President put country on development map

By Shanika SRIYANANDA

President Mahina Rajapaksa invited public sector employees to commit themselves to provide their best as the country is becoming a destination for foreign investments in the post conflict era.

"Many countries have shown an interest in investing in Sri Lanka and public sector employees should be prepared to provide these investors a better service", he said speaking at the launch of the Finance and Planning Ministry’s Annual Report at the Finance Ministry.

The President said public sector employees should commit themselves to provide a better service to the public who seek their help with much hope. "Sri Lanka is marching forward with the end of a 30-year conflict and foreign countries are eyeing investment opportunities in Sri Lanka. My Government is always ready to create an environment for the private sector to invest", he said.

“We are not prepared to undermine the private sector’s contribution and enormous potential,” he said stressing the need for proper management in lifestyles in line with the economic limits.

According to the President, attention should be focused on the aspiration of youth and modern technology when drawing economic plans.

President Rajapaksa said the government expects more investment from the private sector for the interest of the country and foreign investors are keen on investing in Sri Lanka due to prevailing peace and the Government is pursuing avenues to bring in foreign direct investment to the country.

Explaining the special attention made by the Government to promote the agriculture sector since 2005 he said this made the country to be self–sufficient in rice and other food crops bringing thousands of fallow lands under the plough.

Commenting on trade union action he said as a former trade union leader he was happy to meet demands of trade unions but the trade unionists need to understand that there were some limitations in granting concessions to the working class. "Leaders have always acted with clear understanding of the situation. The number of trade union strikes and union action have come down to 15 due to the close understanding between the Government and trade unions,” he said

State visit to Qatar

President Rajapaksa ending a successful State visit to Qatar, where he addressed the 12th Doha Forum, where he participated as an international guest of honour, had returned to country on Wednesday morning.

Addressing the 12th Doha Forum and Enriching the Middle East's Economic Future Conference at the Doha Sheraton Hotel as an international Guest of Honour, the President said the Government is committed to go that extra mile to achieve permanent peace through reconciliation and economic empowerment of the people, and I am glad to say that we have already embarked in that national endeavour.

"This forum is of special importance in the context of the current global financial crisis; the emphasis on education, training and development. It also looks at the importance of foreign investment and international aid in achieving national development.Sri Lanka is no stranger to the Arab and Muslim world.

It is well-known among ancient maritime traders from Arabia as Serendib, Sri Lanka’s relations with this part of the world dates back many millennia. Arab travellers who visited Sri Lanka wrote of it in their works. Al Masudi, the famous Arab geographer, visited Sri Lanka in 970 AD. Ibn-Batuta visited Sri Lanka in 1344 and gave a detailed description of Jabal Adam or Adam`s Peak.All Sri Lankans irrespective of being Sinhalese, Tamil, Muslim, Malay or Burgher, suffered immensely from terrorism for over thirty years.

Resilience

However, I am proud to say that their resilience has enabled the country to maintain a healthy growth rate of around 5 percent even during the conflict years, while today, it is at an impressive 8 percent. Sri Lanka has survived the economic crisis observed in many parts of the world, and the post-conflict growth rate in the Northern Province, has been a remarkable 22 percent.Today, the people of Sri Lanka are ready to move forward and sustain peace and achieve economic prosperity, which will be possible, only if we stand together as one country.

The Government is committed to go that extra mile to achieve permanent peace through reconciliation and economic empowerment of the people, and I am glad to say that we have already embarked on that national endeavour.

When many countries are facing an economic slowdown, we have been able to drive our economy through a policy of rural economic and agricultural empowerment. Sri Lanka is poised to fast becoming self sufficient in food, and we are determined to move towards becoming an economic hub of export driven trade and commerce in the region.

The production centres in the rural and urban areas are being linked through major expressways, good highways and new rail tracks. Some of these links have already been opened while others are under speedy construction.

The Colombo International Airport will soon be further expanded to meet a bigger demand and a second international airport in the Southern heartland of Sri Lanka which will be commissioned later this year, will also contribute to the building of the new aviation hub in the region.Similarly, in addition to the Port of Colombo, South Asia’s premier transshipment port that is already being expanded, a Free Port at Hambantota in the South of Sri Lanka, will provide added facilities to the vastly increased ocean trade demand in the region, establishing a maritime hub as well.It is also noteworthy that our emphasis on education has brought Sri Lanka to rank among the highest in literacy and the widest spread of education in the South Asian Region.

Aware of the needs of new technology we also have moved very fast in the progress of Information Technology, which will soon make us a Knowledge Hub in the Asian Region.Significantly, our infrastructure development projects also extend to the energy sector with new power stations commissioned and being constructed, to meet the new demand for power and energy by industry and commerce and other domestic needs.

Foreign exchange

In all our economic prospects, the Middle East assumes a particularly prominent place. It is home to over 1.7 million Sri Lankan migrant workers, both skilled and unskilled, whose remittances rank among the highest foreign exchange incomes for the country. A major percentage of our energy requirement is supplied by the Gulf countries.

While we endeavour to achieve economic prosperity, Sri Lanka is keenly conscious of the need for due consideration, to be given to the environment. Twenty years after the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, we are more than ever reminded of the need for joint action in preserving our planet for the future generations.

This cannot be done by one section of the world community alone. The developed countries that have contributed most to damage the environment, cannot pass the burden of saving the environment , to countries which are seeking sustainable economic development.

In conclusion, I wish to add that while maintaining Sri Lanka’s traditional commercial links with this part of the world, we are committed to building upon these ties for further enhancement of our economic cooperation.

I wish a successful conclusion of the discussions at this Forum and take this opportunity to express our hope for the consolidation of our historical links with the Arab world", he said.

The three-day international Forum offered a sweeping overview of issues regarding Democracy, Development and Free Trade in the Middle-East, the Arab countries and the world.

The meeting broadly discussed critical political, economic, social, financial, strategic and human matters of pressing concern for the region.

Over 610 participants representing 84 countries and organisations attended the Forum. It concluded on May 22.President Rajapaksa attended the Forum as an International Guest of Honour at the invitation of the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al Thani.Following his address, the President paid a courtesy call on the Emir, who visited Sri Lanka with a business delegation in January this year, and discussed bilateral relations between Sri Lanka and Qatar.

"The time has now come for everyone to think of one’s obligation, duty and service towards the country as regards its development effort", President Rajapaksa expressing his desire to make a country for Sri Lankans to live in peace, unity and dignity said the dedicated service rendered by Sri Lankan expatriate workers had helped to forge closer links between the two countries.

The President expressed these sentiments when he met a group of Sri Lankan expatriate workers in Qatar during his state visit to Qatar, on Monday afternoon. He said there were over 15,000 Sri Lankans employed in Qatar and the government of Qatar had highly acclaimed their capabilities and dedication to work.The State authorities of Qatar led by the Emir of Qatar during their discussions with him said that they received a high quality and disciplined service from the Sri Lankans and they appreciated it.

The President who met and personally interacted with all the Sri Lankan workers had inquired after their well-being.Later he visited ‘Qatar Diar’ company, a major construction company in Qatar on an inspection tour, where the company management explained to the President about the massive development work handled by the company in Qatar in the past and the future projects planned by it. The President also visited the Pearl Qatar company too on an inspection tour.

The President visited Hambantota to inspect the second stage development at Hambantota Port in the middle of last week. The second phase estimated to cost around $ 750 million will include a container terminal. It is expected to be completed by 2014.

The project is being funded by the China Exim Bank and has been contracted by the China Harbour Engineering Company. Hambantota Port once completed will provide bunkering, ship repair and building and crew exchange facilities, and increasing capacity by up to 20 million TEUs a year.The port, which is a service and industrial port, has a clear advantage over many ports in the region due to its strategic location along the east-west shipping route.

One major incident during last week was President Rajapaksa signing release documents for former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka who was serving a three-year jail term in Welikada Prison.

In accordance with the powers vested in him in the Constitution, President Rajapaksa has granted a pardon to release him.

Meanwhile, a Gallup poll revealed that President Rajapaksa has garnered the support of more than 91 percent of the population due to his far-sighted policies in terms of the economy and peace building.

According to the polls President Rajapaksa is among the few Asian Heads of State who have acquired the highest confidence of the people.

"Nine out of 10 Sri Lankans approve President Rajapaksa’s job performance", the Gallup polls posted on their website said adding that Laotians, Cambodians, and Sri Lankans were the most likely to express support for their leaders, with more than nine in 10 saying they approve of their job performance.It said economic stability and peace dividends have tremendously helped retain people’s confidence in the President. It was President Rajapaksa who put the country back on the development track after eradicating terrorism which plagued the country for more than 30 years."

Mahinda Rajapaksa in Sri Lanka may still be benefiting from residents’ residual euphoria following the 2009 end of the country’s 26-year civil war", it stated.Results are based on face-to-face and telephone interviews with approximately 1,000 adults, aged 15 and older, conducted between April 5 and Dec. 4, 2011, in the 21 countries identified in the article. For results based on the total sample of national adults. Majorities in more than half of the 21 Asian countries and regions Gallup surveyed in 2011 approved of their chief executives, with leaders in Southeast and South Asia earning some of the highest marks in the region.