News
Over 2,000 recommendations of parliamentary watchdog committees ignored
COPE and COPA toothless tigers?
by Saman Indrajith
More than 2,000 recommendations made by the parliamentary watchdog committees, COPE (Committee on Public Enterprises) and COPA (Committee on Public Accounts) with the objective of preventing corruption in public institutions have not been implemented by the relevant state agencies and officials, parliament sources told the Sunday Island.
Corrupt practices continued despite repeated warnings and recommendations by the two committees which uncover frauds after expending much effort and time, these sources said pointing out that among those institutions ignoring the implementation of recommendations were the Department of Inland Revenue, Customs Department, Excise Department, Education Ministry, Department of Wildlife Conservation and some local government bodies.
Sources alleged that some officials who had charges against them have deliberately kept away from committee sessions.
“It has been noticed that officials responsible for many instances of financial misappropriation find excuses such as leaving the country when they are summoned before the COPE or COPA,” a senior parliament official said.
Former Speaker Karu Jayasuriya in an attempt to promote transparency and accountability of the COPE and COPA opened previously closed door meetings to the media.
“The committees expose wrong doings of officials in public sector institutions and ministries and then the media reports them. COPE and COPA make recommendations to rectify the errors but the malpractices continue. There is no way for the Committees to compel the officials to act on their recommendations. So the committees have been often called toothless tigers,” the official said.
Incumbent COPE Chairman, Prof Charitha Herath, said that the situation could not be changed without amending Standing Orders of Parliament. “We expose massive losses and waste of public money. Yet we have no powers to compel the officials to implement our recommendations. For that purpose existing Standing Orders should be changed,” Prof Herath said.
Asked to comment, incumbent Chairman of COPA, Prof Tissa Vitarana said that this issue had been raised several times at COPA meetings. “Some officials have acted on recommendations while many have ignored them. When the officials do not rectify bad practices that would raise a question of accountability of state owned enterprises and other public sector institutions such as ministries.
“COPE and COPA are key committees that oversees state owned enterprises and examines the accounts relating to appropriation of the sums granted by Parliament to meet the public expenditure. Since there is continued non-compliance, at the last meeting I suggested seeking the opinion of the Attorney General to find whether the Auditor General could file legal action on behalf the COPA against the official who fail to comply by deadlines given to them by the committee.
“We intend to give a deadline of one or two months and if the officials continue to ignore the committee recommendations they could be taken before the courts under the proposal that I have made,” Vitarana said.
Parliament should amend Standing Orders to give more teeth to the COPE and COPA, he added.
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
