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Sunday, 12 February 2012

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Facilitating social cohesion

A good friend in life is always an asset. He will be there right at his side during the ups and downs in life. The value of friendship is felt more when we are in need of help. True friendship came to focus when Maldivian President Mohammad Nasheed was forced to resign last week. The very first call concerning his safety was received by his friend - President Mahinda Rajapaksa last week. President Rajapaksa, offered protection here for his friend and family and has immediately requested the newly appointed Maldivian President, Mohammed Waheed Hassan to ensure the safety of his deposed predecessor following an unrest after police joined opposition-led protests to oust the country's first democratically elected leader after he ordered the arrest of a senior judge.


Veteran artistes met President Mahinda Rajapaksa at Temple Trees on Wednesday to discuss the utilisation of 'Nelum Pokuna' Mahinda Rajapaksa Performing Arts Theatre.

Meanwhile, family members of ex-president Nasheed's wife and daughter, who fled to Colombo as violence worsened in the country were given protection. President Rajapaksa phoned them on the same evening and inquired about their safety and assured Sri Lanka's willingness to provide protection to his friend's family.

Social cohesion

Addressing a gathering after opening a building complex at Chavakachcheri Base hospital, President Rajapaksa said as elders it was our responsibility to bring up a generation who would proudly say that Sri Lanka was their Motherland.” We should discuss demands that facilitate social cohesion, demands that are possible to give and implemented. It is to your northern district that we are spending the highest expenditure on development. Your region is developing very fast under Uthuru Wasanthaya.

The province which was backward for 30 years is now moving forward", President speaking in Tamil said.I am glad that I was able to come here today and hand over these buildings. We are especially committed to provide these facilities to these areas, to the North.

We consider it our duty and act accordingly to provide our people not only health facilities but also others such as education, infrastructure, electricity, water and facilities for the peasantry.I expect to give people facilities that would ensure them a better life. Today when we are providing these facilities we do not discriminate between north, east, south, west or upcountry.

Our objective is to see our people living as children of the same mother.When you were about to give me a memento I said the greatest memento you could give me is the support we need to 'build' a nation who could live together in peace for the sake of future generations.Today the responsibility is on all of us, not only on political leaders.

Responsibility

It is not possible to allocate issues only to the President, to politicians. Public servants, University Vice Chancellors and academic staff, doctors and everybody else especially the media have a responsibility towards this. They should be ready to accept responsibility. Sometimes newspapers spread communalism. We saw the result of separatism and hatred. Criticism from the media should be fair.It is the duty of the media to unite the people. I consider it is their responsibility towards the future generation to facilitate development of society without division based on ethnicity, caste and religion.As I said before, everybody including politicians, officials and the intelligentsia should keep that in mind. It is possible to build unity and develop this country so that everybody could live together in this small country. As elders it is our responsibility to bring up a generation who would proudly say that Sri Lanka is their Motherland and love it.We have problems that could be solved by discussion. I asked Minister Douglas Devananda why he put forward demands that no one could meet. He replied that it is because they cannot be met that they were demanded. At that time there was no need to do so. Today the situation is different. Such people are still there. Do not be surprised.

Discuss demands

There is a group who demand the impossible. It is clear to us that there is a group in our body politic that present separatist demands and perpetuate problems like a beggar's wound. Therefore, I believe we should discuss demands that facilitate social cohesion, demands that are possible to give and could be implemented.

I would like to address you in Tamil. I know the sufferings you have undergone. You also have now started a new life. You have new hope, new life and a new future. Your are also happy. We are also happy. It is to the northern district that we are spending the most on development. Your region is developing very fast under 'Uthuru Wasanthaya'. The province which was backward for 30 years is not moving forward.

We have started development activities in all spheres. Nobody can deny it. There may be shortcomings. We will rectify them very soon. We have provided modern facilities to several hospitals in the North. Health is very important. The greatest wealth is health.

He also said: "A happy future inevitably awaits you and today you all can live freely. All our intellectuals abroad should return. They should work in this land for these people. It is useless harping on past incidents. It only generates anger and hatred. We are all members of the same family. This country belongs to all of us. It belongs to our children. We are brothers and sisters. No one can forget it". the President said.

Economic independence

“We have the responsibility to ensure that together with the freedom we have won, we can also have economic independence that will enable our people to live a good life. Let us act to drown poverty, inability and conspiracies against the people with an abundance of prosperity. That is our singular expectation” President Rajapaksa in his address at the opening of the Deyata Kirula National Exhibition, held at Oyamaduwa, Anuradhapura, said.

We decided to strengthen our villages by imposing heavy duties to stop the import of produce that can be grown here, by giving bank loans to cultivators, and by building and maintaining both large and small irrigation projects. We built the village roads. One cultivator told me that although earlier they used tractors on these roads they now even feel bad about the use of these roads that have been newly constructed and paved. Thus, the village has now been modernised.

Our efforts today are not confined to building the economy, but are also directed at building the necessary background to raise the community and livelihood levels of the village. Today, it is the children from distant rural villages who mostly win the coveted first and second places in scholarships through government examinations for the GCE Ordinary and Advanced levels. In the Advanced Level it was a student from Jaffna who obtained the highest marks in arithmetic. The highest marks in the scholarship examination went to a student from Velvettithurai. Earlier, there was a student from Vijayaba Vidyalaya in Hambantota. Today a child from Debarawewa will do well. This shows how today, children from distant rural villages are getting increasingly focused on learning. They have begun to show their skills in examinations and are developing their knowledge in science and technology.

The pilot who we meet on an aircraft today hails from a distant village school. The jobs that were once confined to those in Colombo and other cities and towns are now obtained by village youth. Computer literacy in the country has gone beyond 30 per cent, and is now at 45 per cent. People in the rural villages are also benefiting from Information Technology. Therefore, tourists and the Tourism Industry also sees the progress and value of the village. What is essential for us is to eliminate poverty in the village.

Develop villages

It is necessary for us to develop villages such as Oyamaduva. It is to demonstrate this that we have brought 'Deyata Kirula' to the village. I appreciate this achievement. We have so far conducted 'Deyata Kirula' focusing on individual districts. Its benefits went to one district at a time. But, we have now decided that next year 'Deyata Kirula' will be conducted to represent four districts of Ampara, Trincomalee, and Batticaloa in the East, and the Polonnaruwa District, and through this to obtain participation for development of the entire region. I call upon all Ministers, and all officials to prepare from now on to take the next Deyata Kirula to these areas", he said.

President Rajapaksa requested parents to encourage children and youth to take part in sports when he inaugurated the Kreeda Shakthi program at Temple Trees.

Emphasising that restricting the child only to books was an injustice being meted out to the child, the President pointed out the need to involve the country's youth in extracurricular activities as well as academics to prepare them to successfully face the challenges of the future.

The President requested parents to direct children to sports activities as well, without limiting them only to studies.

"They should be equipped with extracurricular activities as well to successfully face the challenges of the future", he said.

Pakistan

President Rajapaksa who arrived at the Chaklala Airport, Islamabad for a two-day official visit on an invitation extended by Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari was warmly welcomed by the Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan Farooq Hamid Naek. The President was accorded an armed forces Guard of Honour and a 21- gun salute.

President Rajapaksa who met President Zardari on Friday held bi-lateral talks and paid a special attention on co-operation between the two countries on Trade, Agricultural and Economic Development.

President Rajapaksa expressed his appreciation to the government of Pakistan for the support provided to defeat terrorism in Sri Lanka.

During the course of bi-lateral talks, the two leaders emphasised the need for development of trade between the two countries. The two leaders discussed matters regarding a methodology for the exchange of goods between their countries.

On this occasion President Mahinda Rajapaksa drew the attention of the Pakistani President regarding the exploration of more opportunities for Sri Lanka to export tea to Pakistan.

Pakistan President, Ali Zardari expressed the possibility of offering, technology used in his country for agriculture and the sugar industry and said new technology used in his country for road construction could also be offered to Sri Lanka.

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