The Public Administration Ministry will soon issue a circular on the dress code for government employees in accordance with the draft gazette banning all garments which cover the face and affect the process of identifying a person, Public Administration Minister Ranjith Maddumabandara yesterday said.
The relevant gazette has been referred to the President for approval, the Minister also said.
Minister Maddumabandara said the circular will request public officers to come to their respective workplaces “without covering the face.” Reading out from the draft extraordinary gazette which offered clarification on the “full face,” Minister Maddumabandara said government workers will be requested not to cover their faces from the top of the forehead to the bottom of the chin as a part of their dress.
Minister Maddumabandara said the present dress code for public servants clearly defines that the public officers should wear trouser and shirt or the national dress if male, and a sari or an osariya if female. The Minister also said that the ‘hijab’ is under no restriction. The Minister was speaking at a press brief to inform media on the security situation in the aftermath of the Easter Sunday attacks, at the Government Information Department, yesterday afternoon.
Speaking to the media, Minister Maddumabandara said government has taken swift measures to curb terrorism in the country while implementing necessary legal measures to fight extremism.
“We do not need an Arabaic-Muslim culture in this country. What we promote is a Sri Lankan-Muslim identity,” he said.
Speaking of the controversy surrounding a doctor at the Kurunegala Teaching Hospital who was arrested over allegations including earnings of large wealth by suspicious means and a number of complaints over alleged illegal sterilisations, Minister Maddumabandara said if at least one such incident is proven to be true, strict legal action will be taken against the said doctor.
However, the Minister demanded that the public wait for the investigation reports in order not to allow some groups to make it a point to take political advantage of the situation.
(Daily News)