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by Deepal Warnakulasuriya

The decision to permit public servants to engage in private practice has run into a series of snags with the six-member committee appointed by the Public Administration, Management and Reforms Ministry to formulate the necessary amendments to the Establishment Code failing to get off the ground as its Chairman who is also critical of the move, has retired from service. Chairman of the Committee, Ms. D. Wimalasiri who is also Secretary to the Ministry, retired from service last month after reaching the age of 60, leaving the committee, to face the barrage of criticism even without a single meeting.

Minister of Public Administration, Management and Reforms, Vajira Abeywardena, recently decided to permit private practice to certain categories of public servants with the aim of helping the private sector harness the experience of the public servants and make them partners in the national economy.

Former Ministry Secretary and ex-Chairman of the committee, Ms. D. Wimalasiri, admitted a committee had been appointed to formulate amendments to the Establishment Code, but said that it didn't favour private practice by the public servants as it would only result in government resources being misused. She also said that new amendments were not necessary since public servants could engage in private practice under prevailing regulations after office hours with the written permission of the head of the department or the institute.

The Organisation of Professional Associations of Sri Lanka (OPA) which also opposed the move has decided to submit its objective to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Minister Abeywardena. An official of the Public Interest, Protection and Ethics Committee of the OPA, said that the Association would put the pressure on the government not to extend private practice to further categories of public servants.

He said that the OPA felt that the privilege now enjoyed by some categories of public servants should also be phased out because they could use state property, state resources, and official positions on private clients. He pointed out that the government would not receive the output expected from the public servants since it did not possess enough possibilities of neglecting official duties during working hours.

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