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Syncing political authority and the bureaucracy

15 Sep 2022

It was reported by The Morning yesterday (14) that Minister of Agriculture Mahinda Amaraweera remains unhappy about the relevant authorities not having followed decisions regarding rice imports. It was reported that even though the Minister had submitted a proposal to the Cabinet of Ministers to temporarily suspend the import of rice, the relevant institutions, including the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA), had not taken the necessary steps to implement the said decision. The reason for this decision, according to a Ministry official, was that the country has sufficient stocks of rice, while the Yala cultivation season has also commenced. This news comes in a context where the Government and the public sector are expected to fulfil their responsibilities with more attention and effort than before, and to work in collaboration with each other whenever necessary. This is particularly important due to the dire situation in the country, which calls for effective co-ordination and informed understanding between the relevant parties. However, they still do not seem to be on the same page. One of the notable concerns the said Ministry official expressed was that while institutions such as the CAA tend to prioritise consumers, the Ministry has a responsibility to prioritise farmers as well.  The importance of maintaining this balance should not be downplayed, because for the public to benefit from the political authority and the public sector, both decision- and policy-making processes at the political level, as well as the implementation of these decisions and policies at the public sector level, are equally important. When one prioritises its objectives in a way that jeopardises the priorities of the other, it is the public that has to pay the price. In this case, ensuring that the agriculture sector has a good market for the paddy yield is as equally important as enabling the people to purchase rice at a reasonable price with no shortage.  It is vital that we identify this issue for what it actually is. It is not purely an agriculture sector-related issue. The delay in suspending rice imports is merely a result of the lack of harmony and co-ordination between the political authority and the public sector. Addressing this issue is important to almost all sectors that the Government and the public sector influence. It should also be noted that the two parties are often blamed for not making people-centric, judicious decisions. However, in this particular case, even though the political authority had taken a fact-based decision to suspend rice imports, the delays or unwillingness on the part of the public sector authorities hindered that process. This illustrates how the equal contribution of both parties is essential for the country to recover from the economic crisis.  If the Government and the public sector authorities cannot come to an understanding on a serious decision such as suspending the importation of one consumer good in a timely manner, how can they be expected to address the plethora of extremely complex economic issues that are yet to be resolved? The two parties should make this an opportunity to work in co-ordination and with a mutual understanding of each others’ priorities and abilities. Blame games will do nothing to appease the people at this point; immediate measures to identify and address such shortcomings is the need of the hour.


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