If only the energy was transferred from fooling people to productivity

Sri Lanka has two rather incompetent buffoons as Ministers and deputies for productivity. They engage an inordinate amount of time trying to explain to the public sector that they should become more productive. How can you explain to people whose whole aim in life is to get a secure job with pensions and have no inclination or love for the job to suddenly change to being productive in what they do! It is simply asking for the moon.

There is an enormous media blitz everyday to have full page advertising in newspapers extolling the virtues of every action of the government, which in previous administrations, they were considered as just part of the run of the mill of growth, and development. Now it is shown to the masses as some unusual thing undertaken by the government for the people, not just doing what they are paid for at double the cost, that particular contract could be performed for if done under proper procedure.

One must first start with the new intake. There are many graduates who have been recruited to ministries without proper job classifications and therefore are just sitting around just signing in for their paycheck. Why would the productivity ministers waste time trying to make their existing staff more efficient, when the new recruits are adding to inefficiency and being unproductive.

The public sector waste in unconscionable as the workforce have not had the training to improve efficiency of their performance as they do not face any competition from anyone. This single fact makes it difficult to measure improvement in the public sector, especially when the public sector workers make no effort at improving efficiency, a hallmark must do in the private sector if many firms are to survive.

Let us instead appeal to the trainers in the public sector to devote some time to measuring efficiency and productivity and therefore improve the performance of the public sector. If they can include concrete suggestions at improving productivity, which can be easily explained, I am sure they will be more receptive, especially when the cost of their inefficiencies hitherto have not been properly measured, but is guessed to be enormous. If half the energy that goes into local government elections can be developed for the improvement of the quality of life for Sri Lankans then their existence can be justified, but it is a long way away from educating them in right direction