Public servants should display honesty - Minister

Shirley Wijesinghe

Public servants should be prepared to work honestly and with a sense of commitment without succumbing at a to undue interferences, said Public Administration and Home Affairs Minister Karu Jayasuriya. The Minister was speaking ceremony at the SLIDA auditorium to absorb eighty five officers to the Sri Lanka Administrative Service (SLAS) recently.

The Minister said that they should also be prepared to safeguard honour and prestige of their service. Highlighting the progress achieved by public service through the Citizens' Charter which had been operative from last year, Minister Jayasuriya said all public officers should try their best to update the process.

He said the friendly public service extended from the district and Divisional Secretariats through the Citizens' Charter has been appreciated. President Mahinda Rajapaksa has instructed authorities to implement it throughout the public service after observing its success. It is a great victory achieved by the public service.

The people who come to public offices on various official matters should be treated with hospitality, he added.

The officers at the executive level of the public service are accountable for every cent allocated for various projects.

Their personal attention to them is vital for the special projects such as providing relief facilities during natural disasters, the Minister observed. He also appreciated the service of public servants in restoring civil administration in the areas released from the grip of terrorists.

The Government seeks their help in restoring civil administration in the Mannar district too.

"The Government has decided to fill all existing vacancies in the public service shortly.

Public Administration and Home Affairs Ministry Secretary D. Disanayake and SLIDA Director W.M. Bandusena also spoke.