• SAARC moves after 2-year slumber 
• Scrap MPs' pension 
• SLAS men protest to President 
• Five more deputy ministers likely 
• Plan for better and more effective MPs 

SAARC moves after 2-year slumber

By Our Diplomatic Editor

The three-day conference of officials beginning Monday is the first meeting of SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation) since March 1999 — twenty months ago when the Council of Ministers met in Nuwara Eliya. 

Since that meeting the SAARC Summit in Nepal has been postponed indefinitely and with it Sri Lanka's chairmanship. 

It is an open secret in SAARC circles that it was due to India's insistance that the summit had to be postponed. 

Bhutan made the formal request, though following aggravated hostilities between India and Pakistan over Kashmir and especially the Kargil dispute where New Delhi accused Islamabad of encouraging rebels in the area. 

The resentment was such that the Indians were unwilling even to hold the informal discussions of SAARC foreign ministers when they usually gather in October each year for the United Nations General Assembly sessions.

There was no exception this year as well, though SAARC foreign ministers were able to meet their counterparts for bilateral talks. 

The fact that next week's meeting of SAARC officials, coming so soon after this year's UN General Assembly sessions, indicates that despite not meeting collectively, member countries have agreed to get a move-on at least for technical discussions. 

At the least, India appears to be keen not to give the impression that it is the stumbling block for regional cooperation. 

Ms. Meera Shankar, a tough talking official at the Indian External Affairs Ministry, is to represent her country at tomorrow's discussions, which would be on a structured agenda and, hopefully the stepping stone to a meeting of the standing committee which is at foreign secretaries level.

SAARC Secretary General, senior Sri Lankan diplomat Nihal Rodrigo, arrived from the Katmandu Secretariat for tomorrow's meeting. SAARC officials expressed optimism that the three-day meeting would give the required kick-start to the association that represents nearly 1.5 billion people from one of the economically poorest regions in the world. 

Scrap MPs' pension

He told The Sunday Times the motion was part of a series of 'people-friendly motions' to be presented by the party in parliament. 

"There is no logic in giving a parliamentarian a pension after five years. The country can use the money on development work. We are determined to scrap the pensions," he said. 

Meanwhile, two Colombo district parliamentarians from both sides of the divide will separately move for the abolition of the pension scheme for parliamentarians. 

The PA's Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra and the UNP's Ravi Karunanayake have both given notice of private members' motions calling for the abolition of the pension entitlement of a parliamentarian at the end of a five year term, a year before the lapse of a parliamentary term. 

SLAS men protest to President

"Traditionally secretaries to the ministries are appointed from the SLAS because it is the premier public management service in the country that has produced administrators. Any deviation will only de-motivate these officers," Sri Lanka Administrative Services Association President S. Rannuge said. 

In a letter to President Kumaratunga, the SLASA said that a secretary had to perform three roles — a policy adviser to the minister, administrative head of the ministry and a member of the public sector top management team.

"We strongly feel that when appointments of secretaries are made, consideration should be given to the areas of their specialisation. 

"If an officer is appointed as secretary to the Ministry of Land, he should have knowledge and experience in land work, if not he has nothing to offer to the minister as a policy adviser," the letter said. 

The SLASA has urged President Kumaratunga to reconsider the appointment of secretaries and to take immediate action to introduce a proper system for such appointments. Mr. Rannuge said that due to outside appointments of under-qualified persons, upto 700 senior SLAS officers who were eligible for appointment for ministry secretaries were being shut out. 

Five more deputy ministers likely

Amidst reports of a dispute over the deputy finance minister's post being shared by G. L. Peiris and S. B. Dissanayake, the name of the MEP economist Bandula Gunewardea is also being mentioned. 

Others reported to be making claims for deputy ministerial posts are Dilan Perera and Baratha Lakshman Premachandra. 

Plan for better and more effective MPs

By Dilrukshi Handunnetti

A party official said a top-level team had been appointed to draw up the code and also amendments to parliamentary standing orders whereby MPs could play a more effective role in state affairs. He said the aim of the UNP was to raise the standard and the contribution made by parliament to national affairs as part of a new political culture. 

He said the code would include prohibitions on drinking and gambling, annual declaration of assets to parliament and to the political party, non-inclusion of family members in personal staff, abolition of the present scheme of issuing liquor permits to legislators and an anti-corruption pledge. 

Meanwhile, the UNP working committee has also decided to expel Wijeyapala Mendis, Ronnie de Mel, Harendra Corea and Sarath Kongahage on disciplinary grounds. But the move is largely an ineffective formality as three of the members have been re-appointed to parliament and now are cabinet or deputy ministers while Mr. Kongahage is likely to be appointed as a governor.

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