Headless Treasury draws pithy remark

The General Treasury was literally ‘headless’ for a couple of days this week when both Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa and Treasury Secretary S. R. Atygalle were in India to finalise the US$ one billion worth economic assistance deals.

Under the existing protocols, when the subject minister is abroad, it is the Secretary who functions as Chief Executive Officer of ministerial affairs.

As one veteran business journalist noted, since the Treasury was nearly bankrupt, there was nothing much to worry in the absence of the top officials.