Should our taxes pay for nepotism?

Did you know it was ‘bring your son to work day’ in Parliament on Wednesday?

Was it?

Well, it was for SLPP MP Prof. Ranjith Bandara, who had his son Kanishka tagging along for a COPE hearing involving Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC).  

It was not the only bad decision Prof. Bandara made at that COPE meeting.

Having chosen not to disclose a previous connection to SLC, opening suggestions of conflict on interest, MP Bandara then appeared to prompt SLC officials to not answer certain questions being asked by fellow COPE members, a video of which went viral on social media.

But that’s a whole other story.

It was one of the reasons however, that Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa asked for Prof. Bandara to be removed as Chairman of the COPE committee, with speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena suspending all COPE committee meetings, until the issues pertaining to Bandara were resolved.  

Why was Prof. Bandara’s son at the COPE meeting?  

While we are yet to get an answer from the Prof. himself about that, it does highlight an age-old problem in our country’s political circles – nepotism.  

Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena himself, tasked to resolve the concerns over Prof. Bandara, has employed at least four of his family members  

In September, Foreign Minister Ali Sabry drew criticism after his son was pictured as part of Sri Lanka’s delegation at the United Nations.

Sri Lanka’s diplomatic service is synonymous for plagued with nepotism, with the Sunday Times last year reporting several appointments that had systematically weakened the country’s diplomatic relations with other countries.

Among those given overseas postings were relations of government MPs Duminda Dissanayake and Bandula Gunawardena, while a similar posting was given to the daughter of SJB MP Tissa Attanayake.

It is not a new problem either, with the daughter of former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, given a prominent United Nations position in 2011.

Back home, Rambukwella has also employed his son as his private secretary.

The list of goes on and on, but why should nepotism be issue?

Not only does this deny actually qualified people deserved positions, but many of these positions are paid for through our taxes, which the government seems to endlessly want us to cough more of.

Simply put, should we allow family members and cronies of politicians eat off the state?

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