*Mega development projects to continue

All communities will be treated equally - President

by Shirajiv Sirimane in Kandy

Sri Lanka has two main races with different aspirations and I want to treat all communities equally. If I give gold to the South, the Northerner too should receive it, said President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The President told journalists of weekend English newspapers in Kandy, on Wednesday that people living in the North and the East need a safe and secure place to live freely without intimidation.

“Right now they need a roof and expect a better livelihood. They need new roads, electricity, employment, better education and advanced health facilities.”

He said it was with this intention that development projects such as Uthuru Vasanthaya and Nagenahira Navodaya were launched, “In addition, the railway track is being rebuilt and several other development projects are being launched not only by the Government but by the private sector as well”.

President Rajapaksa said that in addition to the projects in the North and the East the mega development projects in the country and the present economic policy would continue.

The Board of Investment (BOI) too has succeeded in obtaining foreign direct investments to the region and when these projects get off the ground they would open new opportunities.

“This is my priority and once these people are happy then we can talk about the best political solution needed for them.”

The President said that once the Northerners were happily settled he would then talk to them and implement a political system that would be endorsed both by the North and the South.

“I do not want to rush a political package such as the 17th Amendment. A solution has to be discussed at length to give the best for the people,” he said.

He recalled that the Northerners were under the iron fist of the LTTE limiting their freedom of expression and also their right to vote for 30 years.

The President said that once the people are resettled new ideas and new leaders would emerge and through this a new political package could be spelt out that would be endorsed by the North and the South.

Commenting on Tuesday’s election, he said that he was confident that he would win with a comfortable majority.

He said that his victory margin would not be thin but a sizeable one.

“I call upon all political parties after January 27 to rally round me, shed political differences and help bring about a lasting solution to this problem and make Sri Lanka one of the most developed countries in Asia,” he said.