“New regime hasn’t learnt from past administrative blunder- Manjula Gajanayake (Executive Director IRES)

Text and picture by PRIYAN DE SILVA

Executive Director of the Institute of Democratic Reforms and Electoral Studies (IRES) Manjula Gajanayake says the new regime has not learnt lessons from the administrative blunders made in the past.

Gajanayake pointed out that one could not blame former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa alone for mismanaging the country’s economy and that the entire Cabinet, MPs of the ruling party, advisors to the President and officials who held decision-making posts, during his tenure, should be equally blamed.

“At a time the whole country is demanding a new governance paradigm, it is sad to see President Ranil Wickremesinghe reappointing Cabinet ministers, as well as top government officials, who failed to prevent the nation’s economic downfall” Gajanayake said.

“It seems that President Wickremesinghe has not taken note that the failed administrations of his predecessors were headed by officers who had retired from public service and that these officials are also responsible for the nation’s economic bankruptcy”.

Gajanayake pointed out that the officials appointed to high posts by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had either not foreseen and warned the President of the economic downfall the country was heading for or their advice had fallen on deaf ears. He warned that if President Wickremesinghe continued with the unhealthy practice of sidelining young public officials with capacity and vision by appointing retired officials with outdated strategies to high posts, such action would further ruin the country.

“The best course of action President Wickremesinghe could take, if he intends to revive the nation’s economy, as promised, is to call for a parliamentary election which would allow the public to elect persons of their choice who will put country before self when making important decisions and until such time refrain from appointing retired officials who have failed the nation in the past to high posts.”

He said it could be that the government was reappointing corrupt officials to ensure that the fraudulent practices and large scale embezzlement of government funds that resulted in the present economic debacle would not be brought to light.