Patience exercised for over a decade paid dividends - Minister Naveen Dissanayake

By Ranil WIJAYAPALA

Naveen Dissanayake, a politician hailing from a renowned political family was one of the two MPs appointed to the Cabinet of President Mahinda Rajapaksa when he made a Cabinet reshuffle after taking oaths for his second term.

It was the patience he exercised for more than a decade that brought him to this position, the new Minister of Public Management Reforms, Naveen Dissanayake said.

Speaking to the Sunday Observer at his residence at Alfred House Gardens whilst preparing to leave home (after having Kevum and Kiribath along with well-wishers), to assume duties at this Ministry, Minister Dissanayake said that he would have been a very unhappy and frustrated MP today if he did not take the decision to support the Government to end the war in 2007.

He said the country will see a change in all sectors with the President's decision to put the country on the right track. The Minister has been entrusted with the task of making the required changes in the public sector to achieve that end.

Following are the excerpts of the interview:

Q: What are the functions, the role and scope of the Public Management Reforms Ministry?

A: The Public Management Reforms Ministry was created during the last Cabinet reshuffle to make the public service more efficient, more transparent and more people-friendly. The Public Service involves the Gramasevakas, the Samurdhi Niladharis, the Water Board, Ceylon Electricity Board and so many government institutions. We have 1.3 million public servants and we want to target, the majority of them to see that they will fast track the projects and the policies of the Government. And also to see that the people feel when they visit a public office that they are being served well. The scope of the Ministry is wide. It has not been defined. It is up to the Minister and the Ministry Secretary and the people to make sure that the public service makes these reforms so that everyone in the country will benefit.

Q: How do you plan to work according to the extended version of the Mahinda Chinthana?

A: Anyway this is very much part of the Mahinda Chinathana Idiri Dekma. Without having a good public service you really can't have a efficient Government. So we want to make sure that even in the North and East, where the civil war disrupted the public service, that proper mechanism are put in place to ensure the people in the North and East are being served without any discrimination. So that they can go to any public office, Kachcheri or local government office to get their work done.

Q: You mentioned the public service in the North and the East. Do you have an idea of bridging the language disparity?

A: Actually we haven't looked into this yet. We must improve the language efficiency of the first two layers of public servants for the Sinhalese to have a fair knowledge of Tamil and Tamils to have a fair knowledge of Sinhala. We can't make it mandatory. Instead of making it mandatory we will give them the options to learn basic language skills.

Q: The President exhorted Ministers and Deputies to cut down on wastage and corruption. What will you be doing to ensure this?

A: In my Ministry of course there is no wastage or corruption in terms of finance. We must look at the other institutions in the Government sector such as District Secretariats and Divisional Secretariats and other institutions. They should be enlightened on how to eliminate wastage. I don't think that public sector employees are corrupt. A large number of public servants are honest. There are a bad eggs. It's there in any system. So we must find a system to minimise wastage. We must have a committee system in place, a good accounting system to achieve this. We must have a private sector approach to the management of the public sector. The perception of the public sector is that once you get a job you look for a eight hours of work, salary and pension. In the private sector if a person gets a job, it's on contract and not on a permanent basis. Make him permanent in his position based on performance. The idea of giving a permanent job straight away should be considered critically.

Q: What is your opinion of the public service?

A: People have a negative perception on the public sector. Because I have been a Minister and a Deputy Minister, what I have experienced with the public sector is satisfactory. It was after putting a lot of pressure and a lot of demands that I get things done.

The issue is for the people. The issue is for the public and their normal experience with the public sector. The feedback I get from the people is that it is very difficult to get things done in the public sector. This, we have to change.

Q: You are originally from the United National Party. You along with 17 strongmen from the UNP decided to join the government due to the war efforts of the President. People like Karu Jayasuriya, your father-in-law decided to go back to the UNP. What is your opinion now?

A: Since we achieved peace, now it is really a matter of consolidating the peace. The next six years is about change, development, reforms, whether it is the private sector or public sector, in the financial sector, in the education sector.

I think the President is taking the country towards the right direction. So we have to support the Government.

Q: You joined the UPFA in the year 2007. What would be your current position if you had remainend with the UNP?

A: I would be a very frustrated MP just sitting there and hoping that things would change, when things would not.

Q: Some MPs like Sajith Premadasa and some other groups are trying to bring about changes in the UNP. Do you think they would succeed?

A: I think the whole idea of change is not about individuals. It is about policies and principles. When I was there we also started to talk about changing the constitution and the changing the way the party should go. I don't know how far this group will focus on these things. Whether they are going to succeed or not we have to see. I wish them the best, because we should always have two parties. We must have a viable Opposition. So I hope they will succeed.

Q: You were a Deputy Minister and non-Cabinet Minister. After the last general election you became just an MP. What was your reaction?

A: I was very clear in my thinking. I told the President that I had the experience of serving as a Deputy Minister and Non-Cabinet Minister and if I didn't get a good Minister to work with, I would be wasting my time, just enjoying the perks the office, diesel vouchers and all other facilities. If there is nothing to do, there is no point in becoming a Deputy Minister.

So I told the President about my position and my experience as an MP of ten years. Out of respect to him I would prefer to be just an MP. He understood. This time he took only two MPs as Cabinet Ministers Vasudeva Nanayakkara and me.

Q: This is your first appointment as Cabinet Minister. How do you look at it?

A: I feel good. I have worked right throughout to achieve this. When Ranil Wickremesinghe was Prime Minister, some juniors in the party were made Cabinet Ministers. Sajith and I. I think we must have patience.

Q: Do you think the decision you took in 2007 was correct?

A: Not being a Cabinet Minister I supported the President in his efforts to end the war. The President wanted my help. I felt that the President was taking the country on the right track. He had taken a very clear position against the LTTE with the right people in the right positions. His brother gave him support as Defence Secretary to continue with the war effort.

The determination to eliminate terrorism was with the Government. I put the idea to the UNP that we should extend our help to the Government to finish the war. They did not do that. They signed an agreement and supported the Budget in 2006, but made various statements against the agreement.

That is why I decided to join the Government, and not because it expected a position in the Government. The President gave us those positions as a legal cover. I am happy because I contributed in some way for the Government to finish the war.

Q: You have said that the younger generation in this country is not getting enough chances in politics. Now opportunities are available for youngsters to enter politics. What is your opinion?

A: The President wants to bring in a lot of young people to the Provincial Councils. Women also were given opportunities to enter politics. I think it should happen naturally.

The female population is not properly represented in Parliament. If women are voting for women there should be more women representation in the Parliament. Political parties field women candidates but people do not vote for them. We have to bring in young blood to takeover from the old.

Q: Are you happy about present representation of the young in the Parliament?

A: There are a lot of good young MPs in Parliament. In ten years time when they come into leadership they will have a lot of experience and they will have a lot of ideas about development, because the situation has changed.

A lot of funding is coming for development projects compared to the last 10 to 20 years. For the past 10 to 20 years people were frustrated, the country was stagnating. The situation is now changed.

Q: Your name was mentioned that you were to join the Opposition again. Why was this?

A:It was during the Presidential election in which Sarath Fonseka was contesting that the issue came up. My brother supported Sarath Fonseka at the election.

But I never wanted to support him. I only supported the President. That was why my name came in.

Q: Have you had problems due to different opinion on politics among family members ?

A: One should not entertain family relations when dealing with politics. My brother's views on politics are different from mine.

Q: What is your opinion on the development drive launched by the Government ?

A: It is a massive development drive - ports, highways, power, education, Gama Neguma and Jathika Saviya. All those are excellent ideas. A few years back there was not even a single tar road in the villages of the Nuwara Eliya district. The villages in the district see a massive development. It is a positive sign.

Q: Are you happy with the development in the Nuwara Eliya district ?

A: I am happy. If you ask my satisfaction level I would say it's five to six out of ten. I am not hundred per cent happy. I haven't got funding. But during my lifetime I will do my best for the district.

Q: What is your plan for the Nuwara Eliya district ?

A: My plan is to develop the infrastructure in the district. I want to develop the Nuwara Eliya town, the school Gamini Vidyalaya and the hospital. In the villages I want to see infrastructure developed. I want to see roads developed. That is the sort of development I want to see there.

Q: During the budget vote the Tamil National Alliance abstained from voting. Is this a positive sign ?

A: I think the TNA also understood the gravity of Sri Lankan politics. As far as the President is concerned there is no point of trying to stop him or block him all the time, because he will be the President for another six years. There is a possibility that he may continue for a further six years also. It is good to courage the President and be constructive instead of trying to block him.

When you come to a certain point, you can listen to him and he can listen to you. I think the TNA has understood that. They also want something positive for their people. They want development, education and all what is going to other areas in the country to come to their people also. The President wants to do that, because we all are Sri Lankans.

Q: Do you think that the Government can address the issues of the minorities in the North and East ?

A: It is not a question of the government can or government will. It has to be addressed. Because we must understand the root causes. Why a person like Prabhakaran came into existence, why a movement like the LTTE came into existence. If we don't understand and push this under the carpet and say that it was just a law and order issue that is not the case. I am not saying this because they killed my father. The LTTE was a ruthless and brutal terrorist organisation. You cannot justify the existence of an organisation like that.

Q: What is your aim in your political career ?

A: My aim is to get as much as resources for the people in the Nuwara Eliya district to develop the district and its people.