Colombo, Nov 22 (IANS) Sri Lanka's President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Friday held a meeting with the commanders of the country's tri-forces and senior officials as he assumed duties as the Minister of Defence. Dissanayake stated that his government, as a political authority, has no other objective than to provide the political leadership necessary to meet the expectations of the people.

"As I take on the responsibility of the Defence Minister, I call upon all public officials to work together with one shared purpose: building a better nation. Restoring trust in public service is key to delivering the change our people demanded with their 80 per cent mandate. Let us lead with integrity and purpose," said Dissanayake. The Lankan President mentioned that regardless of the laws and regulations, the power of the people is equally impactful.

"The President stressed that in this new transformation that the public is anticipating, progress cannot be made without strengthening public trust in the public service. He noted that it is the public service that has been the driving force behind the economic and social growth of every developed nation," read a statement issued by Dissanayake's office.

During his meeting with the officials at the Defence Headquarters premises in Akuregoda, the Lankan President discussed the ongoing and future initiatives of the defence ministry. The Lankan President affirmed that the new government is dedicated to promoting good governance and seeks the support of everyone for the nation’s development programme. In particular, he highlighted that the power of the people remains just as strong, irrespective of the Constitution and laws while pointing out that the composition and outcome of the mandate given in the most recent presidential and general elections reflect the people’s expectations.

Sri Lanka's Deputy Minister of Defence Major General (Retd.) Aruna Jayasekara, Secretary to the Ministry of Defence Air Vice Marshal (Retd.) Sampath Thuyacontha, Chief of Defence Staff General Shavendra Silva, Commander of the Army Lieutenant General H L V M Liyanage, Commander of the Air Force Air Marshal Udeni Rajapaksa, Commander of the Navy Vice Admiral Priyantha Perera, members of the security forces, and staff from the Ministry of Defence also attended the event.

/IANS