News
House silent on PM’s plea to summon culprits
Dereliction of duty:
By Shamindra Ferdinando
Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena’s bid to seek explanation from those who hadn’t submitted annual reports of relevant state enterprises has gone awry.Addressing Parliament, on October 20, Premier Gunawardena requested Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena either to issue instructions or directive or to summon heads of state enterprises who had neglected their responsibilities.
PM Gunawardena, who is also the leader of the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP), wanted the Speaker to call them before President Ranil Wickremesinghe in his capacity as the Finance Minister.Responding to The Island queries, sources said Parliament had not summoned that meeting until declaration of holidays at the end of this year. Parliament is scheduled to meet again on January 05.
Alleging that scores of state enterprises hadn’t submitted annual reports, over the past several years, Premier Gunawardena said that the Parliament could earn the respect of the public by demanding explanations.The Premier emphasized the responsibility on the part of Parliament to exercise its constitutional rights, pertaining to public finance, as both the government and the Opposition repeatedly stressed that.
Premier Gunawardena is on record as having told Speaker Abeywardena that the failure on the part of the state enterprises to submit their annual reports, over a period of time, hadn’t been mentioned in the report submitted by the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA).
Pointing out that successive governments were responsible for the deterioration of state sector enterprises, Premier Gunawardena said that Secretaries to the relevant ministries functioned as Chief Accountants. Therefore, Secretaries to the relevant ministries couldn’t have turned a blind eye to what was going on, the Premier said.
Referring to COPE (Committee on Public Enterprises), COPA (Committee on Public Accounts) and COPF (Committee on Public Finance), Premier Gunawardena said regardless of who chaired those watchdog committees, the Speaker had the right to issue directives to them.
Top Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) spokesperson Mujibur Rahuman, MP said that he was not surprised at all by the Prime Minister’s predicament. The Colombo District lawmaker pointed out that the Prime Minister functioned as leader of the government parliamentary group. “President Ranil Wickremesinghe, too, addressed Parliament quite often. But, the Speaker has simply ignored timely suggestions by the Premier,” MP Rahuman said.
Acknowledging that inordinate delay in sending reports to Parliament had been a long standing problem, MP Rahuman said that in spite of the developing financial-political-social crisis the government was yet to streamline the revenue collection process. The restoration of financial transparency, in public sector enterprises, was a crucial part of the overall project to improve discipline, the MP said. However, the government seemed to be unable to cope up with the situation, the former UNP MP added.
According to him, the reports issued by the Auditor General, and examinations conducted jointly by parliamentary watchdog committees, and the AG, over the years, revealed a pathetic picture of public finance. Unfortunately, successive governments failed to take remedial measures, much to the disappointment of the public struggling to make ends meet, lawmaker Rahuman said.
Responding to another query, MP Rahuman said that top officials, particularly Secretaries to Ministries, who functioned as Chief Accounting Officers of ministries, should be held accountable for the deterioration of the public sector.
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
