Prersident Maithripala Sirisena’s assertion that youth going after politicians for jobs should be brought to an end, no doubt will be endorsed by all right thinking members of the public in this country. Addressing the concluding ceremony of the Yowun Puraya exhibition in Trincomalee the President said the government must ensure that the practise of youth going after politicians to obtain employment should be put to an end as soon as possible.
The government’s job is to create job opportunities and not giving jobs to youth willy nilly with nary a care in the world if the government institutions have the capacity to accommodate these armies of youth sent by politicians. Today, most hanker after government jobs with an eye on the pension and seek the patronage of politicians in this regard. The President himself conceded even he was still pestered for jobs by supporters and requests for school admissions. One could argue that granting jobs to supporters are the lot of politicians, though, its consequences could be very costly to the state.
The President, in his speech, rightly referred to the two youth uprisings and the revolt by Tamil youth in the North, which he contended stemmed from discrimination in the granting of employment. It goes without saying that employment should be strictly on merit and there cannot be any other criteria to gauge the suitability of a candidate. What our politicians have been doing since Independence is filling government vacancies with their supporters to the exclusion of the deserving. Jobs for boys and gals seemed to be the motto here and both main parties are guilty of this infraction, which had not only saddled the government with bloated wage bills they can ill afford, but also brought little or no returns in terms of productivity. The phenomenon has also bred indiscipline and sometimes even mob rule, with supporters of politicians virtually ruling the roost at these state bodies they have been recruited to.
The cost of maintaining these deadwood is a story in itself. The fate that has befallen some of our vital state institutions, as a result of loading them with political supporters, is indeed an indictment on the callous attitude displayed by our politicians who obviously care a tuppence for the growth and prosperity of these government bodies. The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation and Ceylon Electricity Board stand out as the epitomes of black holes, as a result of a glut of employees who had got in through the chit. It is said that jobs at the national carrier was the sole preserve of a former VVIP son, plunging that institution into a financial mire. The death knell sounded on the once efficient and profitable CTB when even baila singers were appointed to prominent posts through the influence of politicians. That, square pegs in round holes still occupy commanding positions in many of our government institutions is no secret. It is fervently hoped that the President’s injunction would be followed by his ministers and they would desist from continuing with the practice of filling government corporations with political supporters.
True, measures taken to trim the fat in many of our government institutions, virtually bursting at the seams, would be met with resistance and is an unpopular measure which no government dare take. However, steps should be taken to end this unhealthy business once and for all. The practise of politicians making promises offering jobs to their supporters during election time should cease forthwith. Political parties should at least come to an agreement on this score. Like the President noted, today, there are many qualified persons who are either out of employment or underemployed. Those who have shown a flair for creative work and innovation have no incentive to develop their crafts. This, while thousands of political lackeys are employed in government jobs with no output. This trend has led to most of our youth depending for jobs on politicians, they are close to, while neglecting their education and killing initiative. The practise, if allowed to continue, will soon see a youth population in Sri Lanka devoid of skills and initiative, but depending on politicians for employment. Instead, our youth should be encouraged to stand on their feet on their own accord and shape their own future.
President Sirisena should be commended for coming out with his bold statement, even at the risk of becoming politically unpopular. We say this, because, offering jobs to supporters have long been intertwined with the political fortunes of government ministers. The more the jobs offered the more they are assured of re-election, with the state having to shoulder the enormous burden in consequences. Not only that, the additional costs spent to maintain these army of unproductive workers are also passed down to the general public in the form of inflated electricity bills, water bills etc. That is why the President’s assertion is doubly important. It is unfair for the public to foot the bill on behalf a bunch of unproductive workers, for the politicians to benefit in the end.
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