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In several key government departments, top posts continue to remain vacant amid attempts by certain parties to push through the names of their own favourites to fill them.

The Presidential Secretariat has already rejected four names for the post of Commissioner General of Motor Traffic. They were submitted by a top official from the Prime Minister’s Office.

The post of Commissioner General of Motor Traffic has been vacant for about a month now, with day-to-day affairs at the Department being overseen by an Acting Commissioner General.

The PM’s office senior official had recommended the names on several occasions, but the Presidential Secretariat has rejected them on the grounds that those individuals lack the necessary qualifications to become the Commissioner General of Motor Traffic.

Rampant corruption and inefficiency at the Department of Motor Traffic have drawn the attention of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who even made an unannounced visit there in December to check on the institution.

Meanwhile, two officials are vying for the post of Commissioner General of Prisons. One of them is a recently retired senior army officer.

The possibility of an outsider being appointed over more eligible senior and experienced officers within the Prisons Department has caused consternation among prison officials. “This is not like other departments.

It took me five years to familiarise myself with the inmates. It’s better to appoint someone from within the system,” a senior prison officer said.

Another important post that has been vacant up to now is that of the Director General of Customs. The position has been left vacant since its last director general, P.S.M. Charles, was appointed as Northern Province Governor.

The new board without the bikini beauty

Bikini board drowned

The Eastern Provincial Council’s Tourism Bureau promptly responded to a café item in this page last week.

These columns reported how ex-provincial councillor Shibly Farook had raised concerns about the Bureau using the image of a female foreigner clad in a bikini in one of its billboards near the Kalladdy bridge.

The provincial councillor’s concern was why this image was used when there were other images which could have been used to promote tourism in the region.

The café item last week published the concerns raised by Mr Farook and the image of the billboard.

By Monday morning the image was removed and replaced with another image.

Health Ministry cobweb  on coronavirus lingo

Fears of the rapid spread of coronavirus have caused mass hysteria. The health authorities are not only adopting several measures to prevent it after one positive case was discovered. They have also launched a public relations drive.

It is being carried out by the Health Promotion Bureau (HPB), a division that functions under the Ministry of Health.

Just this week, it put out on its website a public warning. Hours later, it was withdrawn. The reason? Someone had murdered the Queen’s language. This is what the warning in the form of a media release had to say:

“Novel Corona Virus Outbreak

“A reason for the reason that has been sure to be known as a reason was first reported from Wuhan city in China, China on December 31, 2019.

“The first time was identified as the new corona virus on January 2020, 07

“According to the current date in this disease (the time taken from the day from the day of the 2-10-10-2-10-10 days) is clear. Did you recognize this disease first from animals (Cobra, fish, bats), now it is confirmed that humans can be told by humans.

“The first patient confirmed in Sri Lanka has been reported on January 2020, 27, January 27, 27. The man was a Chinese and has arrived in the island as a tourist 2 weeks ago.

“Currently, the person is the treatment of the national medicine in the angoda. Apart from this, there are 5 people who doubt more patients in the company now. Two of them are Sri Lankan.

“The Ministry of health has given special facilities for the treatment of this disease in the following 12 hospitals. – National plant diseae my, North Colombo teaching hospital – best, Colombo general hospital, Colombo general hospital, National Hospital – Kandy, teaching hospital – karate, teaching hospital – anuradhapura, teaching hospital – kandy, teaching hospital – kurunegala, Provincial General hospital – rathnapura, Provincial General hospital – colombo, teaching hospital – batticaloa.

“Sri Lankan students who are coming to the country from China should stay at their home for 14 days. The men should avoid going to the place where they are going. If there was any disease (fever, cough, camp) during that time, please inform the public health check or health medical officer in the area and get treatment.

“The Ministry of health has not been recommended by the ministry of health for the public or children – the ministry of health in the ministry of health –”

Iraj’s post wrapped in mystery

The recent appointment of popular musician Iraj Weeraratne as a member of the Board of Directors of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) raised many an eyebrow.

Responding to the backlash, Mr Weeraratne clarified that he would not take any payment for his services to the SLTPB.

In his Cabinet paper recommending the appointment of Mr Weeraratne to the Director Board of SLTPB, Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga too mentions that the popular entertainer will provide his services free of charge to the Bureau.

In the Cabinet Paper, the Minister lavishes praise on Mr Weeraratne, noting his massive social media following and years of experience in successful social media promotions.

At the very end, however, the Minister seeks approval to “select suitable companies” on the advice of Mr Weeraratne to conduct digital media promotional events for the SLTPB and for the Director Board to authorise payments for these companies.

President back from S’pore

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa who went to Singapore for medical reasons returned to Sri Lanka on Friday

The SriLankan Airlines crew that flew to Wuhan to bring back the Lankan students from Wuhan

Govt. acts as Sajith reacts on need to bring back students

Having failed to secure the UNP leadership at a meeting of the Working Committee on Thursday night, deputy leader Sajith Premadasa called a news conference on Friday afternoon.

This naturally aroused the interest of the media. Both local and foreign correspondents turned up in their numbers. They waited in anxiety. He began by saying that he would not take any political questions.

Mr Premadasa was complaining that the Government had not taken measures to bring back Sri Lankan students from the coronavirus-infected Wuhan city in China. But his claim was proved wrong, because the Government was bringing back students from Wuhan.

A SriLankan Airlines special flight had taken off from the Colombo Airport to bring the students back.

The special flight landed at the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport on Friday night and the students are in quarantine at Diyatalawa.

National security parallel body gets new chief

It was an unceremonious exit for a man who had not been either in the armed forces or related fields.

With the help of a former Cabinet Minister he had set up an organisation to deal with matters related to national security. Ironically, the Minister concerned pushed through the Cabinet memorandum when the former Foreign Minister was out on an official mission.

He travelled worldwide attending seminars and was running his own show. At one point, the Ministry of Defence frowned on him for writing directly to armed forces commanders seeking the exact strength of their organisations.

The same tasks carried out by this outfit were part of functions exercised by the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International and Strategic Studies.

Perhaps, Sri Lanka is the only country where politicians succeed in setting up parallel state bodies to serve the same purpose. All that at public expense.

It is not clear whether the Ministry of Defence will let the outfit function or shut it down altogether. For the moment it seems, it has appointed a former Navy commander and presidential adviser to head it.