COLOMBO– Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has ordered that verbal orders issued to bureaucrats should be treated as written circulars, and warned serious consequences for those who refuse to comply.
“President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has directed the officials to treat all verbal orders issued for the common good of the people as circulars to be implemented,” his office said in a statement.
“Those who neglect this will face stern action,” the statement quoted the president as saying.
President Rajapaksa had made the remarks during a visit to Haldumulla in the central region of the island on Friday (25) to inspect public works.
“I expect public officials to consciously comprehend the problems of the people and provide solutions,” he had said.
“I will always stand by the officials who make the right and unwavering decisions on behalf of the people. State institutions take a long time to address people’s issues.
“If a written inquiry from one institution does not receive a reply from the other institution within 14 days, consider it as approved,” the president had ordered.
President Rajapaksa took office in November promising strong leadership and consolidated his hold on power by winning a two-thirds majority in Parliament.
His party unveiled a controversial constitutional amendment last week handing unprecedented power to him, prompting opposition claims that the country was on the path to an elected dictatorship.
-economynext.com