Holding ministers responsible for exercising power
by R. M. B Senanayake-June 23, 2015
Since 1956 financial power has been exercised not by the secretaries or the heads of department as required in the Financial Regulations but surreptitiously by the ministers who influence the decisions of the secretaries and heads of department and the tender boards. They invariably have their way for the Secretaries hold office at the will and pleasure of his minister. If we want good governance we can either revert to the past and keep the ministers away from interfering in financial matters or holding them directly responsible for the financial management of their ministries and make the financial regulations binding on the ministers, too, because at present the financial regulations are only issued by the Treasury and only a law can bind the ministers to observe them.