President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, addressing the 41st Annual Conference of the Sri Lanka Administrative Service Association, declared the state service “physically and spiritually ruined,” and unveiled a transformative national agenda to modernize Sri Lanka’s public service. With a staggering Rs. 330 Billion commitment for salary reforms and infrastructure upgrades, he urged administrative officers to abandon habit, embrace digitalization, and return to conscience-led service to rebuild public trust and restore national dignity.
Let’s all unite to take the public service to a culture of modernity!
- President says while addressing the 41st Annual Conference of the Sri Lanka Administrative Service Association
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake revealed that next year’s budget will be allocated to build a modern public service by conducting a self-criticism on the physically and spiritually dilapidated state structure.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake further stated that the public service must be taken to a culture of modernity and all possible measures will be taken to protect it.
The President said that priority attention has been paid in next year’s budget to modernize the dilapidated public service by improving its physical facilities.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake expressed these views while participating as the Chief Guest at the 41st Annual Conference of the Sri Lanka Administrative Service Association (SASA), held at Temple Trees today (05).
The 41st Annual Conference of the Sri Lanka Administrative Service Association was held at Temple Trees today (05), under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, with the participation of Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya and Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government Dr. Chandana Abeyratne.
The Sri Lanka Administrative Service Association is a professional organization made up of officers of the Sri Lanka Administrative Service, the premier island-wide service of the public service. It is noteworthy that this time its annual conference was held after five years.
The President explained that in order to strengthen the public service, the salary increase proposed in the last budget will be carried forward, and that the government has planned to allocate Rs. 11,000 million for the salary increase next year and Rs. 11,000 million for the salary increase of public servants in the year 2027.
The President stated that the government is committed, as a political authority, to creating an attractive public service and expects the commitment of public administration officials to this end.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake stated that the responsibility entrusted to them has become a transaction for a minority in the public service and that the public service, which has prioritized financial values over social values, should be freed from that situation.
Stating that the responsibility of public officials towards citizens cannot be bound by circulars or ordinances, and that officials who prioritize social values should be created, the President pointed out that it is the responsibility of public officials to use the authority they have received not to oppress others but to build a good public service and provide a high-quality life for the people.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake stated that the public service has reached a juncture today, and that it can continue to move forward. Otherwise, it is time to self-evaluate our role and choose the path to provide efficient service based on the needs of the citizen.
The President said that new experiments should be carried out as required for transformational change, and efforts should be made to create the country that the citizen wants, and that efforts should be made to restore the ruined state.
Full speech by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake
This is a special occasion. The people here have met us on various occasions. There are those who studied with us. There are those who were involved in various social activities with us at university. Therefore, we have met on various occasions while working in various fields. However, this meeting is more important than all those meetings. Because you, who are participating in this annual conference of the Sri Lanka Administrative Service, which is the leading service in the public service of our country, are a group that has a lot of effort and responsibility to maintain our state body. Therefore, I am very happy to have this kind of discussion with you.
At the beginning, a video clip was shown on the history of the Sri Lanka Administrative Service that has developed so far. Our administrative service has a long history. And even after independence, our political field also has a long history. Therefore, our public service and political machinery have jointly led this country for a long time.
However, if we look at the current situation of our country, can the political authority and the state body associated with it be happy with the place where our country is? We have passed various laws. Ordinances have been passed. Various powers have been given. Various political upheavals have been made. Various position titles have been changed. But, if we look back, I think if we all ask ourselves with our conscience, can we be satisfied with the place this public service is in? I think none of us can be satisfied with it. Let us put aside our own concerns and go and ask the ordinary citizen whether he is satisfied. He is not satisfied. Therefore, this conference of yours is being held at a time when we have reached a very important juncture. At this juncture, we have two paths that we can choose.
You can choose the path that you are currently fulfilling only according to the role assigned to you, the path that you are taking at that moment. That is the path that our country has been following for a long time. A very easy path.
However, there is another path. Everyone should work with the determination to transform this by self-evaluating how much our role has been used to build this state and improve the lives of the people. It is not an easy path at all. Because, in general, there is a characteristic of people: people get addicted to habits. People are afraid of experiments. If we have daily activities, if we perform our duties daily, we can get addicted to habits and perform those duties.
However, if we do new experiments, we are ready for new transformations. However, the power of habit challenges it. The power of that habit puts the brakes on new transformations. However, if we look back at the achievements and progress that human civilization has achieved today, the main secret behind the achievements that human civilization has achieved is not being afraid of experiments.
Adapting to new conditions is very important. Yes, if you do not adapt, you will be rejected by society. Therefore, I first ask you to prepare yourself to adapt to new transformations. There is no living being or theory that is not able to adapt to new conditions. It will be destroyed very quickly. Therefore, my first request is that you prepare yourself to adapt to new conditions.
However, I am asking you to adapt to this new situation in a ruined state. Our state body itself is ruined. Our state body, both physical and spiritual, is ruined. This is the reality. If we do not even discuss the harsh truth that is before us, if we go as if we are looking away when we pass in front of that grave, we will not be able to make this transformation.
Therefore, first of all, we need to understand the harsh reality before us, the truth. We need to open up. We need to present it to the discussion table. What is the reality before us?
I know that the official vehicles provided to the officials here today are more than 15–16 years old dilapidated vehicles. The computer on your desk has become an old, dilapidated one. Therefore, this state has become a physically dilapidated ruin. Therefore, we will not be able to create a modern state from a dilapidated state service. Therefore, in this year’s budget, we are paying special attention to allocating the necessary facilities and support to modernize the state service.
We must move towards the digitalization process very quickly. That is the most important transformation in our next step. However, the power of habit is hindering that transformation. I know that software systems have been created in some institutions. We accept that fact. That is good. In a discussion with the government agents, one of the government agents explained to me about the digitalization of her office.
The reason for this is that there are officers in that office who want to digitalize. Then it has happened based on the will of the people there, not as a general transformation. The power of habit is challenging this. But we have a common good to innovate our public service. There, we gave you the highest basic salary increase in recent history.
11,000 crores are needed this year to pay this salary increase. You will have another salary increase in January next year. For that, 11,000 crores are also needed. For the salary increase in 2027, 11,000 crores are also needed. Therefore, we have to bear an expenditure of 33,000 crores to pay this increased salary. That is in addition to the salary paid. We have to allocate it from the 2027 budget. This year’s budget allocated 11,000 crores. Next year’s budget will increase it to 22,000 crores. In order to pay for this total salary increase in 2027, an expenditure of Rs. 33,000 crores will have to be borne. We know that in order to make our public service an attractive place, we must establish a fair salary level. We have done that. We have taken steps to provide 80% salary increases.
But in some places in the state body, officials are not seen to be accountable for their responsibilities. Officers were found keeping money in the locker. These are problems of the soul. Prisoners have their handcuffs as well as their keys. What is this problem? Their responsibility and social value have been converted into a financial value. All humanity has been drowned in ice water and killed. They are not things that can be created through circulars, ordinances, or the constitution. They should be understood as their responsibilities and social obligations as citizens.
If we are to create a modern public service, we must create a public service with a new spirit, as well as the objectives I have mentioned above. Our public service needs a new system of values. We must also identify the true meaning of values. Values are not consumerism or striving to be superior by crushing others. Instead of these wrong values and value systems, society needs a new system of values. Gentleness, compassion, accountability for the responsibility assigned to us, etc. We are all citizens. And we each have responsibilities in our own fields. We have no right to avoid it at this time.
If you and we do not make that transformation, the citizens of our country will not even dream of a new world and good things. Therefore, you and I have a role to play in creating these good things.
Some criticisms and opinions are being raised about certain investigations. No one should be afraid of that. There are past practices of officials. There are things heard about each other. There are things known about each other. However, we do not look at you according to the old ideologies that have been adopted about each official. They do not apply to us. But we measure you according to the way you have acted since the day you were entrusted with responsibility. Past events are being investigated. You apply thousands of signatures a day. If these signatures that are meant to create social value are used for financial value, we will implement the law. It cannot be considered as poaching public service or intimidating public officials. We do not want that.
I saw a former president recently say that he should not let the Bribery Commission continue like this. Then there is a hope that the people will rise up against its actions. They think that is where the government will fall. When this law is implemented, they think that this one will get angry, that one will get angry, and then the government will collapse. What does that mean? The rule of law will be re-established. I would like to know if bringing back the boundaries required for public service is a reason to dismiss a government.
We ourselves must call for a new culture in the public service of this country. We must provide a satisfactory public service to the citizens. Find out how many of the people who come to your office on Wednesday are repeat visitors. Why has that happened? Therefore, we will try our best to transform our public service into a new culture. We will provide maximum support for that. We will become the protectors of any decision taken for that. We are not hunters, but we have an effort to restore our country. It is not an effort that anyone should be afraid of and an effort that should be blessed. I believe that you will join us for that.
We have a desire and a challenge to take this country to a new transformation. If you ask yourself, can you be happy with this country, you have a heart that has a good will to give this country and its people a better future. However, a contradiction has emerged between our good will and the work. Start working according to your true conscience. Start listening to your true conscience. This good deed can be done only if the political authority and the public sector work with a united purpose.
We have a responsibility as the political authority and you as the public service. We will not change it at all. We will fulfill our duties for the same purpose.
There are groups that have discussed for a common purpose on various occasions. There are groups that have worked as friends. I request everyone to come together and carry out this transformation. I welcome this conference by inviting all of you to work together to create a strong public service and provide the necessary facilities for a very high quality of life.
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya
For some time now, the value and dignity of the public administration service in our country has been somewhat diminished. Political interference has also been a reason for this. As a result, public confidence in the public administration service had been broken. We need to rethink how to instill confidence in the public administration service, which has a long history. We are intervening as a political authority to establish a people-oriented government.
The political authority is doing everything it can to turn the extremely important duty you are performing into a people-oriented service. Your contribution is needed to bring about that transformational change. We do not ask you to do wrong in the public service. We do not approve of it. In that confidence, a transformational change can be brought about in this country. We request you to act in your service based on that confidence. We believe that this confidence will give you the strength to implement the policies taken for the country.
Dr. Hans Wijesuriya, Senior Advisor to the President on Digital Economy
With the power of digitalization in the public service, the citizen can receive efficient service. In order to move forward as a country with international capabilities, digitalization is very necessary for the public administration service. Sri Lankan cricket, Sri Lankan history, etc. have won a unique place in the world, and the public service can also be taken to the world through digitalization. Therefore, this opportunity should not be missed.
The service provided by the public administration service is very important in recovering from the previous economic crisis within a short period of time. The international community that saw Sri Lanka during the crisis did not think that it would be able to recover from that crisis so quickly. But the Sri Lanka Public Administration Service took on that heavy responsibility. When digitalization is added to it, it will not be difficult to elevate Sri Lanka to the world.
Digitalization has the potential to create a world-class governance system. Therefore, this opportunity must be seized without letting it go.
At this event, a research journal prepared by the Sri Lanka Administrative Services Association was also presented to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government Dr. Chandana Abeyratne, Ministers, Governors, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Industries and Entrepreneurship Development Tilaka Jayasundara, Ministry Secretaries, officers of the Sri Lanka Administrative Services Association and its members were present at the event.
Presidential Media Division
2025-08-05
