Election Commission Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya has ordered the Public Administration, Internal Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government Ministry Secretary to suspend the training programme for newly recruited graduates to the state sector until a week after the election results are published.
In a letter to the Public Administration, Internal Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government Ministry Secretary, the Election Commission Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya has stated that complaints had been received regarding this matter and that recruiting these graduates would amount to promoting political agendas.
“These graduates are not being recruited for essential service requirements or to fill existing vacancies. Moreover, we have been receiving complaints regarding these appointments and it has been noted that on previous occasions too such appointments had been suspended during elections,” the Election Commission Chairman said in his letter.
In response, Public Administration, Internal Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government Ministry Secretary S. Hettiarachchi had written to the Election Commission Chairman notifying him that these graduates were not selected targeting the election but it was an election promise made by the President during the 2019 Presidential election. He said that the candidates were not selected based on their political affiliations but these were unemployed graduates who had been lamenting without jobs and that the President was fulfilling a promise made to them.
However, Hettiarachchi had noted that if the Election Commission Chairman feels that by providing employment to these graduates it could influence the election, then these appointments could be suspended until the election is concluded.
(Daily News)