Military DG only for two years, President assures Customs unions, but SLASA disagrees

Customs trade unions say President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has assured them the new Director General of Sri Lanka Customs, Major General ( Rtd.) Vijitha Ravipriya, will only remain at the post for a maximum of two years, after which it will go to a Customs officer.

At a meeting held with union leaders this week, the President told them that after the general election, the new government would introduce an amendment to the Customs Ordinance to ensure that only a Customs officer would be appointed as the department’s DG, Customs Superintendents’ Union leader Uditha Jayasinghe told the Sunday Times.

“We are opposed in principle to retired military officers heading Sri Lanka Customs. Our policy has always been that the DG should be from the department itself,” Mr Jayasinghe said, adding that the President asked them to accept the new DG as a temporary measure for a maximum of two years.

However, the union’s agreement with the President has come under severe criticism from the Sri Lanka Administrative Service Association (SLASA).

The SLASA had earlier held talks with Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa following reports that a retired army officer was to be appointed as the Director General of Customs. The Premier had told them he would discuss the matter with the President.

Maj. Gen (Rtd.) Ravipriya, however, was confirmed in his post just days later.

SLASA President Prabath Chandrakeerthi stressed that the Customs DG’s post had been gazetted as a scheduled post for Sri Lanka Administrative Service (SLAS).

The SLASA held another discussion with Presidential Secretary P.B. Jayasundara.

Mr Chandrakeerthi claimed that Dr Jayasundara had told them that during the past three months, while the post of DG was vacant, allegations of corruption within the department had skyrocketed.

“If that’s the case, all that corruption occurred when Customs officers had a free hand. How can you then curb corruption if you deny the topmost post to someone within the department?” he asked

Mr Chandrakeerthi also questioned how a retired military officer with no experience in civil administration could handle affairs of a key institution such as Customs.

“We have registered our strong protest over this appointment and we want it to be changed. We will also oppose any move to exclude the SLAS from this post,” he insisted.

SLASA Secretary Rohana de Silva, meanwhile, said SLAS officers will not initiate trade union action over the issue given that Parliament was on the verge of being dissolved to pave the way for a general election. “We can’t protest when an election has been called. We will take a decision on that afterwards,” he added.

Attempts to contact the new DG proved futile.