We always try to solve our problems by having meetings. We have daily meetings, progress review meetings, Committee meetings and Meetings to celebrate various events, to name a few.
If you go to BMICH, you can see several meetings almost every day. Millions of Rupees are spent for these meetings. Tea is served. Lunch is served. Various presentations are done. All participants come in luxury vehicles. All are very well dressed in very expensive dresses.
Most of the meetings are held in Colombo. They also add to the normal traffic jams. When we go to an office to meet a senior officer, very often he has gone for a meeting.
For a two hour meeting in Colombo, the senior officers spend about two days. He is given a luxury vehicle to attend meetings.
At the meeting, one person speaks and about hundred are just listening. All are having two or three telephones. All are given computers. They can make use of these modern equipment and have their discussions.
There are several TVs that televise and give publicity. All the TV channels of full of details of meetings. To show the faces of popular people.What is the use of all this?
We have to correct this culture. We cannot do everything with meetings. We need action. Leaders must be in their office. They must be with rest of their staff. They must participate in the daily work.
We can have monthly progress review meetings. That should be site. Not in a big luxury hotel in Colombo.
Our Heads of Departments are most of the time out of the country. They have gone out of the country for various meetings.
Let us stop this meeting culture and start working. Our leaders must start working. They must not call a meeting and tell various people various things. They must directly involve in the work. They must set an example. Others will follow. They must take the full responsibility.
They must know what is happening. They are not there to conduct meetings. They are there to work and show some output. We do not want officers to spend their valuable time attending meetings. We want them to do more productive work.
When we select people for big posts, we must see their ability to work in their specialty. Not their ability to conduct meetings.
D. Weeratunga
Nugegoda.