral campaigns in order to secure job opportunities for themselves and their family members.

In fact, it must have changed at the commencement of policy reforms. But policy reforms in 1977 did not carry out public sector reforms and did not discharge the responsibility of public sector employment from the hands of the politicians.

Dr. Goh Keng Swee, the first Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore, made an interesting contrast between Sri Lanka and Singapore over the private sector expansion between the two countries. Even as early as during 1977-1980, in his report to the first Executive President of Sri Lanka, J.R. Jayewardene, he pointed out that Sri Lanka’s private investment was only 15 per cent of total investment, compared with 75 per cent of that in Singapore.

Inadequate job openings in the private sector fueled the public hope that the potential job opportunities for people are available with the government through the winning politicians. In fact, almost at every election the contesting political leaders promised public sector jobs to thousands of unemployed.

Apart from that, even if the private sector job opportunities were available, the choice