GLOBESCAN | secretary to the president, sri lanka | lalith weeratunga
‘Reforms are a MUST’
The erudite Man Friday to President Mahinda Rajapakse is also the unquestioned head of the nation’s civil service. An admirer of India’s administrative structure who has interacted with New Delhi’s top decision-makers, he spoke about the problems of governance in a resurgent, post-war Sri Lanka.
interviewed by INDERJIT BADHWAR
gfiles: Is civil service reform now a vital imperative in Sri Lanka? Why?
Lalith Weeratunga: Civil service reforms are a must in the present context of Sri Lanka’s development. “Mahinda Chintana”, the policy document presented to the people by His Excellency Mahinda Rajapakse as his election manifesto, envisages Sri Lanka becoming the “Wonder of Asia”.
This concept, when translated into action, means that Sri Lanka needs to become a hub in five key areas: aviation, naval, commercial, power and energy, and knowledge. Some of the rules and regulations impede fasttrack development. Knowledge and skills of the public sector executives as well as non-executives also need to be upgraded. Reforms are a must. The President is very keen to elevate Sri Lanka’s public services to a very high level. In fact, his focus is on making them people-friendly, result-oriented and ever-improving. The President has declared at the beginning of this year that the public services should be delivered with metta (compassion) to those who seek such services.
gfiles: Who is at the helm of this effort and what are the deadlines?
LW: The President appointed the National Administrative Reforms Council (NARC) to spearhead this initiative with the Secretary to the President as its Chairman. It has key officials of the government as well as private sector representatives. Reforms are on-going and the deadline is the end of this year. At the last Cabinet reshuffle, a new Ministry of Public Management Reforms was created and NARC placed under it so that more emphasis is given to reforms. The Minister of Public Management Reforms is very keen to take reforms forward and provides NARC the necessary guidance. The Minister of Public Administration & Home Affairs and the Minister of National Productivity Improvement are also partners in the whole process of public administration reform.
gfiles: Do you believe that the administrative structure of Sri Lanka needs to change? Why?
LW: I strongly believe that the administrative structure of our country needs to be changed. The reasons are clear. The pace at which the economy moves is unbelievable. Many new areas are being developed and also, as I have mentioned, the government has a clear focus. We need to have management skills that can deliver results. However, it must not be done in a hurried and an ad hoc manner. It is easy to undo anything in a few minutes with one stroke of a pen, but it takes a long time to build strong and robust systems. Therefore, reforms must be undertaken with a very clear vision and an understanding of the future.
gfiles: Before the end of the war, the civil administration was geared almost totally towards security concerns. How do you shift a security-oriented system to one driven by the compulsions of peace?
LW: That is not difficult. It is not correct to say that the civil administration was geared almost totally towards security concerns. There were development initiatives that were handled by the civil administration during the decades Sri Lanka was involved in this conflict. Although there was a conflict situation, economic, social, cultural and spiritual activities continued. Civil administration had much to do with all this. Peace brings in creativity in the administrative machineries and there is so much of activity not only in the capital but also everywhere in the island. It has not been difficult to shift the emphasis of the public service. What was necessary was clear and focused political leadership which Rajapakse clearly demonstrated both in concept and practice.
gfiles: How will the bureaucracy keep pace with the new economic measures announced by the President and reflected in the Budget?
LW: It is the bureaucracy that gives impetus to the economic resurgence in the country. Our bureaucracy has been in the thick of development even when security was a key factor to be considered. When there is peace all around, the bureaucracy faces no obstacles that are life-threatening. The Budget presented by the President focuses on developing rural areas and economically empowering the rural masses. Therefore, the bureaucracy at the village level, the divisional level and at the district level will implement the Budget proposals within the given timeframe with a high level of motivation. The Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration (SLIDA), which is charged with capacity building in the public services, is gearing up to provide the new impetus to make the public services vibrant and robust.
gfiles: What are the administrative challenges of economic reconstruction in the North and East?
LW: The biggest challenge would be to have the right people with the right skills. Administrative systems that were there prior to LTTE domination had all been dismantled by the LTTE and administrative machinery in these areas needs to be redeveloped to function in a vibrant peacetime democracy. Physical infrastructure also must be rebuilt so that public services can be delivered with efficiency and effectiveness. The government appointed a Presidential Task Force to focus on Northern Province development and it has been able to revamp the administrative machinery to a great extent through focused implementation of vital development programmes aimed at the well being of the people in the area.
gfiles: As you consider devolution of powers, how do you see the relationship between the Central Bureaucracy and the Provincial Governments?
LW: As the 13th Amendment is already in force and Provincial Councils have been functioning for the past 21 years, the bureaucracy at the centre and the provincial level have shown a smooth relationship and a willingness to work together. I cannot see any reason for this relationship to be sour. The structures are such that the central bureaucracy and the provincial administrative machinery have to work together to bring benefits to the people they serve. At the highest level, Chief Ministers of the Provinces are invited to the Cabinet meeting of the Government chaired by the President. This is a clear demonstration by the central bureaucracy to listen to the provincial leadership and work with them.
gfiles: Devolution is one thing – it has a political element to it. However, “decentralization” of governance is something else because it involves allowing decision-making at the grassroots level. How do you plan to implement this?
LW: Decision-making at the grassroots level is already happening. Over the years, a great degree of decentralization has taken place and public service delivery is improving at all levels. Divisional Secretariats are empowered so much to undertake a variety of activities of the rural communities.
gfiles: Since the concentration is now on rapid economic development to secure the gains of the peace era, how do you plan to make the bureaucracy more flexible and speedier in clearance of major economic projects and investment decisions?
LW: The Sri Lankan bureaucracy has been very flexible in many ways. Even during the time of conflict the administrative machinery, to a great extent, has been flexible and accommodating. Now that there is rapid economic progress, we may have to be speedier in delivering results. Extensive use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) will facilitate many administrative processes, thereby speeding up implementation of a wide range of development projects. NARC is also examining every conceivable prospect of improving the administrative processes. There is a national productivity campaign and a competition in which there is wide participation by rural government institutions. At the centre, investment proposals are dealt with speedily and investors encouraged to invest in the areas the government has identified.
gfiles: Do you plan any changes in the bureaucratic structure in order to speed up implementation of the English-language initiatives?
LW: There are no changes envisaged in the structure of the administrative machinery as such, but several initiatives are being launched to motivate public servants to acquire mastery of the English language. Extensive use of ICT is one initiative that will promote the use of English in administrative work.
gfiles: What are your proposals on ensuring the multi-lingual administration –including Tamil – is spread throughout the country?
LW: The President has already declared that, by 2020, Sri Lanka should be a trilingual nation, meaning that steps will be taken for every citizen to learn the other official language, apart from his or her mother tongue, and also people will be motivated to learn English as a link language. In the public services, there is tremendous enthusiasm among Sinhalese officers (who are in the majority) to acquire a working knowledge of Tamil and the government provides an incentive payment to those who follow recognized courses. This is also true for Tamil officers. They too are provided the same incentive to learn Sinhala.
gfiles: Are you planning any changes in your procedures for recruitment of civil servants as well as new training facilities? How many civil servants are there and how many are recruited each year?
LW: Significant changes are being discussed regarding training of civil servants but recruitment procedures will stay as they are. The Sri Lanka Administrative Service (SLAS), the counterpart of the IAS, has about 2,700 officers who serve throughout the island in many different capacities. These positions enable incumbent officers to impact the life of the normal man and therefore are very important. Modern training in management and administration is vital to have a robust civil service and that is why the SLIDA is re-examining all training and capacity-building programmes with a new focus. Annual recruitment to the SLAS depends on the vacancies.
gfiles: Are you planning any rewards and punishment system in order to judge and evaluate performance? What yardsticks will you be using?
LW: At the moment we do not have a concrete system for rewards, but there has always been a system of ensuring discipline and punishment for wrongdoers. Sri Lanka is examining aspects of reward schemes and also the reward schemes adopted by other countries, particularly the Indian system which is being implemented under the purview of the Cabinet Secretary of India.
gfiles: Do you have any interaction with your Indian counterparts in the Indian civil services? What do you think of the Indian civil service system and do you believe there is something you need to learn from it – positive or negative?
LW: I feel privileged to have been able to forge a very strong network with many top Indian bureaucrats. I am particularly pleased to have developed a personal relationship with TKA Nair, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of India, and through him establish a strong relationship with the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Mussoorie so that some of our middle- and top-level public servants could be exposed to the training provided by this established institution. I have also had the privilege to closely interact with National Security Advisers, Cabinet Secretaries, Foreign Secretaries, Defence Secretaries and Home Secretaries. All of them have impressed me with their national-mindedness, refinement and finesse and, of course, their skills and competencies. We admire the strength of the Indian Administrative Service and other All-India Services and their ability to withstand pressure and uphold the best traditions of competent civil services. These are some of the characteristics we should emulate.
‘Reforms are a MUST’
The erudite Man Friday to President Mahinda Rajapakse is also the unquestioned head of the nation’s civil service. An admirer of India’s administrative structure who has interacted with New Delhi’s top decision-makers, he spoke about the problems of governance in a resurgent, post-war Sri Lanka.
interviewed by INDERJIT BADHWAR
gfiles: Is civil service reform now a vital imperative in Sri Lanka? Why?
Lalith Weeratunga: Civil service reforms are a must in the present context of Sri Lanka’s development. “Mahinda Chintana”, the policy document presented to the people by His Excellency Mahinda Rajapakse as his election manifesto, envisages Sri Lanka becoming the “Wonder of Asia”. This concept, when translated into action, means that Sri Lanka needs to become a hub in five key areas: aviation, naval, commercial, power and energy, and knowledge. Some of the rules and regulations impede fasttrack development. Knowledge and skills of the public sector executives as well as non-executives also need to be upgraded. Reforms are a must. The President is very keen to elevate Sri Lanka’s public services to a very high level. In fact, his focus is on making them people-friendly, result-oriented and ever-improving. The President has declared at the beginning of this year that the public services should be delivered with metta (compassion) to those who seek such services.
gfiles: Who is at the helm of this effort and what are the deadlines?
LW: The President appointed the National Administrative Reforms Council (NARC) to spearhead this initiative with the Secretary to the President as its Chairman. It has key officials of the government as well as private sector representatives. Reforms are on-going and the deadline is the end of this year. At the last Cabinet reshuffle, a new Ministry of Public Management Reforms was created and NARC placed under it so that more emphasis is given to reforms. The Minister of Public Management Reforms is very keen to take reforms forward and provides NARC the necessary guidance. The Minister of Public Administration & Home Affairs and the Minister of National Productivity Improvement are also partners in the whole process of public administration reform.
gfiles: Do you believe that the administrative structure of Sri Lanka needs to change? Why?
LW: I strongly believe that the administrative structure of our country needs to be changed. The reasons are clear. The pace at which the economy moves is unbelievable. Many new areas are being developed and also, as I have mentioned, the government has a clear focus. We need to have management skills that can deliver results. However, it must not be done in a hurried and an ad hoc manner. It is easy to undo anything in a few minutes with one stroke of a pen, but it takes a long time to build strong and robust systems. Therefore, reforms must be undertaken with a very clear vision and an understanding of the future.
gfiles: Before the end of the war, the civil administration was geared almost totally towards security concerns. How do you shift a security-oriented system to one driven by the compulsions of peace?
LW: That is not difficult. It is not correct to say that the civil administration was geared almost totally towards security concerns. There were development initiatives that were handled by the civil administration during the decades Sri Lanka was involved in this conflict. Although there was a conflict situation, economic, social, cultural and spiritual activities continued. Civil administration had much to do with all this. Peace brings in creativity in the administrative machineries and there is so much of activity not only in the capital but also everywhere in the island. It has not been difficult to shift the emphasis of the public service. What was necessary was clear and focused political leadership which Rajapakse clearly demonstrated both in concept and practice.
‘Knowledge and skills of the public sector executives as well as non-executives also need to be upgraded.’
gfiles: How will the bureaucracy keep pace with the new economic measures announced by the President and reflected in the Budget?
LW: It is the bureaucracy that gives impetus to the economic resurgence in the country. Our bureaucracy has been in the thick of development even when security was a key factor to be considered. When there is peace all around, the bureaucracy faces no obstacles that are life-threatening. The Budget presented by the President focuses on developing rural areas and economically empowering the rural masses. Therefore, the bureaucracy at the village level, the divisional level and at the district level will implement the Budget proposals within the given timeframe with a high level of motivation. The Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration (SLIDA), which is charged with capacity building in the public services, is gearing up to provide the new impetus to make the public services vibrant and robust.
gfiles: What are the administrative challenges of economic reconstruction in the North and East? LW: The biggest challenge would be to have the right people with the right skills. Administrative systems that were there prior to LTTE domination had all been dismantled by the LTTE and administrative machinery in these areas needs to be redeveloped to function in a vibrant peacetime democracy. Physical infrastructure also must be rebuilt so that public services can be delivered with efficiency and effectiveness. The government appointed a Presidential Task Force to focus on Northern Province development and it has been able to revamp the administrative machinery to a great extent through focused implementation of vital development programmes aimed at the well being of the people in the area.
gfiles: As you consider devolution of powers, how do you see the relationship between the Central Bureaucracy and the Provincial Governments?
LW: As the 13th Amendment is already in force and Provincial Councils have been functioning for the past 21 years, the bureaucracy at the centre and the provincial level have shown a smooth relationship and a willingness to work together. I cannot see any reason for this relationship to be sour. The structures are such that the central bureaucracy and the provincial administrative machinery have to work together to bring benefits to the people they serve. At the highest level, Chief Ministers of the Provinces are invited to the Cabinet meeting of the Government chaired by the President. This is a clear demonstration by the central bureaucracy to listen to the provincial leadership and work with them.
gfiles: Devolution is one thing – it has a political element to it. However, “decentralization” of governance is something else because it involves allowing decision-making at the grassroots level. How do you plan to implement this?
LW: Decision-making at the grassroots level is already happening. Over the years, a great degree of decentralization has taken place and public service delivery is improving at all levels. Divisional Secretariats are empowered so much to undertake a variety of activities of the rural communities.
gfiles: Since the concentration is now on rapid economic development to secure the gains of the peace era, how do you plan to make the bureaucracy more flexible and speedier in clearance of major economic projects and investment decisions?
LW: The Sri Lankan bureaucracy has been very flexible in many ways. Even during the time of conflict the administrative machinery, to a great extent, has been flexible and accommodating. Now that there is rapid economic progress, we may have to be speedier in delivering results. Extensive use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) will facilitate many administrative processes, thereby speeding up implementation of a wide range of development projects. NARC is also examining every conceivable prospect of improving the administrative processes. There is a national productivity campaign and a competition in which there is wide participation by rural government institutions. At the centre, investment proposals are dealt with speedily and investors encouraged to invest in the areas the government has identified.
gfiles: Do you plan any changes in the bureaucratic structure in order to speed up implementation of the English-language initiatives?
LW: There are no changes envisaged in the structure of the administrative machinery as such, but several initiatives are being launched to motivate public servants to acquire mastery of the English language. Extensive use of ICT is one initiative that will promote the use of English in administrative work.
gfiles: What are your proposals on ensuring the multi-lingual administration –including Tamil – is spread throughout the country?
LW: The President has already declared that, by 2020, Sri Lanka should be a trilingual nation, meaning that steps will be taken for every citizen to learn the other official language, apart from his or her mother tongue, and also people will be motivated to learn English as a link language. In the public services, there is tremendous enthusiasm among Sinhalese officers (who are in the majority) to acquire a working knowledge of Tamil and the government provides an incentive payment to those who follow recognized courses. This is also true for Tamil officers. They too are provided the same incentive to learn Sinhala.
‘Clear and focused political leadership was necessary, which Rajapakse clearly demonstrated in concept and practice.’
gfiles: Are you planning any changes in your procedures for recruitment of civil servants as well as new training facilities? How many civil servants are there and how many are recruited each year?
LW: Significant changes are being discussed regarding training of civil servants but recruitment procedures will stay as they are. The Sri Lanka Administrative Service (SLAS), the counterpart of the IAS, has about 2,700 officers who serve throughout the island in many different capacities. These positions enable incumbent officers to impact the life of the normal man and therefore are very important. Modern training in management and administration is vital to have a robust civil service and that is why the SLIDA is re-examining all training and capacity-building programmes with a new focus. Annual recruitment to the SLAS depends on the vacancies.
gfiles: Are you planning any rewards and punishment system in order to judge and evaluate performance? What yardsticks will you be using?
LW: At the moment we do not have a concrete system for rewards, but there has always been a system of ensuring discipline and punishment for wrongdoers. Sri Lanka is examining aspects of reward schemes and also the reward schemes adopted by other countries, particularly the Indian system which is being implemented under the purview of the Cabinet Secretary of India.
gfiles: Do you have any interaction with your Indian counterparts in the Indian civil services? What do you think of the Indian civil service system and do you believe there is something you need to learn from it – positive or negative?
LW: I feel privileged to have been able to forge a very strong network with many top Indian bureaucrats. I am particularly pleased to have developed a personal relationship with TKA Nair, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of India, and through him establish a strong relationship with the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Mussoorie so that some of our middle- and top-level public servants could be exposed to the training provided by this established institution. I have also had the privilege to closely interact with National Security Advisers, Cabinet Secretaries, Foreign Secretaries, Defence Secretaries and Home Secretaries. All of them have impressed me with their national-mindedness, refinement and finesse and, of course, their skills and competencies. We admire the strength of the Indian Administrative Service and other All-India Services and their ability to withstand pressure and uphold the best traditions of competent civil services. These are some of the characteristics we should emulate.
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