President Rajapaksa, a leader committed for peace - Ex-US Congressman

In the aftermath of the release of the Report of the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon’s Advisory Panel, the world focus is directed more on the Sri Lankan Government, which vehemently refuted the allegations in the report which are totally devoid of truth and based on unfounded and unverified hearsay accounts.

While a forum is in the offing for and against the Darusman Report worldwide, former US Congressman Rev Dr Walter E. Fauntroy, who met President Mahinda Rajapaksa at Temple Trees early last week, commended the President’s commitment for bringing peace, development and reconciliation to the country.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa offering a sapling of the Sacred Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi to the International Buddhist Centre in France

“President Mahinda Rajapaksa is a leader committed for peace and it is up to Sri Lanka to reap the peace dividends by accelerating the reconciliation process”, he told the media after his meeting with the President.

Rev. Dr. Fauntroy, who was also Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s personal representative to Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, said Sri Lanka should pursue peace through non-violence in the same manner as Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela.

“If this country creates young Gandhis and Mandelas, there would not be relapses in Sri Lanka similar to those of Egypt, Yemen and Libya and that is what was wanted in this country,” he said.

Dr Fauntroy said that violence was all that the Sri Lankan youth had seen in the last 30 years and it was up to the Government to see that image is reversed.

“Now that Sri Lanka has achieved peace at the end to the hostilities, this is the ideal time that the reconciliation process should commences,” he said.

Dr Fauntroy said that he was here to promote food, education, justice, housing and income for the people of Sri Lanka and asserted that it was in that backdrop that the reconciliation process could be ideally taken forward.

Stable food prices

The Government ensured stable prices during the festive season. At the Ministerial Sub Committee on Food, Security and Cost of Living, presided over by the President, it was revealed that despite the normal trend, where the prices of food and other essential commodities are increasing, a stable price level could be maintained during the Sinhala and Hindu New Year season due to salutary steps taken by the Government.

The President instructed the authorities to introduce methods such as dehydration for long-term preservation of vegetables.

The President meeting trade union leaders

Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Dr. Rajitha Senaratne, explaining the current situation in the fishing industry, said that fish production during the first quarter of this year had increased by 4,000 metric tones when compared to the corresponding period last year.

Fisheries Ministry officials had explained to the President the measures taken to prevent illegal methods of fishing.

The Ministers thanked the President and Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa for taking prompt action to resolve the extortion racket at the Peliyagoda new Fish Market Complex.

Private sector pension scheme

Trade union leaders pledged their unstinted support and co-operation to the Government for introducing a pension scheme for employees in the private sector. They made this pledge when they met President Rajapaksa at Temple Trees middle of the week to discuss the private sector pension scheme proposed by the Government.

President Rajapaksa who patiently listened to the views and suggestions made by the trade union leaders said that the government would implement the pension scheme soon after taking their ideas and views into consideration.

The President said that the officials of the Finance and Labour Ministries and the Labour Department and the Attorney General’s Department should hold further discussions with trade union representatives.

Trade union representatives who attended the meeting thanked the President for his decision to implement a pension scheme for the by private sector employees and pledged their full support and co-operation to take it forward.President Rajapaksa said his intention was to introduce a strong and sustainable pension scheme for private sector employees which will not break-down halfway.

This private sector pension scheme which fulfils another pledge in the Mahinda Chinthana - Future Vision would benefit workers in the private sector expatriate Sri Lankans and the self-employed.

President Rajapaksa who called upon the trade union leaders to send in their views and suggestions in writing, said that the proposed pension scheme was meant to offer a source of strength to the working class. We wanted the workers and the unions to support the pension scheme, having regard to their future rather than the present.

The President presents a scholarship to a grade 5 student

The President who said that the elder population would increase considerably by 2,020 added that a scheme of this nature would be vital in caring for them.

He also recalled that the Government had taken several measures in the recent past to strengthen the private sector.

President Rajapaksa offered a sapling of the Sacred Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi to the International Buddhist Centre in France.

President Rajapaksa attended the meeting held on Friday to commemorate the 100th death anniversary of Ven. Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Nayaka Thera, the founder of Vidyodaya Pirivena, Maligakanda.

Grade 5 scholarships

Over 400 students, who had passed the Grade 5 scholarships 2010, received scholarships from President Rajapaksa at Temple Trees.

Around 5,000 children of ETF employees have passed the Grade 5 scholarship examination 2010 on district basis.

Four hundred of them have been selected to receive scholarships from the President.

Each of the beneficiaries will be awarded Rs. 15,000 to be deposited in a People’s Bank Sisu Udanaya Account.

This program was launched on a concept of President Rajapaksa during his tenure as Minister of Labour.