Bold statements of the past received overwhelming response:

When Mahinda Chinthana reverberated at the UN...

by K.M.H.C.B. Kulatunga

President Mahinda Rajapaksa will participate in the 68th Sessions of the United Nations General Assembly which starts in New York on Tuesday.

A special group of representatives including the Minister of External Affairs Professor G.L. Peiris and Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the UN Dr. Palitha Kohona will also attend the Sessions. President Rajapaksa is expected to address the General Debate that will run from September 24 to October 1.

On the sidelines of the 68th UN General Assembly, External Affairs Minister Prof. Peiris is expected to hold discussions with his counterparts, including the foreign ministers of SAARC countries. The Minister is expected to apprise the other foreign ministers of the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM 2013) that will be held in Colombo in November.

During the General Assembly Sessions, Minister Peiris is also expected to participate in the 36th Meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the G-15 Group, of which Sri Lanka is the current Chair.

Since becoming the Head of State in November 18, 2005, President Rajapaksa had addressed the UN General Assembly on five occasions – in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2011.

Over the years, he has made several bold statements to the UN General Assembly which had received an overwhelming response from member countries. Hence, it is time to go down memory lane and take a closer look at excerpts of addresses made by the President to the UN General Assembly since his first speech on September 20, 2006.

Excerpts of the address by President Rajapaksa at the 66th Sessions of the United Nations General Assembly on September 23, 2011:

“We must acknowledge the need for that spirit of openness and adaptability today, more than at any other time. This is because the foundations of the world order are being transformed dramatically and fundamentally. At the heart of these changes is the need to protect smaller countries in the developing world and to advance their interests vigorously.”

“It is important to remind ourselves that every country cherishes the values and traditions, and deeply held religious convictions it has nurtured over the centuries. These cannot be diluted or distorted under the guise of human rights, by the imposition of attitudes or approaches which are characteristics of alien cultures.”

Threat of terrorism

“Terrorism presents a threat from which not even the wealthiest and most powerful of nations are immune. It must be remembered, as well, that terrorist groups frequently operate under the guise of front organisations. Conferring legitimacy on these has the inevitable effect of providing comfort and encouragement to the merchants of terror.”

“As the leader of a nation which has paid a heavy price due to terrorism over a quarter of a century, I would underline that we must firmly resolve to rid the world of terrorism. We need to have solid practical action on the ground, and send out our collective message on this issue, loud and clear, universally.”

“The interest of the developing world needs to be protected in another significant respect. It is vitally important to insist that the structures and procedures of multilateral organisations are uniform and consistent and devoid of discrimination.”

“After three decades of pain and anguish, today, Sri Lankans of all ethnicities, living in all parts of Sri Lanka, are free from LTTE terror and no longer live in a state of fear. However, I am deeply mindful that the battle for peace is every bit as important and difficult as the struggle against terror. After the eradication of terrorism, my government has turned its undivided attention to building anew, the foundations of a unified and vibrant nation and drawing upon the inherent strengths of our country and in particular, the unique calibre of our human potential.”

“Revival of the economy has enhanced incomes and improved livelihoods, ex-combatants and other cadre after exposure to programs of vocational training and counselling have been re-integrated into society, electoral process has been restored after decades, making possible the emergence of a democratic leadership. These are among our valued accomplishments.”

Economy of Northern Province

“The remarkable growth of 22 percent of the economy of the Northern Province is a clear indication of the success achieved by the Government’s initiatives with regard to development in that part of the country. The GDP growth of the country has been consistent at eight percent, unemployment at a record low of 4.5 percent.”

“Sri Lanka today is a self-reliant nation, with robust hope for the future, and a strong economy, strengthened by inward investment flows, unprecedented expansion of tourism and significant growth of volumes of international trade. Towards consolidation of these trends, leaving behind us, the trauma of the past, we ask of the international community the hand of friendship and goodwill, based on understanding of our nation’s determination to confront with courage the challenge of a new era in our history.”

“We ask our friends in distant lands to drop preconceived notions. We strongly believe in home-grown solutions for them to be sustainable. It is clearly impractical to conceive of universal remedies for problems which afflict our societies. My country, as it comes out of the darkness of the last three decades into the light and promise of the future, must be afforded the time and space to seek its destiny in accordance with the wishes of its people. It is in keeping with the values enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and the whole body of international law which governs us.”

Excerpts of the address made at the 65th Sessions on September 23, 2010:

“Many of the atrocities of terrorism that the West has come to experience in recent times, the people of Sri Lanka were themselves the victims of, for nearly 30 years, losing almost one hundred thousand lives, among them being a President of Sri Lanka, a visionary leader of India and scores of intellectuals and politicians.”

“Those who, observing from afar, suggested that the Sri Lankan government should have conceded to the demands of the terrorists, need to be reminded that terror is terror, whatever mask it wears and however it is packaged.

To all those, I say this. My responsibility is to the entire nation. My responsibility is to the lives of millions of men, women and children, and those yet to be born. My responsibility is to the peace and prosperity of the nation and the right to a peaceful life for all who live there.”

Focus of our nation

“The entire focus of our nation is now on building a lasting peace; healing wounds, ensuring economic prosperity and guaranteeing the rights of the whole nation to live in harmony. We are mindful that in order to fulfil these aspirations, economic development and political reconciliation must go hand in hand. Towards this end, constitutional changes which appropriately reflect aspirations of our people will be evolved with the full participation of all stakeholders.”

“A great deal has been said by those beyond our borders about our Tamil community. Let me be clear, no nation on earth can wish Sri Lanka’s Tamil community more good fortune than Sri Lanka itself. To the misguided few, I say, do not allow yourselves to become an instrument of division, hate and violence, to be used as an enabler for hatred to be reborn in another form. Rather, come, let us join hands and break the bonds of mistrust to rise to new horizons.”

“Our economy is well on the way to realising the dividend of peace. We are experiencing steady and sustained growth including during the last quarter, of over eight percent, moderate inflation and low interest rates. During the last five years, we saw our per capita income double. It is our ambition to take this further; to double yet again the present per capita income by 2016.”

“Our guiding principle must always be that of mutual respect in international discourse, even as we disapprove and condemn measures such as unilateral embargoes. Experiences in the recent past amply demonstrate that these embargoes impact, not on governments, but on the most vulnerable sections of the community.”

Excerpts of the address made at the 63rd Sessions on September 24, 2008:

“The United Nations and its people are confronted with the fast spreading menace of terrorism that manifests itself in various forms in Asia, Africa and Latin America The United Nations has a grave responsibility to save today’s and succeeding generations, from this new and continuing menace. We have been talking for long enough. It is time for clear action in this regard.”

Political, constitutional solutions

“Our Government has always been ready to address the causes of these issues and effectively implement political and constitutional solutions to meet the aspirations and rights of all communities. What the Government would not, and could not do, is to let an illegal and armed terrorist group, the LTTE, to hold a fraction of our population, a part of the Tamil community, hostage to such terror in the northern part of Sri Lanka and deny those people their democratic rights of dissent and free elections. Through our past actions, we have proved it.”

“The Government has also made it clear that the elected Government cannot and will not permit undermining of the territorial integrity of the sovereign UN Member State of Sri Lanka and the division of its territory. We are clear in this message. The Government’s objective is to enable the people to enjoy the benefits of the democratic processes and to speed the development activities in those areas.”

“The slowing down of global economic growth, financial turmoil and speculation, rising food and fuel prices and the impacts of climate change are clear and present obstacles. Also, based on their political role, sanctions imposed on the leaders, and the leadership of some countries following some protests, are in fact targeted at the innocent people of those countries.”

“The steadily growing menace of international terrorism, with related activities such as smuggling of illegal arms, human trafficking, drug trafficking, money laundering and business empires run by terror groups undoubtedly undermine the fundamentals of humanity and civilisation. It appears that steps taken by us to eradicate these illegal activities have not been effective. This further complicates all national and international efforts at moving towards realising the MDGs. Terrorism, as I have emphasised many a time, by its very nature, rolls back even our modest achievements.”

Excerpts of the address made at the 62nd Sessions on September 25, 2007:

“Sri Lanka can boast of a very old and advanced civilisation similar to Greek, Roman and Nile Valley civilisations. One of the important characteristics of our civilisation was the use of living languages such as Sinhala and Tamil, two languages used by many even today. Therefore, I consider it my obligation to use Sinhala, a living language, to address this august assembly.”

Universal health, education

“Sri Lanka was one of the first developing countries to promote universal health and education, gender equality and social mobilisation. We have been able to achieve exceptional socio-economic indicators; way ahead of those normally expected of a country in the lower middle income range and we are moving to achieving or surpassing many of the Millennium Development Goals.

“It is a beautiful sight on our rural roads to see thousands of children in clean white uniforms heading for school. It is a fine example of our success in achieving education for all.”

“Guided by the principles of Buddhism, we have long respected the rights of our fellow human beings. Therefore, it had not been necessary for us to experience global wars or the deaths of millions, to learn to recognise their value. My country has no record of inflicting misery on fellow human beings for the purpose of empire building, for commercial advantage or for religious righteousness.”

“There are many Member States represented in this Assembly today who have first-hand experience of the havoc caused by brutish terrorism which has stretched out its claws to many corners of the globe to mar innocent lives. All terrorist attacks, whether in New York, Mumbai, Cairo, London or Colombo, are acts that threaten the democratic way of life and must be condemned unreservedly.”

“Terrorism anywhere is terrorism. There is nothing good in terrorism. Sri Lanka has taken an upfront position in the global community’s efforts to deal with terrorism. We have become party to 11 of the 13 UN Conventions for the suppression of various acts of terrorism.

“We think that the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism, which in our view remains a priority, is only limited to endless discussion. I emphasise that we must conclude these negotiations soon.”

“In whatever continent where there are conflicts, those will affect the world economy. Peace in the Middle East would have a great impact on our economy. Solutions sought for conflicts in various countries must be indigenous. Otherwise, even if the international community is appeased, people in the countries saddled with conflicts will not be satisfied. This will be a blow to democracy.”

Strengthening of UN mechanisms

“We strongly support the strengthening of UN mechanisms for countering fund raising for illegal and illicit activities. We encourage the Secretary-General to allocate more resources to this area, especially to enhance technical skills in countries which do not have such skills. Many developing countries will benefit from such assistance. We need to have a better mechanism to provide solutions to the problems confronting us. Support should be obtained from all Member States for this purpose.”

“My country has declared the Mahinda Chinthana 10-year vision to usher a new Sri Lanka consonant with those goals. Through that, we are committed to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. We have accorded priority to the areas liberated from terrorism, those that have been devastated by natural disasters, and rural areas lagging behind in development. However, it is a huge challenge for us to fill the gap created by the loss of human lives arising out of disasters.”

“The working population as well as low income and poor groups in developing countries such as ours face tough challenges due to escalating world oil prices, and increases in prices of essential food items. Similarly, we are being severely affected by natural disasters and uncertainties in the world financial markets. Therefore, it has become a challenge to achieve the Millennium Development Goals declared by this august assembly.”

Excerpts of the address made at the 61st Sessions on September 20, 2006:

“Having been a human rights campaigner at the grass roots level throughout my political life, it was natural that my new government should be committed to carrying the message of democracy to all corners of our multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-religious country. Democracy, equity and prosperity is our clarion call.”

“Terrorism has become closely intertwined with organised crime. It is now directly linked with people smuggling, the trade in illicit drugs, the illegal trade in small arms and money laundering. Terrorism is a major impediment to development and poses a terrible challenge to civilised society. We support all measures undertaken in the UN to meet this challenge.”

Pro-poor development strategy

“We follow a pro-poor development strategy with a focus on regionally balanced growth. Our objective is to achieve overall development, while raising the income levels of the poor through the empowerment of communities living at grassroots level. In this connection, Sri Lanka hopes that debt forgiveness will continue to be expanded to encourage the development of developing countries. It is only right that those who reached the heights of development should pause to lend a helping hand to those who have fallen behind due to circumstances.”

“Given my personal commitment to the promotion of human rights at both local and international level, the establishment of the Human Rights Council with enhanced status and capacity to promote and protect human rights worldwide, is a cause for delight.”

“The establishment of the Peace Building Commission is another important landmark achievement of the United Nations this year. We are also pleased that Sri Lanka has been elected to the Organising Committee of the Peace Building Commission as a founder member of this important body. The needs and concerns of those affected, the specific theatres of conflict, and the ground realities of each specific situation must necessarily be taken into account in the work of the Commission.”

“We are also encouraged by the general agreement that the Security Council has to be strengthened, as it does not reflect current geo-political realities.

We therefore look forward to the continuation of work towards Security Council reform: Towards making its composition more representative and its decision-making more democratic. t is essential that the Security Council reflects the current geo-political realities in Asia, Africa and Latin America.”