A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
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Thiranjala Weerasinghe sj.- One Island Two Nations
?????????????????????????????????????????????????Wednesday, June 7, 2017
By Leon Berenger-2017-06-06
The
Excise Department is currently rocked with dissent that has led to a
turf war between rival groups from the uniform sector and those in the
civil administration and at the end of the day it has dwarfed
performance resulting in losses of vital revenue to the government.
The entire department has been politicized over the years with political
pet poodles calling the shots whenever there is the possibility and to
hell with standard procedures.
In addition to all that the department is packed with errant officials
allegedly on the take from operators in the liquor industry but is
allowed to carry on since they are protected by an equally corrupt
bureaucracy at the upper levels of the government.
The honest officials who have bent their back on maintaining the dignity and good character of the department have been constantly overlooked in the case of promotions simply because they have refused to end up as 'hurray boys' for certain politicians and bureaucrats.
The honest officials who have bent their back on maintaining the dignity and good character of the department have been constantly overlooked in the case of promotions simply because they have refused to end up as 'hurray boys' for certain politicians and bureaucrats.
In an interview with Ceylon Today the outgoing Commissioner of the
Excise Department L.K.G. Gunawardene shares his views for the benefit of
the tax payer in particular and the public in general.
?: What is the present situation inside the Excise Department?
A: It is sad. The department is taking a freefall with indiscipline,
corruption and meddling by politicians, bureaucrats and other so-called
VIPs. Performance has hit an all time low as disillusioned officials are
reluctant to perform their duties as required because they feel they
have been discriminated at some point or other.
?: What do you suggest that could be done to get matters in order once again?
A: There should be a full revamp of the rank and file in the department
where the corrupt elements should be taken out and the deserving cases
given their rightful place. However, this will not be possible if there
is any kind of political interference. The place has to be flushed out
at the very earliest or else it would lead to dire consequences.
?: Earlier you mentioned of a turf war between two groups in the department. Can you elaborate?
A: That is very true. The uniformed personnel are attempting to edge out
those in the administration sector and this simply cannot be the case.
Those in the administration sector are qualified to handle official work
such as filing revenue sheets and other paper work from human resources
to data collection and the maintaining of records among other tasks
while the uniformed personnel are assigned for field work such as
carrying out raids and other related duties. But some persons refuse to
understand this and resort to ugly tactics sometimes bordering on
sabotage. They have runaway with the idea that they could fit into the
administration branches. This has to stop and the relevant authorities
must swing the search light inwards before these issues snowball into a
larger crisis.
?: But most of these issues, as claimed by you also took place during your watch. Did you take any measures to rectify them?
A: Yes I did and was successful to a certain extent. When I took office
in March 2015 there was a huge festering issue relating to an irregular
promotion of 43 officials. Those affected by this were fretting in anger
and the matter was later settled in Court and the promotions were
annulled and those promoted were demoted. It is needless to mention that
by such an action I drew a lot of flak, so much so that moves were made
to remove me from my post in August last year. Not only that I also
initiated raids on upmarket outlets, high society club houses and even
distilleries that had violated excise regulations much to the annoyance
of many persons. Some of these places are known to have had the
cooperation of errant officials in the department.
?: Could you mention some of the special detections?
A: An embassy employee was busted while attempting to trade two dozens
of foreign liquor to undercover excise sleuths in the metropolis. Then
there was this politico's driver who was nabbed with several kilograms
of Cannabis concealed inside a Police jeep and a Buddhist monk turned
politician was nabbed while flirting with an imported narcotic
substance. Furthermore, two defunct distilleries imported large stocks
of ethanol and illegally re-distributed it to other manufacturers. We
put them out of business. In 2016, a special Gazette Notification
brought the import of all foreign liquor under the control of the Excise
Department. That saw an end to the free flow of foreign liquor entering
the country and thereby raised the revenue for the State coffers. All
this and many more happened under my watch.
?: What were your other achievements?
A: When I took over there was a severe dearth in cadre in many sectors
in the department. There were 224 vacancies for drivers, inspectors, IPs
and promotions pending for the three Deputy Commissioners. These issues
were solved in the proper manner. A special unit for excise crime
operations was also set up to crackdown on illegal tobacco products and
alcohol. In one raid this unit was able to make the single largest
cigarette detection of over 37 million sticks thereby avoiding a loss of
Rs 93,990,000 to the government. The composition fees imposed on this
was Rs 5,012,500. In addition to that the Unit was also able to earn a
sum of Rs 5,696,190 as composition fees on behalf of the government by
submitting 35 technical crime reports. During 2015 the unit carried out
54,000 successful raids.
?:
At one point during your tenure the Police were making a huge effort to
embrace the excise duties and was lobbying the government for approval.
How did you tackle this issue?
A: That is correct. We took up the matter in a very strong manner and
finally won the day. If this was to be the case the excise personnel
would be out of work. The Police claimed that the Excise Department
lacked the manpower and logistical infrastructure to effectively carry
out raids. To a point that claim is correct. However, the men and women
in the Excise Department are committed to their job and if things needed
to be improved then the authorities should make arrangements to provide
more cadres to the Excise Department.
?: At this point did the trade unions in the department react?
A: Yes they did so to a certain extent. The trade unionists are of
little substance. They work to better their personal interests and
nothing else. In the case of the Police issue the trade unions came out
in force since they too would be affected if the Police had their way.
?:
You were known to have concentrated largely on discipline within the
rank and file in the department. How did you get around this issue?
A: This needed a diplomatic and studied approach. Steps were taken to
inspect Excise Offices throughout the country on a regular basis and to
keep the public informed as well. In addition, regular meetings were
held between different sections of the rank and file and views were
shared. The idea was to inform each and every cadre that their work was
needed and equally appreciated. The issue of discipline is an uphill
task. It is probably the same case in most public institutions. That is
the Sri Lankan temperament.
?: What is the revenue raked in by the Excise Department?
A: The total revenue earned through excise taxes for 2016 was Rs 120
billion from Rs 69 billion in 2014 and Rs 105 billion in 2015. The
increase was a result of a continuous crackdown on the import of foreign
liquor and raids on errant distilleries that had violated excise
regulations.
?: How was your relationship with the Line Ministry?
A: I do not wish to elaborate, but then again there is something that
should be mentioned. The Finance Ministry set up a special unit to
tackle raids similar to those performed by the Excise Department. It was
an indication that we were not performing as expected. Except for an
occasional raid or detection this unit has ended up as a white elephant
and those attached to it enjoy the fullest perks at public expense.
?: Any regrets after your retirement?
A: No, not at all. I do not think I was appreciated by many in the
department owing to my views and disciplinary style. Let me tell you
this. The staff had organized a farewell for me at a venue in Colombo
which was to include a parade of honour. However, I later found out that
this was a trap to humiliate me. Prior to the event I was informed by a
trusted employee that the parade was going to be a flop since most of
the personnel on the parade had reported sick and they would not turn
up. This was apparently planned by those who despised me from the start.
Ironically it is the same persons who had planned the farewell ceremony
and their intent was to humiliate me in public. They had also invited a
section of the media to cover the event, but that was never to be the
case.
?: Finally, what are your future plans?
A: I have already received several job offers, but for the moment I need
to relax with my family. Perhaps I will take a decision in the next
three months.