Soon after Sajith Premadasa becomes President, the Parliament will be dissolved after appointing a new cabinet of Ministers We will not wait till the end of general election, we will start maintaining macro economic fundamentals which is the main task of a government, emphasized SJB Parliamentarian Eran Wickramaratne speaking among a representative gathering of bankers in Sri Lanka in Rajagiriya yesterday evening.
Mr Wickramaratne on the need of more professional coming forward to take the task of governance and administration said that he and Karu Jayasuriya were the only two corporate sector professionals who came to politics.
“Unfortunately in Sri Lanka unlike other countries politicians do not come from working background. There are politicians vying for power but they do not have the working experience. Some of them have never held a paid job or a business of their own. So can a country could sustain by electing such people to power”queried Eran Wickramaratne.
Citing an example from neigbouring India the MP pointed out that Mr. Manmohan Singh who was a civil servant working in New York was brought in to politics and made the Minister of Finance of India. When he decided to float the exchange rate opposition alleged it was for him to get undue advantageous to his foreign currency savings. Then he made the declarations of his assets including the foreign currency account. Later he donated all his revenue from foreign currency accounts to a government fund. That created a huge confidence in him and his policies. These are the types of public servants and professionals Sri Lankan politics needs at this juncture to develop the country. he emphasized.
He also said that though some who have no experience in the administration or governance are misleading the people saying politicians are corrupt and stealing public wealth. He said that for the last few years Local Government Institutions have no political leadership. But no reduction in corruptions in these public sectors Still can a person get his plan approved without paying bribe to officials concerned ? Likewise can they get a permit to fell a coconut tree from a DS office or a clearance report from a local Police station without paying something. People can't stand in with public service now. People have identified who is going make biggest problem for them. There is an in -built institutional corruption in the public service.
Unless some major steps are taken there may be another (aragalaya) agitation because the public sentiments on corruption in politics and the public service have changed. Therefore, SJB will make structural changes in the public service to make it independence” Eran said.
With regard to SoE reforms Mr Eran Wickramaratne said that Private sector participation or PPP will be introduced to major State own Enterprises while some others will be shut down under the new SJB government’s reform policy that would help rationalize public expenditure.