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Moving beyond the spectacle of committees

07 Sep 2022

At a time when the importance of streamlining and expediting the functions of the public sector is being widely discussed, the Government has appointed a committee to review the project offices and project management units set up to implement or facilitate various projects of the Government, as per the interim Budget proposal for 2022. The committee has been tasked with examining whether the work carried out through the project offices and project management units can be accomplished under the respective Ministry, Department, or institution, and whether there is an excess of staff in those project offices and project management units, among other matters. It is scheduled to submit its recommendations before 15 November.  Committees and commissions can be quite beneficial in many ways, especially when they comprise experts with both knowledge and experience, and when they transform the process of identifying issues into a process of learning, which helps the country not repeat past mistakes. However, for a committee or a commission to actually bring about the change that it is supposed to, the findings and recommendations of such bodies should receive serious attention and genuine follow-up. It is the actions based on those findings and recommendations that give life to the work of a committee or a commission.  However, learning from findings and implementing recommendations of committees or commissions does not seem to be  popular practice in Sri Lanka. The country has seen the appointment of countless committees and commissions, most of which were appointed in situations that require urgent attention, but did not prove useful in bringing about adequate change, as the political and other higher authorities did not implement the recommendations. The best example for such is the fate of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry that was appointed to probe the Easter Sunday attacks. Even though the Commission report had its flaws, many recommendations that the report put forward did not see implementation or further action.  It is important to note that the mere appointment of committees or commissions is not a solution to an issue, but rather one of the important initial steps towards finding a solution. Whether the authorities learn from their findings and whether their recommendations are implemented or further investigated is what will bring about tangible change. It is also important to note that society’s perception of such committees and commissions should be changed. To a considerable extent, society tends to see such committees or commissions as a solution to an issue, because politicians and the authorities have created a culture of appointing a committee or a commission whenever public pressure regarding a certain matter reaches a peak and encouraging the people to trust in those bodies. It has become an act of dealing with public pressure, rather than conducting an in-depth analysis of an issue that requires urgent attention. Currently, the economic crisis has reached a critical level. Even though external support is required and is being sought, that alone would not alleviate the impacts of the economic crisis, and this is time for honest action. In this context, it is crucial that the politicians and the authorities start appointing committees and commissions with the honest intention of using these bodies’ expertise to effectively address issues. It goes without saying that committees or commissions cannot effect any change unless their recommendations are properly implemented, and that is the responsibility of those who have the power to do so. Their inaction should not be a reason for the work of committees or commissions to go down the drain.


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