President warns of removing state officials if they continue to resist change after May

By Ajith Siriwardana

Claiming that no section of the public service has been allowed to collapse over the past six months of the present government, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said if officials continue to resist change, the government will proceed to remove and replace them after May.  

President Dissanayake made these remarks while participating in the launch of the National Anti-Corruption Action Plan 2025–2029 at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) yesterday.  

He said the current government has taken decisive steps to free the process of combating bribery and corruption from political interference. He emphasized that while the political mechanism has been liberated from engaging in such crimes, it is now the responsibility of the administrative machinery operating beneath that political structure to fall in line and correct its course without delay.  

He explained that a grace period of six months has already been provided for the state officials to adjust to this new direction.   

The President firmly warned that if the public service mechanism fails to act appropriately within this period, the government will not hesitate to take firm legal action against such officials from May onwards.  

The President pointed out that bribery and corruption have caused the nation to fall behind for decades in the eyes of the world. He reiterated that enforcing the law against these crimes is not an act of political revenge but a profound human responsibility.  

The President stressed the need to build a society that respects the law and fears wrongdoing, adding that conducting lectures or workshops alone would not suffice in achieving this goal.  

He emphasized that people must practically witness that any person who commits a crime will be subjected to punishment under the law.  

President Dissanayake noted that corruption in Sri Lanka ranges from minor bribery, from the village level to bringing poor quality medicinal drugs. Bribery and corruption have escalated from minor instances to grave financial crimes, extending from local councils to looting the Central Bank.  

The President further said that previous rulers safeguarded and protected those engaged in corrupt activities.  

He also revealed the emergence of a network of thieves within several state administrative institutions and certain bodies responsible for enforcing the law, comprising underworld elements involved in bribery and corruption.   

He confirmed that these criminal networks have already been identified and assured that measures will be implemented in the future to dismantle and eliminate them.  

President Dissanayake pledged that the responsibility of eradicating bribery and corruption will not be passed on to the next generation but will be resolved within this generation itself, under the leadership of the present government.