Sarong clad betel chewing baas was the local Divisional Secretary

The incident that provoked President Premadasa to order the issue of a gazette on attire; but who wears the pants now ?

The Public Administration Ministry has revoked two circulars issued in 2019 and 2022 on the attire of State sector employees, following the controversy over some teachers reporting to work in casual clothing. This means the attire of State sector employees is now governed by a public administration circular issued in 1989.

On Thursday, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Parliamentarian Rohini Kumari Wijerathna related an anecdote in Parliament on how this circular reportedly came into being.

According to her, when former President Ranasinghe Premadasa once visited Buttala in Hambantota to inspect a building site of his flagship “Gammudawa” programme, he met a shabbily dressed official clad in shirt and sarong, wearing rubber slippers and chewing betel.

The official explained what was going on at the building site to the President, who after listening attentively, had thanked and called the “baas unnehe” for his good work. He asked the man to come and see him once the construction work was completed. Then minister and former Speaker W.J.M. Lokubandara, who was next to him, had quickly corrected the President, saying this was actually the local Divisional Secretary.

“The first thing the President did after returning to Colombo, was to order that this circular specifying the attire of State sector employees be issued,” Ms Wijerathna said.

However, she noted the circular did not state the appropriate attire for female State sector employees.

But, senior public officials who have now started referring to the circular have been puzzled about the wording. It only gives the attire for males and there is no mention about females.

In the old days, ‘he was she’, according to the law. Not sure what it is now. Does it matter anyway, when nowadays, it does not matter. Sometimes, no one knows who really wears the pants.