Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena says he believes the state officials will fulfill their responsibilities and duties to create a public service which is free from fraud, waste and corruption under the good governance concept.
The President said the public officials who execute their duties honestly for the benefit of the people will not have to be afraid of investigations.
Addressing the 33rd Annual General Meeting of Sri Lanka Administrative Service, held at the Nelum Pokuna (Lotus Pond) theater in Colombo today (29), President Sirisena said the government is prepared to be with the government officials who fulfill their responsibilities for the people.”Today, some officials in the public service are refraining from signing for documents due to a fear that they will have to face investigations against the financial crimes, but the officials who execute their duties in a proper manner will never have to face such investigations,” the President said.
He said the Government has taken steps to adopt 19th Amendment to the Constitution as a prime step to make the good governance concept a reality and through this initiative many steps have been taken to prevent political vengeance in the public sector.
“Today, the public officials have an opportunity to fulfill their duties and responsibilities without the interference of politicians while protecting the dignity of their service,” he said.
President Sirisena said that he will not dismiss in contempt the struggles made by the state officials to win their privileges and further said he believes in a similar way they will fulfill their responsibilities and duties to create a public service which is free from fraud, waste and corruption under the good governance concept.
The President recalled that he became the head of state from a minor position in the public service as a result of losing it due to political revenge.
President Sirisena further said that since he was a Minister and even after he was elected to the office of President, he is taking lunch prepared at home and recalling a statement made by a priest recently that kings should take their lunch in a lavish way, the President said that he is not ready to fulfill his duties as a king and those statements are utterly immaterial in an environment where the Government is working to create a just society where the President, state officials and the general public will receive equal opportunities.
Ministers and MPs , including Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe, Minister of Public Administration and Management, Ranjith Madduma Bandara, Minister of Home Affairs, Vajira Abeywardena, Minister Sagala Ratnayake, Secretary to the President P.B. Abeykoon, Chairman of Public Service Commission, Ranjith Ariyaratne and others participated in the event.
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