Public officials must clearly understand public expectations against corruption and fraud - Secretary to the President

A workshop to brief the heads of 250 state institutions that have been instructed to establish Internal Affairs Units was held today (29) at the auditorium of the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute, under the patronage of Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake.

The programme was organised in line with the Government’s initiative to build a clean, transparent and corruption-free public service. 

As the first phase of this national programme, Internal Affairs Units were previously established in 106 state institutions, and the relevant officers attached to those units were provided with specialised training, according to the President’s Media Division (PMD).  

Building on this initiative, instructions have now been issued to establish Internal Affairs Units in an additional 250 state institutions as part of the second phase.

Accordingly, the workshop was organised by the Presidential Secretariat with the assistance of the Clean Sri Lanka Programme.

Addressing the gathering, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake noted that although Sri Lanka continues to maintain relatively strong positions in sectors such as education and healthcare, the country is ranked 121st in the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index. He pointed out that such a ranking has the potential to negatively affect Sri Lanka’s overall standing in other key sectors.

He further stated that the primary slogan of the recent public uprising was opposition to political corruption, and that public dissatisfaction was not limited only to corrupt politicians but also extended to corrupt public officials. 

According to the PMD, he emphasised that the public uprising occurred at a time when the country was facing economic bankruptcy and when its consequences were being directly experienced by the public.

Dr. Kumanayake observed that public uprisings do not occur suddenly, but are instead the result of a prolonged and systematic build-up of frustration, driven by declining public trust in governance. He stressed that such movements should never be underestimated, as they represent a powerful expression of the will of the people.

He further emphasised that both public officials and political authorities must possess a clear understanding of public expectations and public sentiment. As public servants, he stated, there is an obligation to deliver a clean, transparent and accountable public service, the statement said

Explaining the broader framework of the initiative, Dr. Kumanayake stated that a structured national programme has been introduced to strengthen integrity in public service delivery. The establishment of Internal Affairs Units forms a central component of this effort, with the aim of improving internal oversight, transparency and institutional accountability.

He also underscored the importance of ethical conduct in public administration, noting that strengthening individual integrity among public officials can play a significant role in transforming the wider culture of corruption within the state sector, it added.

Furthermore, he highlighted that Internal Affairs Units can be viewed both as a mechanism for fostering a culture of integrity within the public service and as a platform that enables the public to raise concerns regarding the conduct of public officials, thereby strengthening accountability and public trust.

At the event, Additional Secretary to the President Chandima Wickramasinghe and Senior Lecturer of the University of Kelaniya, Tharindu Dhananjaya Weerasinghe delivered keynote presentations.

--PMD--