By Austin Fernando -February 17, 2014 

Austin Fernando

We were ruled by the British through their administrative mechanism- the Ceylon Civil Service (CCS); of course engaging “imported” British civil servants. Since the Sri Lanka Administrative Service (SLAS) is the successor to the original British CCS and its domesticated CCS since Independence, one can trace its origins to 1802, the year the CCS was established by the British, though SLAS was established in 1963.

After Independence with some reforms the CCS carried on governing. However, with Independence public needs changed, less drastically due to prevailed economic stability- especially due to the Korean Boom. However, with the socio-political-cultural changes of 1956 and deflation of Korean Boom bubble, the demands on the government were diverted to welfarism with development.

With the 1956 political upheaval the parliamentarians and political activists changed in stature, experiences, sophistication and origins. Radhika Coomaraswamy quoting Professor AJ Wilson says that despite the fact that political leaders belonged to the well-educated elites, a fair number were “unsophisticated villagers who never used a cheque book in their lives or even knew what a bank account was…”  Hence the post-Independence CCS administrators had to look forward for changes in administrative attitudes. It took a while to happen. I believe it was due to the elitist political leadership finding valued coinage in the CCS and the CCS-stalwarts’ hold on politicians, thus creating reduced enthusiasm to change administrative systems.

But this resistance and lack of political will to change was short-lived. The lower political hierarchies wanted change. They demanded a people friendly administration. The “Ejantha Hamuduruvo” (“Venerated Government Agent”) attitude had to change. The Gammuladeni (Village Headman) had to change. It wasn’t a wonder (as I learnt in Batticaloa as a Ceylon Administrative Service (CAS) probationer in 1967) when even a Minister had to seek an appointment to meet the Government Agent (GA) in early-fifties!

The raw-recruit CAS officers were sent to the districts as Divisional Revenue Officers (DROs), District Land Officers, Land Development Officers, Assistant Commissioners / Assistant Directors of various departments. Though the DROs’ Service was absorbed to SLAS, they were still called “DROs.” The DRO was a miniature CCS model, working mostly under CCS GA, later replaced by senior SLAS hands. However, the Ejantha Hamuduruvo feeling in the GAs and DROs was not totally extinct by 1967- especially in the public eyes. Subsequently this designation was revised to Assistant GA and Divisional Secretary. Their duties were mostly related to land, agriculture, food supply, provision of welfare / social services, disaster management etc.  Some like me had the rare opportunity to learn work in “Un-policed DRO’s Divisions.”     Read More