Give off your best for children

By Shanika SRIYANANDA

"Give the best to children", he instrucrts the authorities when it comes to matters dealing with the country’s children. He who was committed to securing a peaceful world without terror, despite their ethnicity, freed them all.

This was echoed once again at the last Cabinet meeting where President Mahinda Rajapaksa instructed the authorities who delay importing school uniform material to be distributed among children in State schools, be brought to book.

The President expressed his displeasure when a group of Ministers informed him about a delay in tabling the Cabinet Paper on importing school uniforms. They also informed the President that this was purposely delayed as some people wanted to import low quality uniform materials to have their share of profit.

”I always say and believe that the best things should be for children.

That is my policy. I don’t think these things should continue. “I will not have any sympathy for anyone who is involved in such acts”, the President said.

This news changed President Rajapaksa’s mood when he stepped into the Cabinet meetings with his attractive smile. One main issue that came up was the “grease devil” saga which still remains a mystery, causing panic among women, since this issue was spreading islandwide.

Ministers informed the President that it was spreading like wildfire and had created a fear psychosis among people.

”But no one can take the law into their hands. There are authorities who are entrusted to deal with all “devils” including ‘grease devils’, he said adding that such attempts would not influence the government to shift the Navy Camp in Trincomalee to another location.

The Minister of Education informed the President about a news item published in our sister paper the Dinamina on poor quality food being served at a five star hotel, which he thinks would bring a negative effect to tourism industry.

”State papers need to highlight such irregularities. They should not only publish government news, otherwise who will read these papers”, Minister of Housing Construction Wimal Weerawansa objected Minister Gunawardena’s stance.

President Rajapaksa said the government always honours the freedom of the press and no one should be afraid to highlighting wrong issues.

”In my policy, the country comes first. If anything is to harm the image of the country, whether it’s the State media or private media, both are equally free and should unearth such issues.

There is no need to hide any issue. This government has given the full freedom to the State media to write and speak against any wrong doing by anyone despite the involvement with the government”, the President said.

But Minister Gunawardena said when such news goes out to the world, there would be repercussions.

Bringing up the incident, where the News Editor of the Uthayan was attacked, the President said there was no limit to rumours to spread, where it’s true or false.

”This attack was purely done on a personnel issue by a human rights lawyer, whose angry for publishing a news items with his picture meeting Minister Douglas Devananda in the Uthayan newspaper. But, this incident was credited to Douglas’ account”, he said looking at Minister Devananda, who gave more information about the lawyer, whom he said was the lawyer in-charge of human rights of a popular Tamil political party.

President Rajapaksa, who said there was no involvement of Minister Devananda in this incident.

The Diyawadana Nilame Pradeep Nilanga Dela, following traditional custom, handed over the ‘Sannasa’ to the President announcing the successful completion of the annual Esala Maha Perahera at the President’s House in Kandy on Monday. President Rajapaksa, after participating at a religious ceremony and taking a group picture with all Nilames of the Perahera, fed two baby elephants donated by him to the Sri Dalada Maligawa.

Addressing the gathering, the President said all youth taking part in the traditional perahera were those who love the country. “ I am happy that there are youth who are patriotic and respect the country’s age-old traditions and I believe that they will preserve and pass our cultural and traditional activities to the next generation”, he said that ancient kings protected the sacred Tooth Relic even by sacrificing their lives.

“Today this government has restored peace so that the country’s most significant perahera - the Kandy parehera could parade the streets in an environment free of terrorism”, he said.

An alms giving for 1,000 Bhikkhus was held with the participation of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa at President’s House, Kandy yesterday. Later he presented certificates and cash awards to artist who contributed to the success of the Kandy Perehera.

The Maha Nayaka Thera of the Asgiriya Chapter Ven. Udugama Sri Buddharakkitha Thera commending President Rajapaksa’s contribution to religious, social and national activities to coincide with the 2600th Sambuddathva Jayanthiya said he deserved credit from Buddhists all over the country for pioneering a number of meritorious services.

”We as Buddhists should be happy over the religious programs launched by the President throughout the country,” the Mahanayake Thera said wishing that President Rajapaksa would receive courage and stamina from the people to develop the country.

The Anunayake of the Malwatte Chapter Most Ven Niyangoda Vijithasiri Thera said the President who was born and bred in a Buddhist environment in the village has earned the honour and credit of members of the Maha Sangha.

“He has earned honour from people from all walks of life for his untiring efforts to develop the country after it was liberated from the clutches of terrorism. The President is blessed with great qualities of courage, will power, dedication and heroism to overcome any challenge that befell the country and has the magnanimity of accepting victory and defeat in the same vein. People of this country, the Buddhist order and the country at large will prosper under President Rajapaska”, the Thera said.

In the middle of last week, a delegation from Russia’s largest oil company, Gazprom met the President at the Temple Trees. They held discussions on oil exploration in the Mannar Basin off the Northwestern coast.

The eight memeber team led by the Managing Director of Gazprom International Gulev Veleriy took part in the discussions. The Company revealed its interest in investing in the oil exploration in the Mannar Basin when its Alexei Miller met President Rajapaksa during his visit to the International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg in June this year.

Gazprom, one of the world’s largest energy companies is engaged in geological exploration, production, transportation, storage, processing and marketing of hydrocarbons as well as generation and marketing of heat and electric power.

On August 18 President Rajapaksa visited Ratnapura to participate at the 30th death anniversary commemoration of Ven Henpitagedara Gnanaseeha Thera held at Mudduwa Sri Sumana Pirivena in Ratnapura. He opened the Ven Henpitagedera Gnanaseeha museum.

Addressing the gathering at Sumana Maha Pirivena at Mudduwa, President Rajapaksa said that the Thera had rendered an invaluable and unique service to society.

“Most Venerable Henpitagedara Gnanaseeha Thera was the advisor, when the Sri Lanka Freedom Party was formed by S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike, D.A. Rajapaksa and several others. When S W R D Bandaranaike was assassinated, Sirimavo Bandaranaike was advised by Most Venerable Henpitagedara Gnanaseeha Thera to bring the party forward obtaining party leadership. As a result of Most Venerable Henpitagedara Gnanaseeha Thera, Sirimavo Bandaranaike became the world’s first woman Prime Minister,” he said.

The President said Ven. Henpitagedara Gnanaseeha Thera served the people, especially the poor. It is regrettable that some short sighted rulers took the Thera into custody and imprisoned him for three years. They kept the Thera in prison physically but they failed to imprison his mentality, moral and other abilities.

The Thera wrote 14 books while in prison for three years,” he said. Sri Lanka’s largest and most prestigious construction industry related exhibition - ‘Construct 2011’, which showcases country’s achievements in the construction industry, was opened by the President on Friday morning.

The three-day exhibition, organised by the National Construction Association of Sri Lanka (NCASL) for the eleventh consecutive year. Considered as a major trade fair in the construction industry in the South Asian Region, it displays products of over 250 local and foreign exhibitors from Malaysia, India, Pakistan and China.