Sense of integrity, an indispensable characteristic of a public officer: Secy to President

The sense of integrity should be an indispensable characteristic of a public officer as the public service functions as the doorstep to proper service to the country, Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga said.

Speaking at the second series of the Capacity Building Program for senior public executives held at Mt. Lavinia Hotel yesterday, the Secretary stated that a public servant should be equipped with a whole range to skills to tackle numerous challenges that come on the way.

“A public servant must be a good communicator, a good team member, be courteous and be personally effective to implement a government’s policies to fulfil the aspirations of the general public,” he said.  A good executive should not be confined to administrative work but should always be willing to also learn on the job, he added.

Jointly organised by the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Presidential Secretariat of the Sri Lanka, the four-day retreat is aimed at supporting the development and strengthening the capability of Additional Secretaries within the Ministries, by drawing on the latest thinking and best practices concerning their role, remit and issues of priority to the Government.