Respect in Retrospect: Mahinda’s first Ministry Secy, reflects

By Uditha Jayasinghe
For National Police Commission (NPC) Chairman Neville Piyadigama, the third anniversary of the Rajapaksa regime is a moment to travel back in time and recall his experience in meeting the President for the first time when he was appointed as Labour Minister in 1994. Piyadigama was the first Secretary to serve under President Rajapaksa following his first selection to a portfolio when he was chosen to serve as the Labour Ministry Secretary. The Ministry had up until that time remained rather obscure and was hardly the prosperous portfolio that it is considered today. However, all that was to change in a rather unexpected way.

“When President Mahinda Rajapaksa was assigned the portfolio, he sent me a message asking me to come and meet him. Once I did, he asked me whether I would like to work under him and I was rather surprised because as a former employee of the UNP regime, I expected him to remove me and appoint a person who was more closely affiliated with his party,” began Piyadigama recalling his first impression of the future President obtained fourteen long years ago.

Fresh from working at the President’s Office under President Premadasa, followed closely by the late President Wijetunge’s short tenure, Piyadigama was, in many ways, an unlikely candidate for the position of Labour Ministry Secretary in the fresh SLFP government. Nonetheless, these qualms were quickly quenched by President Rajapaksa and the duo developed a durable relationship that extended to the Fisheries Ministry, where Rajapaksa hooked Piyadigama into following after his four year stint in the Labour Ministry was completed, despite initial inhibitions.

The comradely nature of Minister and Secretary is evident, even after a long decade and a half, which saw many changes in both individuals. Piyadigama went on to be appointed as Ambassador to Japan and Bangladesh before coming out of retirement to head the National Police Commission, while his former boss swiftly climbed the steps of power eventually taking on the mantle of fifth Executive President of Sri Lanka.

Were the seeds of greatness perceived during the first ministerial appointment? “Well…. I always told him that he (the President) would go far. But, even I could not predict how far,” admitted Piyadigama leaning back in his chair with a sheepish smile. The evidence, according to him, was in the President’s dealing with the plethora of crisis that plagued the labour sector at the time. “When the SLFP came into power, there were a series of strikes staged by unions to undermine the government,” regardless of the reputed stubbornness of trade unions, the still unwhetted Rajapaksa skillfully steered through the challenges and managed to charm all parties into agreeing on mutually beneficial solutions, this was a mammoth accomplishment by any standard.

More was to come in the form of the Vocation Training Act that was formulated in the first year of office and presented to Parliament as the first legislation to be passed under the new government. Under this landmark effort, vocational training centers were established countrywide to spearhead the teaching of IT to rural youth. The Labour Charter was formulated and implemented as the next on the ‘to do’ list. Migrant workers were required to register with the Ministry, in line with new regulations that ensured better pay and security for them. Meetings were held with key countries that imported our labour to discuss concerns voiced by workers and possible relief measures. An insurance policy trotted close on their heels.

In the middle of all this stress, was the President a hard task master? “No, he was not. There were many times when he would lose his temper with one of the officers only to repent later and ask me in private whether he was ‘too hard on him.’ At that time, he was a very soft hearted person who did not jump to conclusions about other people before giving them a chance. That is not to say that he tolerated inefficiency. When we had to deal with an incompetent ministerial employee, he would demand that the person be transferred out of the Ministry. Somehow he managed to give them the benefit of the doubt before taking tough steps.”

The President was also well known for being a good listener with an understanding ear that gleaned much from harkening to divided opinions and diverse ideas. Situations that would have sent many others into exasperated hair pulling sessions, were avidly handled by him and dismissed dogmatically. This strong grip on policy made it easy to deal with Rajapaksa, as every ministerial meeting was chaired with a specific idea in mind. “It was our task to see how his ideas could be practically achieved. At the meetings, we were allowed to present our ideas freely and it was as a result of this freedom that the ETF holders were given scholarships.”

It is heartening indeed that this phase is now given as an example by Piyadigama to stress how a Minister and his Secretary should work together. As duties were easily delegated, the then Secretary had no trouble even giving Ministerial approval as long as he notified Rajapaksa of his actions later. Disagreements were few and far between. The ministry flourished and molded into a premonition of things to come. Mutual trust and respect resound in this rather unique relationship that has weathered the test of time and tremor.