Divineguma Department takes off
The Divineguma Department will be the first ever Department to be managed by an administrative body appointed by the people with the opportunity for all its activities to be administered by Community Organisations, Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa said
Addressing the opening ceremony of the Divineguma Department Head Office and its Zone one office at Battaramulla, he said the Divineguma Department was established to honour a promise given during the tenure of office of Minister PavithraWannniarachchi.
With the concurrence of President Mahinda Rajapaksa she had promised to make all the employees permanent and grant them pensionable status.
“This is a big challenge. However, we have realized that and while we are doing this, something should also be done for all the beneficiaries in the country as well. That is why we established this department. The departmental system was introduced by the British to control the countries under colonialism. This departmental system exists in these countries,” he said. “Under this system, while controlling the country, they managed to send abroad the resources of the country to their Queen. Departments like the Audit Department were established for the purpose of collecting taxes from the people. We also had to go to courts when the relevant Act was presented, deviating from this system. I explained that this is not a department of the traditional system, but a department intended for the benefit of the people of the country.”
The minister said those who instituted legal action and those in the courts did not understand this simple truth.
“It is our own employees who instituted legal action, irrespective of those who passed judgments. This department came to be born in such a painful situation. Today I am very happy to be involved in this process. If we are to achieve complete success, we will have to visit every village, every household to find redress for the people, thereby converting them as the real administers of the department,” he said. Therefore my earnest request to you is to fullfil their requirements. At the same time, I undertake to fulfil your requirements if any. That is what the Presdient has entrusted to me. I will undertake to look after the future of the employees,” he added.