Minister of Plantations and Community Infrastructure Samantha Vidyarathna has launched a sharp attack on Sri Lanka’s sluggish bureaucracy, blaming it for obstructing the swift execution of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s reform agenda. In a wide-ranging interview, he details recent removals, administrative failures, and a vision for political, economic, and social transformation that could reshape the nation’s future.
Bureaucracy Too Slow for Change: Minister Samantha Vidyarathna Criticizes Officials for Delaying Government Goals
Sri Lanka’s bureaucracy has become a major obstacle to progress, says Minister of Plantations and Community Infrastructure Samantha Vidyarathna. The Minister said the slow pace of administrative machinery is making it difficult for the government to meet its development targets, including the fast-paced goals set by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
He admitted that even routine tasks require relentless pressure to move forward. According to him, it is not just a problem faced by the President’s Office it’s a day-to-day struggle within his own ministry as well.
“We must constantly push to get the work done,” he stated, frustrated by delays that stall the delivery of essential services and infrastructure development.
Asked about issues with major project implementation, the Minister said many problems could have been avoided if officials had simply followed established rules and procedures. He made it clear that even recently appointed officials will not be spared if they fall short.
“For example, a chairman of a corporation under my ministry has been removed. There is an audit investigation against another person. We just appointed these people. But, if there are problems, we will address them,” he said.
Looking beyond bureaucracy, Vidyarathna outlined the three major areas where the government seeks national transformation. He said the first was political. The government, he stressed, is not following the same old political path. Instead, they are working to change the political culture by ensuring that MPs are reshaped as genuine representatives of the people.
He also spoke of an urgent need to change the country’s economic trajectory. Relying on loans and privatization is not a sustainable path forward, he argued. Instead, Sri Lanka must strengthen its core productive sectors agriculture, industry, and fisheries. That process, he said, is already underway.
Finally, the Minister emphasized the importance of social reform. He said the country must break free from the toxic divisions of the past racism, religious differences, and the grip of organized crime and drugs. The vision, he said, is for a united, safe, and inclusive Sri Lanka.
Throughout the interview, Vidyarathna’s message was clear: unless the bureaucracy catches up, the government’s reform mandate will remain stuck in neutral. But under President AKD, there is no tolerance for stagnation and no patience for officials who stand in the way of change.
