Ignoring a presidential order

Sri Lanka has many firsts to its credit. Some dubious; some creditable. Among the praiseworthy ones are having the first woman prime minister in the world and … among those we would like to hide are the deadliest suicide killers and at one time the worst suicide rates in the world.

We would like to add another first to the list of dubious achievements – the chairman of state companies refusing to obey a presidential order.

Several months after Sri Lanka Tourism Board Chairman Udaya Nanayakkara refused to budge from his seat after President Mahinda Rajapaksa wanted Bennet Cooray appointed, comes the news that Tea Board Chairman B.A.C Abeywardene is also boldly hanging on in spite of orders to quit.

As our story on the previous page says, presidential orders have been given for the Tea Board chairman to resign and to assume duties at the Presidential Secretariat but the man refuses to do so.

Last week Abeywardene fired his guns at The Sunday Times FT accusing it of irresponsible reporting because we were merely reporting the facts. The boorish official has now arrogantly taken on powers that are beyond him and boldly and without fear says that the Secretary to the Ministry of Plantation Industry or the Secretary to the President have no control over him. “I will remain,” he says stubbornly.

He has fallen foul with his fellow directors on the Tea Board and berated them for interfering. The bull-in-a-china-shop approach has even resulted in threats that directors could be manhandled if they interfered in the affairs of the board!

Abeywardene’s don’t-care-attitude began when he clashed with Tea Board Director General H.D. Hemaratne over administrative and financial matters. About a month ago Hemaratne, widely regarded by the tea industry as one of the most honest and competent state officials, was sent on compulsory leave for alleged financial irregularities. So far the suspended Tea Board official is yet to get a charge sheet as required when such action is taken. The Tea Board chairman has also ignored instructions from the Minister and other higher-ups saying he answers only to the President.

Now even with the presidential order given calling for his resignation and re-assignment to the Presidential Secretariat, the chairman who owns the TV Lanka channel refuses to quit. The tea industry is Sri Lanka’s biggest commodity export and at one time the country’s biggest export earner and heavily relies on promotion of Ceylon Tea and doesn’t need problems like this. But there’s more bad news. Our story says that Abeywardene has been blocking vital funds needed for overseas promotion and thus Tea Board Promotion Centres abroad are in deep financial trouble. The tea industry is appalled by the state of play and hoping that the President will intervene in an absolutely messy situation.

The crisis in the industry comes after the drama at the Tea Research Institute where the ‘harassment’ of its then director Dr Ziyad Mohamed, also a competent officer, saw his early departure from that agency. Here again the chairman of the institute was to blame and he was replaced but it was too late: the industry lost a good officer

The Sunday Times FT has been singularly beating the warning drums over the threat to Hemaratne even during the TRI crisis but no one listened or paid any attention.

Now Hemaratne is out and the chairman refuses to quit. The President must take stock of this situation and not allow an Udaya Nanayakkara- type situation to continue.