President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who turned 71 yesterday, is very much a hands-on and results-oriented leader who never takes ‘no’ for an answer. That sentence, in a nutshell, describes President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, whose strong and decisive leadership has been pivotal in Sri Lanka’s battle against the Coronavirus.
Yet, there are signs that some other structures of the Government are sometimes not on the same page with the President either by design or by default. This lacuna is even more crucially felt in the absence of a functioning Parliament, when the Executive needs every other functioning branch of Government to be at their peak.
Sri Lanka’s 1.4 million strong public service has often been cited as one of the factors that can sometimes inhibit even the best intentions of leaders. With the singular exception of the Security Forces and the Police, other sectors of the public service have been found wanting in their performance. Many analysts have written about the inherent lethargy, lack of innovation, drive and enthusiasm, rampant corruption and other negative traits more or less embedded in the public service. Of course, there are dedicated, honest and hardworking public service officials, but the actions of a vast majority of public servants have left a negative impression among the people.
Now, more than ever, when the country is facing its biggest ever economic and social crisis as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, we need their input. This is a time for fresh thinking and innovation in serving a public battered by the effects of the pandemic. They need to emerge from their bubble into the real world and offer solutions to the problems that have arisen as a result of the pandemic. They can also emulate and adapt the steps taken by public servants in other countries that have been affected by the pandemic.
President Rajapaksa, who has been holding meetings almost non-stop with representatives of almost every sector in society ever since the contagion spread in Sri Lanka, has now encapsulated all these concerns and worries at a series of meetings with Sri Lanka’s top bankers from the Central Bank, Bank of Ceylon and the People’s Bank. He minced no words at these meetings, pointing out that banking officials must give up their lethargic mentality and be more pro-active in giving relief to the businesses and members of the public affected by the virus outbreak.
What is even more alarming is that some of these relief measures had been announced at the very beginning of the outbreak here. Thus it was only a matter of implementing them. Yet, even this has not been done in some cases, leave alone coming up with new solutions to the crisis. The President called upon the banking officials to get cracking on implementing what has already been decided upon and evolving urgent solutions to get the economy moving again after a lockdown lasting nearly three months. He urged them to think in terms of developing a strong localised economy to replace the usual import-driven model which had been practised up to now.
While the President’s exhortations were directly aimed at the State banking professionals, they can broadly apply to all categories of public servants. The Coronavirus has ended our normal lifestyles. What we are entering now is a so-called “New Normal” era, where social distancing and new health guidelines will dominate our lives. It has also caused a huge downturn in the economy and spurred everyone to think anew. For example, teachers have to think in terms of online teaching, which rose to prominence during the lockdown days worldwide. More offices are allowing their employees to work from home at least for the next few months, which can save time and money both for the offices and the employees.
But the bigger picture is that Sri Lanka’s public service is long overdue for a complete overhaul. One of President Rajapaksa’s first tasks after assuming duties was making a surprise visit to the Motor Traffic Department at Werahera, where he saw the inconvenience faced by the public himself. The President actually had to intervene in a number of instances on the spot to find solutions to some of the problems faced by the customers there. This showed some of the entrenched maladies in the public service for which a cure seems to be somewhat distant.
An urgent program must be undertaken to make the public service more efficient, result-oriented and innovative. Public servants who excel by presenting new ideas must be recognised while those who fail to make the grade have to be shown the door, like in many other countries. The word restructuring may have a bad vibe having been previously associated with privatisation, but it is perfectly possible to streamline and restructure State organisations while retaining State ownership by appointing dynamic new management teams and introducing best practices.
The economy must also not over-rely on the State sector. The private sector is often recognised as the real engine of growth. It is thus vital to form more partnerships between the public and private sectors and fuse ideas together to improve our economic fortunes. Our graduates and students must also give up their penchant for State sector jobs and learn new skills that appeal to the private sector, where the jobs often come with better salaries and perks. Together, both the State and private sectors must come up with new ideas and solutions to rejuvenate the domestic economy in the post-Covid-19 era.