Sunday Times E-Paper

Dismissed PUCSL Chairman’s removal made into a mess by his PR team

This week saw the Parliament voting out the chairman of an independent commission--the first to be removed through a Parliamentary vote.

For Janaka Ratnayake--the overthrown head of the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL)--who was brought in by the previous administration, it was using the whole saga for his next ambitious project--contesting the Presidential elections as he indicated a day before the vote.

It was almost like warning the MPs they had better be in his good books so when he becomes President, they could be considered to be in his Cabinet.

After being refused entry to the gallery to witness the Parliament debate on his removal on Wednesday, Mr Ratnayake followed the proceedings on a giant television screen in his private office located at Somadevi Avenue, in Kirulapone.

To capitalise on the momentum and gain some sympathy, his staff released photos of the

chairman on his way out from his seat at the PUCSL office, seated in a cushy chair in front of the mega LCD screen as the divided House debated on his imminent removal. Somewhat later, the staff realised the images they circulated could be counter-productive. Underneath the TV screen was a minibar consisting of bottles of foreign liquor which were extraordinarily expensive these days after the tax hikes.

Social media users had a field day on the publicity disaster. One

commented; “After a tough day of witnessing his removal, he definitely might need a couple of shots and the chairman was well prepared for it to fortify himself with the outcome.”

Realising the blunder, the staff had to do the photo-shoot again covering the bottles of foreign liquor with a photo frame in front of them. By the time the latest photos landed on social media, the damage had already been done and users hopped onto the next hot topic.

NEWS

en-lk

2023-05-28T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-05-28T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://sundaytimes.pressreader.com/article/281573770071408

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