Pro-LTTE covert operations bared

By Shanika SRIYANANDA

While studying the final report of the much-awaited the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) regarding the root causes of the three-decade long conflict and also to counter the alleged war crimes charges, President Mahinda Rajapaksa in his address at the Convocation of the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) alerted the nation on covert operation by pro-LTTEers to disrupt normality under the guise of human rights violations.

He said terrorists who attacked the government hiding within civil society, were now attempting to attack the government taking cover over human rights abuses today."Even though two years have passed since defeating terrorism, challenges faced by our motherland are not yet over. During the period of terror, the money earned by terrorists was spent on purchasing weapons, ships and aircraft.

Today that money is spent on various misinformation campaigns and political conspiracies aimed at destabilising the country.False allegations levelled against the Government are still being circulated in the country.

We need to understand that telecasting programs based on fraudulent information about the conflict, forming international human rights commissions against Sri Lanka, and claims about war crimes are all inter-connected", he said.“If this was a personal attack, it would have been easy for me to tolerate. But this is not so. These attacks are against the motherland. You need to understand that it is a threats against national security. It is the duty of all of us to work towards taking the country to a top position in the world. After the liberation of the country we did not forget our war heroes. We love them, respect them and trust them and will do that forever”, the President said.

Bachelor and Masters Degrees in Management, Engineering Technology, Commerce, Technical Sciences and Arts were awarded do the graduates and trophies presented for 2011 by President Rajapaksa.

He said some accuse the government for allocating a higher percentage from the Budget for defence, but they know very little about how it is being spent. It is mainly to upgrade the standard of the forces and also the lives of those who sacrificed their lives to defeat terrorism to usher peace.

"We have allocated Rs. 229 billion for the Defence Ministry and out of that Rs. 197 allocated to pay salaries, maintenance and welfare of the Security Forces. The government intends to allocate Rs. 1175 million for the education of the security Forces as we want to have professional Lankan Forces", he said.

Seventh Budget

Presenting the seventh Budget under his leadership, President Rajapaksa said he was proud over several aspects and would like to provide them backdrop to the Budget Speech. "We were able to create a mine-free North, within a short time span of about two years, having put an end to LTTE terrorism in May 2009. We have demined 1,412 square kilometres out of the 2,046 square kilometres that were laid with landmines. We have resettled around 295,000 persons who were displaced.

The greatest achievement is being able to rehabilitate around 15,000 persons who were part of the LTTE cadres at that time and being able to hand them over to their families. People have no fear any more, that their children will be grabbed by the LTTE.Despite global uncertainties, our country has been able to sustain an eight percent growth momentum gathered in 2010, and in 2011 as well. Inflation has been moderated at five percent underscoring the success of rural centric development initiatives such as Divi Neguma, while resolving long-standing food security challenges faced by our country. Our vision Nilla Pathiruna Ratak - Atu Kotu Pirunu Hetak has become a reality by reaching self-sufficiency in rice.

Above all, I am encouraged to note that income avenues of the low income segment have improved with unemployment being reduced from eight percent to five percent and poverty, from 15.6 percent to 8.9 percent".

He also said that he was inspired to see his elder brother presiding as the Speaker. “You would recall our young days when our father – the late D. A. Rajapaksa, with other late leaders such as S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, Philip Gunawardena and S. A. Wickramasinghe were in the forefront to make a decisive change in society.

What they infused into our hearts as young children was a new vision, with aspirations for Sri Lankan values, traditions, equal opportunities for all, rural agriculture as well as an entrepreneurial economy. The vision of these leaders in fact became a formidable force that nurtured a people-centric approach as opposed to the urban elitist and feudalistic political and economic ideologies that prevailed.

Transformation

This transformation was subsequently taken forward by several progressive leaders such as late Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike, late Dr. N. M. Perera and late Dr. Colvin R. De Silva.I recall watching with amusement as a young Member of Parliament at that time, how opposing forces got together to destruct this progressive path. I am sure that the Hon. Senior Members of this august Assembly would recall how this path was reversed in 1977.

This nation was placed on to a very destructive path from 1977. This path was overshadowed by neo liberal economic policies on the one hand and separatist terrorist activities, on the other. This caused tremendous hardships to the general public. The whole nation became a victim of terrorism. Democratic values eroded. A revengeful culture came into being. Many wrongful activities such as international money laundering, drug trafficking, smuggling and arms dealing were carried out under the pretext of terrorism.

Separatist terrorist activities aggregated to such a dangerous level, and plans were virtually drawn up to recognise a divided administration. Many internal issues were internationalised by terrorists, thereby threatening the sovereignty of the country. In short, all hopes of our people to live in a unitary state were virtually shattered.

We were also aware that we could not revert back to the policies of the 1960s and 70s. Further, we had also realised the need to rectify the detrimental policies of the '80s and '90s that had an adverse impact on the nation. Although our country remained to be poor, many countries that were poor had by then emerged to be strong economies. The world had witnessed a change.Through these experiences, there was a realisation that over reliance on market forces is as bad as excessive State intervention.It is in this backdrop that ‘Mahinda Chintana - Towards a New Sri Lanka’ - my first election manifesto, was presented in 2005. Our vision was to ensure a rural centric development strategy in which all citizens would get equal opportunities to be engaged in economic and social development. Broad responsibilities were shouldered by us to ensure that national aspirations are protected within a market economy and global trends.

Mahinda Chinthana

Thereafter in 2010, my second election manifesto Mahinda Chintana - Vision for the Future’ was presented to place the country on a path of rapid economic development.Within the last six years, we have been successful in changing the living conditions of our people in all spheres of life by freeing the nation from the grips of brutal terrorism, by correcting ill conceived economic policies of the past and by promoting a well committed infrastructure network required to create a modern economy.However, it is unlikely that through these measures alone, the effects of the destructive violent culture that prevailed over the last 30 years could be eliminated.

Many more changes need to be done in this regard.We also need to give some time for the world to realise that preconceived views that they have, consequent to the distorted facts spread by the global network of the LTTE, are wrong. However, I am extremely happy to note that countries that respect democracy are gradually accepting the position being explained

by us, having given due consideration to hard facts.The Opposition should also work with us to find solutions to the problems faced by our people and also to find such solutions while ensuring unity.We need to understand that forced solutions cannot be imposed to resolve internal issues by getting trapped to external forces. We need to realise all this if we are to sustain the hard won peace and to create national unity and economic development.Today our country enjoys a per capita income of US$ 2,800.

However, we should not forget that until recently it was below US$ 1,000 and that too was only confined to few urban areas.Another fact that we should also not forget is that several districts were lagging behind in development, until very recently. In fact, people did not have even access to some of the districts. Those people who were in the grips of terrorists for over 3 decades are now enjoying their new-found freedom.

The reconciliation efforts to bring about unity among all communities have made good progress. A dialogue has commenced to address political concerns of the minority. Representations by the minority community in the Provincial Councils and in Parliament have paved a solid platform to this dialogue. Such people now have access to electricity, roads, water, housing, schools and hospitals.Their farmlands have been rehabilitated to improve living standards.

the President concluded the Budget speech at around 5 o’clock.After Parliament was adjourned, President Mahinda Rajapaksa invited the government members and the Opposition members for the traditional Budget tea party.

Inspired by father

At the commemorative speech in memory of D.A. Rajapaksa, a former Deputy Speaker, a Parliamentarian, a founding member of the SLFP Prof. Ananda W. P. Guruge said sons of D. A. Rajapaksa drew inspiration from their father’s philosophy.Delivering the speech on the theme of ‘ Sri Lanka from the Euro-Asian Commercial Hub to Pan-World Sociopolitical Importance’, Prof. Guruge elaborated on the service rendered by late D. A. Rajapaksa’s children who have emulated the patriotic commitment.

“Children of D.A. Rajapaksa have drawn inspiration from their father’s philosophy in serving the country. In the struggle to free the nation from the clutches of terrorism, his children emulated their father’s exemplary career, he said.