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Minister of Mass Communication Imtiasz Bakeer Markar who met officials of the Government Information Department yesterday at the Information Department Auditorium advised all officers to cast aside their petty political differences and work as a team to bring the Information Department to its pristine glory of the past.

Minister Bakeer Markar who gave a patient hearing to the numerous grievances and obstacles which the officers of the Information Department had to put up with during the last seven years urged everyone to forget all the misdeeds committed by the previous regime and render their unstinted commitment to the Ministry of Mass Communication to offer, a better media service to the public.

He said there should be transparency in the work carried out by the Government Information Department and the Minister vividly described as a youngster how he looked up to the Information Department as an institution which provided invaluable information to the masses to enrich their lives in the days gone by.

The Minister acknowledged that during the past seven years the Government Information Department had deteriorated in various spheres with the sealing of the Government Film Unit and several other drawbacks which were pointed out to him by several officers present yesterday.

Minister Imtiasz Bakeer Markar advised all officers of the Government Information Department to forward their constructive criticism related to their professional work towards his Ministry and that he would take prompt action with the co-ordination of the Information Director Ariya Rubasinghe and Secretary to the Ministry of Mass Communication Kumar Abeysinghe.

The Minister explained that it was the vision of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe to revive the flagging fortunes of the Government Information Department under the supervision of the new United National Front administration.

He lastly urged all officers present to work with a clear frame of mind sans any thoughts of vengeance and hatred towards the others and that as expected by Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe, to usher in a vibrant media culture in the country whereby both government and opposition viewpoints could be conveyed to the public on an equal scale.

Secretary to the Ministry of Mass Communication Kumar Abeysinghe said that the new Minister of Mass Communication would streamline the work carried out by the Government Information Department in a more effective way so that the public could reaffirm their lost confidence in the Information Department.

Abeysinghe also assured the officers of the Information Department to readily forward their grievances in relation to their professional work and that all the assistance that could be rendered from the side of the Government would be provided at the earliest.

He said that he would brief the new Minister of Mass Communication about all the obstacles faced by the officers of the Information Department and swift solutions would be found so that the Information Department could become a source of strength to the activities done by the Ministry of Mass Communication.

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