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Dr. Godahewa warns govt. over its IMF strategy
‘Current crisis has given us an opportunity to rectify wrong decisions’
By Shamindra Ferdinando
SLPP lawmaker and one-time prominent Viyathmaga activist Dr. Nalaka Godahewa says the government has not been able to bring talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to a successful conclusion for want of a cohesive action plan to reduce expenditure and increase revenue.The former Minister said so when The Island sought the former mercantile executive’s response to the current status of government negotiations with the IMF.
“The issue at hand is that we haven’t been able to convince the IMF of our plans to address the daunting task. The government cannot sidestep contentious issues as the IMF expects us to come up with a clear action plan to enhance income and reduce expenditure,” the Gampaha District MP said.
Responding to another query, Dr. Godahewa warned the government that finalization of an agreement with the IMF wouldn’t be possible as long as the government delayed presenting a proper plan. The lawmaker questioned the validity of the presentation made by the Finance Ministry to the IMF delegation. Had the government convinced the IMF and as well as other lenders an agreement could have been reached during the recently concluded talks in Colombo.
Participating in a discussion arranged by a group of Kelaniya undergraduates over the weekend, Dr. Godahewa explained the responsibility on the part of the government to reveal how it intended to repay debt.
Instead of repeatedly giving excuses and warnings of further deterioration of the economic status, the government should without further delay address four key issues namely how to increase foreign/domestic income, bring down expenditure in foreign currencies/domestic expenditure.
Dr. Godahewa said that the unprecedented economic crisis had given the incumbent government an opportunity to take appropriate remedial measures to rectify a spate of wrong decisions taken by successive governments over the past several decades. Unfortunately, the government seemed not capable of taking advantage of what the former media minister called a golden opportunity to push for required reforms with the support of all political parties represented in Parliament and other stakeholders, particularly the trade unions.
Dr. Godahewa warned that printing of currency notes continuously to meet budget deficit was nothing but a horrendous blunder.The government should concentrate on expenditure control while being tough on waste, corruption, irregularities and mismanagement, the new entrant to Parliament said. According to Dr. Godahewa, waste, corruption, irregularities and mismanagement perpetrated by successive administrations had caused significant loss of revenue over the years and the incumbent government was no exception, the ex-minister said.
Commenting on public sector enterprises, the Gampaha District lawmaker said that though there were 420 such ventures, the Treasury considered only 52 of them important. Of those categorized as important, the CEB (Rs 21.4bn), CPC (Rs.82.2 bn) and SriLankan Airlines (Rs 170.7 bn) suffered a staggering loss of Rs 270 bn in 2021.
Dr. Godahewa said the country could no longer afford to bear such huge losses. Therefore, restricting was nothing but an urgent necessity, the government MP declared, pointing out that the government lacked the wherewithal to sustain utterly incompetent public sector.
Dr. Godahewa gave a breakdown of the public sector. According to the latest available data, there were 1,402,000 in the state sector comprising ministries and departments 792,000, Provincial Councils and Local Government 390,000 and state enterprises 220,000.
In 2021 alone, their salaries and other payments cost the government Rs 845 bn whereas 672,000 pensioners received payments amounting to Rs 270 bn. Therefore, the total expenditure stood at Rs 1,115 bn (Rs 845 b +Rs 270 bn), Dr. Godahewa said, adding that amounted to staggering 80 percent of the total income.
The MP called for the pruning of the public sector declaring it was a very heavy burden. Public Administration Secretary Priyantha Mayadunne recently said that Sri Lanka could manage with about 500,000 public servants though the current strength of the public sector is 1.5 mn.Dr. Godahewa said that all unnecessary posts and positions should be gradually abolished.
The U.S. Embassy in Colombo welcomed the U.S. Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, former National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) players Stephen Howard and Astou Ndiaye, from June 8 through 14.
The Public Diplomacy section of the U.S. Embassy said that it would launch a weeklong basketball program intended to harness the unifying power of sports, made possible through collaboration with Foundation of Goodness and IImpact Hoop Lab.
While in Sri Lanka, Howard and Ndiaye, both retired professional basketball players, will conduct a weeklong program, Hoops for Hope: Bridging Borders through Basketball. The Sports Envoys will lead basketball clinics and exhibition matches and engage in leadership sessions in Colombo and Southern Province for youth aged 14-18 from Northern, Uva, Eastern and Western Provinces, offering skills and leadership training both on and off the court. The U.S. Envoys will also share their expertise with the Sri Lanka Basketball Federation, national coaches, and players, furthering the development of basketball in the country. Beyond the clinics, they will collaborate with Sri Lankan schoolchildren to take part in a community service project in the Colombo area.
“We are so proud to welcome Stephen and Astou as our Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, to build on the strong people-to-people connections between the United States and Sri Lanka,” said U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung. “The lessons that will be shared by our Sports Envoys – communication, teamwork, resilience, inclusion, and conflict resolution – are essential for leadership development, community building, equality, and peace. The U.S. Sports Envoy program is a testament to our belief that sports can be a powerful tool in promoting peace and unity.”
SJB Colombo District MP Mujibur Rahuman in parliament demanded to know from the government the reasons for CEB suspending the leave of all its employees until further notice from Thursday.
MP Rahuman said that the CEB has got an acting General Manager anew and the latter yesterday morning issued a circular suspending leave of all CEB employees with immediate effect until further notice.
“We demand that Minister Kanchana Wijesekera should explain this to the House. This circular was issued while this debate on the new Electricity Amendment Bill was pending. There are many who oppose this Bill. The Minister must tell parliament the reason for the urge to cancel the leave of CEB employees,” the MP said.However, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena prevented Minister Wijesekera responding to the query and said that the matter raised by MP Rahuman was not relevant.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) successfully concluded the 8th Annual CIPM Symposium, which took place on 31st May 2024. Themed “Nurturing the Human Element—Redefining HRM in a Rapidly Changing World,” the symposium underscored the pivotal role of human resource management (HRM) in today’s dynamic global landscape. Since its inception in 1959, CIPM has been dedicated to advancing the HR profession through education, professional development, and advocacy, solidifying its position as Sri Lanka’s leading professional body for HRM.
Ken Vijayakumar, the President of the CIPM, graced the occasion as the chief guest. The symposium commenced with the welcome address by the Chairperson, Prof. Arosha Adikaram, followed by the Web Launch of the Symposium Proceedings and Abstract Book by the CIPM President. The event featured distinguished addresses, including a speech by Chief Guest Ken Vijayakumar, President of CIPM, and an address by Guest of Honor Shakthi Ranatunga, Chief Operating Officer of MAS Holdings Pvt. Ltd., Sri Lanka.
The symposium also featured an inspiring keynote address by Prof. Mario Fernando, Professor of Management and Director of the Centre for Cross Cultural Management (CCCM) at the University of Wollongong, Australia.
Vote of Thanks of the inauguration session was delivered by Dr. Dillanjani Weeratunga, Symposium Co-chair.
The symposium served as a comprehensive platform for researchers to present their findings across a wide range of critical topics in HRM. These included Cultural Diversity and Inclusion, Talent Development and Retention, Ethical Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility, Adapting to Technological Advancements, Mental Health and Well-being at Work, Global Workforce Challenges, Employee Empowerment, and Reskilling and Upskilling.
The plenary session was led by Prof. Wasantha Rajapakse. Certificates were awarded to the best paper presenters during the valedictory session, followed by a vote of thanks delivered by Kamani Perera, Manager of Research and Development.
The annual symposium of CIPM was a truly inclusive event, attracting a diverse audience that spanned undergraduates, graduates, working professionals, research scholars and lecturers. This widespread interest highlights the symposium’s significance in the field of HRM, offering a unique opportunity for everyone to network and learn from scholarly brains.The CIPM International Research Symposium was sponsored by Hambantota International Port, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), E B Creasy & Co. PLC, and Print Xcel Company.
US sports envoys to Lanka to champion youth development
Rahuman questions sudden cancellation of leave of CEB employees
