September 21, Colombo (LNW)Elections Commission Director General (ECDG) Saman Sri Ratnayake announced that disciplinary action will be taken against public officials who fail to report for their designated election duties. Ratnayake made this statement during a media briefing following his visit to the Pasdunrata College of Education in Kalutara to observe the operational process of the Presidential Election in the Kalutara District yesterday.
During his visit, Ratnayake held discussions with Kalutara District Secretary and Returning Officer Janaka K. Gunawardena and Kalutara Deputy Election Commissioner Kalindra Jayaweera Fernando. He noted that over 71,000 public officials have been given the opportunity to cast postal votes, with some also assigned election duties. “If a public officer fails to report for their designated duty, not only do they miss out on fulfilling that responsibility, but it also deprives another officer of the opportunity to serve,” he said.
Ratnayake urged public officials to ensure they report for election duty as assigned, warning that failure to do so would result in disciplinary action.
In addition, the Commissioner General called on private-sector employers and plantation managers to grant leave to employees and plantation workers, enabling them to cast their votes. He emphasized that private-sector establishments must provide sufficient time off, in accordance with legal provisions, to allow employees to exercise their voting rights. Ratnayake highlighted that this is a constitutional obligation and urged employers and managers to ensure that their staff are given the necessary leave to vote.
