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| Sunday, 18 April 2004 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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President issues guidelines: Code of Conduct for Ministers, Deputies President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga has issued guidelines for compliance by Ministers and Deputy Ministers to act in conformity with the Code of conduct expected from them. Use of official vehicles The use of official vehicles should be kept to a minimum to avoid allegations of abuse of public resources. Therefore, a Minister will be entitled to use vehicles on the following basis: * Two official vehicles * Two vehicles for use of security personnel Personal Staff: No member of the family (i.e. spouse, children, brothers and sisters) or other relatives is employed as members of ministers' personal staff. Only educated young people should be considered for such appointments. Security Personnel The number of security personnel that would be assigned to each minister or deputy minister will be as determined by the Inspector General of Police. No additional police officers or private security personnel should be employed for security. A code of conduct for security personnel will be issued in due course. Foreign Travel The Ministers of the former government went on foreign trips 10-15 times a year. There was public criticism against these foreign visits which cost the taxpayers a considerable amount of money. Ministers of the UPFA government should not undertake more than a maximum of four visits abroad per annum. These official visits should be undertaken for very important official assignments and the delegation accompanying the Minister should be kept to a minimum. Appointments and Transfers of officers in Ministries or Departments Appointments to senior positions in ministries and departments should be done in consultation with the President. No officers should be transferred out of ministries or departments during this year without first discussing with the President the need for such transfers. Appointments to corporations and statutory bodies Appointments of chairmen and board of directors and working directors of public corporations and statutory boards coming under the ministry should be done only after consulting the President. Office Maintenance No unnecessary expenditure should be incurred in effecting improvements to the offices used by ministers or deputy ministers. As far as possible, government buildings should be used to house the ministry office and departments and no private buildings should be rented for such purposes unless it is absolutely necessary. The President in a letter to all ministers and deputy ministers states: "At the recently concluded General Election, people have given a very clear mandate to the UPFA and it is our duty to dedicate ourselves to the task of fulfilling their aspirations. In this context, it is important that you commit yourself to work individually and collectively to implement the action plan agreed upon by the constituent parties of the UPFA. "It is also necessary to keep in mind that the people who voted the UPFA into power expect its leaders to be exemplary both in private and public life. There were many allegations of misconduct against several ministers of the former government, and I have no doubt that you would always act in an upright manner so that there would not be room for such allegations." |
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