Isuru Devapriya: Despicable ‘Criminal’ waste of public funds

The Colombo municipality encompassing an extent of only 37.2 Sq km with a population of 550,000 has 119 members to represent 41 wards, approximately one member for 4,400 people.

by Susiri Gamage-Aug 18, 2018

( August 17, 2018, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) It has been reported that the Western Provincial Council has decided to import some 125 luxury chairs with facility of heating its councillors’ posterior at a cost of Rs 650,000 each. Chief Minister Isura Devapriya has made a futile attempt to justify the move, saying that the council had sufficient funds for that purpose while government is taking stringent steps to control unnecessary imports. Excellent furniture is locally manufactured. The Government Factory, established in 1849 and later shifted to its present location at Kolonnawa in1928, was the main supplier of furniture for the entire government, local government bodies and later, also for some corporations and there was no need to call for tenders for purchases from the Government Factory. We as, new recruits in the public service in the General Treasury, were shown by our superiors, the table and the chair manufactured by the Government Factory and used by D. S. Senanayake as the Minister of Agriculture in his office located on the third floor, middle part of the Old Secretariat Building. Although this is an isolated incident it surfaced thanks to the intervention of a JVP councillor.

On August 14, the Ontario Legislature, in Canada, one of the vibrant democracies in the world passed a resolution with a big majority to reduce the Number of elected members and wards of Toronto municipal council from 47 to 25. Toronto is the 4th largest city in North America, with a city area of 630.2 Sq.km, and a population over 2.81 million. Its annual GDP is 304 billion CaD (Rs 38000 billion) with an annual operational (recurrent) budget of 13 billion CaD (Rs. 1,625 billion) comprising a phased out capital budget of 37 billion CaD (Rs 4687.5 billion) for a period of 10 years. Municipal services include water supply, management, electricity, sanitation, roads, subways, housing, fire services, child development, daycare services parks, snow removal from, elders’ homes, and many more services not provided by Sri Lankan local government authorities. It is under such circumstances that the number of wards and council members have been reduced from 47 to25. The ratio of representation is one for 112,400.

It is also worth having a glimpse at our closest neighbor, Chennai municipal Corporation of India. An estimated 4.9 million people live within the city area of 426 Sq km. It was divided in to 200 wards in the year 2011, with some seats allocated to specific castes, representing approx 24,500 people by one ward member in the municipality. The Mayor is considered an honourable and ceremonial post as the first citizen, but expected by law to take instructions from the Municipal commissioner, appointed from the IAS.

In contrast, the Colombo municipality encompassing an extent of only 37.2 Sq km with a population of 550,000 has 119 members to represent 41 wards, approximately one member for 4,400 people. A recent economic survey reveals that the daily income of 45% of the total population is below Rs 800.00 and accordingly one has to work 800 days to meet the cost of each of the chairs to be imported for the Western Provincial councilors.

Although the stories in fiction does not happen in real life, it reminds me of the story of Manor Farm, in the famous satiric novel “Animal Farm” written by George Orwell. Pigs make a rebellion, chase away the owner of the farm and animals take over the farm. All farm animals were considered equal in the beginning. As time went by they changed their motto as “all animals are equal and some are more equal than others”. Their earlier promises of not to sleep on beds, not to consume liquor were violated. After a party at former owner’s house pigs were found drunk and sleeping on beds. Those who did not have anything of their own go for all the luxuries at the expense of the poor tax payer.