Civil Service Must Not Become a Puppet of Political Authorities: Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa
25-May-2026.
Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa stated that his objective is to build an efficient, independent and honest public service free from political interference, stressing that the civil service must never become a puppet of political authorities. Humanity’s oldest political hobby, apparently, is turning institutions into personal remote controls.
He made these remarks while addressing an event organised to honour council members, employees and government officials of the Kuliyapitiya Urban Council for the year 2026.
Further elaborating, he said that public servants are not puppets of political authorities who come to power from time to time. Instead, the public service must function independently on the basis of merit, competence and capability. At this challenging moment, public officials carry a major responsibility to provide relief to people facing hardship.
He also emphasised the importance of citizens having a proper understanding of the country’s current economic situation. According to international economic norms, a country should maintain foreign reserves sufficient to cover at least three months of imports. Although Sri Lanka is said to have reserves amounting to USD 7 billion, around USD 1.2 billion of this is held in Chinese Yuan and cannot be readily utilised. Since the country spends nearly USD 2 billion every month on imports, he stressed that people must recognise the true financial situation instead of relying on misleading impressions regarding reserves.
Premadasa further noted that the agreement with the International Monetary Fund will conclude in March 2027. From 2028 onwards, Sri Lanka will face a major challenge of repaying between USD 3 billion and USD 3.5 billion annually in addition to import expenditure. He warned that if remittances worth nearly USD 8 billion from the Middle East decline due to the prevailing conflict situation in the region, the economy would weaken further. Therefore, he stressed the need to strengthen exports and attract foreign direct investment. He added that a new programme is necessary to protect the livelihoods of 22 million people and control rising poverty levels.
Highlighting the role of local government institutions, he said they remain the closest public service bodies to the people. Sri Lanka’s human and physical resources were severely damaged due to the 1971 and 1988-89 conflicts as well as the 30-year civil war. Although the provincial council system introduced in 1991 had weakened over time, he praised public officials for their dedication towards rebuilding it.
He also stated that government officials operating through nine provinces, 25 districts, 346 divisional and sub-divisional secretariats, 341 local government bodies and 51,000 villages form the true administrative machinery of the country.
Premadasa reiterated that his goal is to establish an efficient and honest public service free from political interference. He added that he is prepared to work together with mayors and representatives of all political parties while increasing support to local authorities by an additional 15 to 20 percent beyond the current financial allocations in order to further improve public services. He concluded by stating that recognising the dedicated service of public servants is the true expression of gratitude.
