The Minister of Public Administration and Home Affairs Dr. Sarath Amunugama says the only way to rid the sorry state in which the public sector has fallen is to allow for the private sector to take on a more active role in developing the country.

"A rapid expansion of the private sector is the only way out," Dr. Amunugama told a recent seminar on ‘The Public Servant and the Politician—Harmony and Conflict’.

"If needs be, we should no longer use the word privatisation if it is going to cause problems and impede growth. We can call it Public-Private Partnerships and this does not involve the outright sale of state property," the Minister said.

"Sri Lanka needs to grow. For growth you need investments. To attract investments you need infrastructure. There is a change in the development paradigm and the role of the public service needs to be looked at carefully," Dr. Amunugama said.

He suggested that the private sector should be allowed to expand while the public sector confines itself to regulating and creating an enabling environment for businesses.