Developing Sri Lanka to be the ‘Wonder of Asia’, the main focus :

President to take oaths on Nov 19

by Dinesh WEERAWANSA

President Mahinda Rajapaksa will take oaths for his second term as the President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka on November 19, 2010 - the day he completes five years in office since his first election as the first citizen in 2005.

The swearing-in ceremony, which was earlier speculated to be held in either Hambantota or Anuradharpura, is now likely to be held in Colombo.

Among the last official functions of President Rajapaksa before completing his first term will be the commissioning of the new Magampura International Harbour in Hambantota.

President Rajapaksa has said he is looking forward to win the ‘economic war’ during the second term of his office, having given an inspiring leadership to the Security Forces to win the battle against terror during the first three-and-a-half years of his first term.

The main focus during President Rajapaksa’s second term in office will be to fully implement the Mahinda Chinthana 2 policy statement - Mahinda Chinthana Idiri Dakma. Developing Sri Lanka to be the ‘Wonder of Asia’ with dividends of peace will be the prime target during the 2010-2016 period.

Instead of customary pledges made by successive leaders since Independence, President Rajapaksa presented a novel policy statement - the Mahinda Chinthana, during his first Presidential Election campaign in 2005.

Almost all the promises in the Mahinda Chinthana -1 have been implemented so far, the last being the Government decision last week to acquire controlling shares of Shell Gas Lanka under its policy of strengthening State enterprises.

Apart from vanquishing the world’s most ruthless terrorist outfit during his first term, President Rajapaksa has been leading Sri Lanka towards new economic horizons.

Among the most notable was Sri Lanka’s record volume of foreign reserves and doubling of per capita income.

Sri Lanka’s per capita income since President Rajapaksa assumed office has doubled during the last five years.

The President’s aim is to strengthen the economy and double the present per capita income to US$ 4,000 within the next five years.

Despite spending a colossal sum of money to fund the battle against terror, the President simultaneously embarked on several mega development projects such as Upper Kotmale power project, Norochcholai coal power plant, Kerawalapitiya power plant, Southern expressway, Magampura Harbour project in Hambantota, Mattala International Airport project, Colombo-Kandy expressway, Moragahakanda reservoir, Uma Oya project and the Colombo Port expansion.

Priority has been given to infrastructure development though projects such as flyovers at strategic locations and the Maga Naguma projects.

President Rajapaksa was re-elected as the sixth Executive President of Sri Lanka by a massive majority of over 1.8 million votes at the January 26 election.

He polled a total of 6,015,934 votes as against his closest rival Sarath Fonseka of the New Democratic Front who polled only 4,173,185 votes.

In the first major poll since the eradication of terrorism, people of all walks showed an overwhelming support for the President.

He rewrote Sri Lanka’s election history by becoming the first President, or Head of State for that matter, to get re-elected with a greater victory than in the first election.

Though President Rajapaksa was first elected President with a percentage of 50 plus in 2005, he increased that to nearly 58 per cent when securing re-election at his second Presidential Election in January 2010. On his way to a landslide victory at the 2010 January Presidential Election, President Rajapaksa led in 17 out of 22 electoral districts gaining 57.88 percent of the votes polled.

The President overran many bastions of the UNP who had recorded mind boggling majorities.

Long stading pocket boroughs of the UNP such as Senkadagala, Mahiyangana and Mawanella, which were comfortably won by President Rajapaksa.