The Prime Minister made these remarks on Wednesday (23rd) afternoon while addressing a public gathering held in the Dodangoda area.
Addressing the gathering, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated:
“When we work with the consensus to correct society, the people come forward to fix what is wrong and change the system. This is the transformation we hoped for. This is what democracy is about. The days when people were scolded for filing complaints at police stations are now gone. They listen to people attentively, the public complaints are recorded accurately, and spoken to with courtesy. This is the change the people are demanding.
One of the biggest issues experienced by the people of this country was enrolling a child into a school. For a long time, it became customary to line up at the homes of politicians seeking letters for school admissions. That is how children were enrolled. We have changed that system. Today, the people are telling us that asking for such letters is wrong, and we understand that. They do not want to see that mistake repeated. Some people even cry when sharing their grievances with me, sometimes it makes me cry too but not a single person has asked me to do something wrong.
People themselves now say it’s wrong to expect special treatment from politicians for personal matters. Even if they come to us with their sorrows in tears, they refrain from seeking political favors. Isn’t that proof of change? If the people have changed, haven’t we also changed? This is what the people of this country have been asking for. This new political culture must be reflected at every level from the President, Parliament, and the Cabinet, to provincial and local government institutions. If that alignment does not happen, we cannot move forward.”
The Prime Minister further noted that the public remains largely unaware of the existence or responsibilities of some local government institutions, attributing this to their failure to deliver visible and effective public services.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
