Unite to achieve cherished goals

The year 2014 could perhaps be another election year and another opportunity for the masses to exercise their franchise. The Southern and Western Provincial Councils are expected to be dissolved within the next couple of weeks and elections held before the Sinhala and Tamil New Year.

Amidst rumours that there could be a general or a Presidential election, the Opposition seems to be making vile attempts to avoid their election defeats.

When the Jayewardene and Premadasa UNP regimes governed the country from 1977 to 1994, the main accusation of the then SLFP-led Opposition was that the Government was postponing and rigging elections as the UNP leaders feared to face the masses. Today, it has turned out to be a different scenario altogether, especially after President Mahinda Rajapaksa took office in November 2005.

Since then, the Government has conducted many elections ahead of their scheduled dates. As a result, Opposition political parties had been grappling in all such elections. They seem to be having an election phobia and have accused the Government of holding too many elections. But President Rajapaksa has demonstrated implicit faith in democracy and the people's power by holding elections ahead of their scheduled dates.

More importantly, the election to the Northern Provincial Council was held last year as promised, providing people in the former LTTE stronghold an opportunity to run their own provincial administration.

One of the major obstacles that had prevented Western countries and those with vested interests abroad in exerting pressure on Sri Lanka had been the Government's abiding faith in democracy. Nevertheless, these countries continue to put their agendas in motion to take Sri Lanka before an international war crimes tribunal for crushing the LTTE, the world's most ruthless terrorist outfit. No previous government had launched development projects as an election manifesto and implemented those proposals which had been endorsed by the people. Similarly, none of the previous governments in history since Independence had done so much development in such a short period of time.

Even at the height of brutal terrorism in the country, the Government did not abandon development projects, education, health, agriculture and infrastructure development. The battle against terrorism and mega development projects went hand in hand, and as a result, people of all races and religions are now enjoying the rich dividends of peace.

Most people abroad who point an accusing finger at Sri Lanka had never visited the country or realised the latest developments accomplished since LTTE terror was eradicated.

Those who blindly crticise the human rights record of the country are either those who have not visited the country or those who echo the voice of the dead LTTE leaders. The majority of people who criticise Sri Lanka had never set foot here. They don't have the foggiest idea what Sri Lanka looks like, its history or how the country's 20 million people had suffered untold hardships from 1983 to 2009.

LTTE cohorts and certain Western politicians who depend heavily on the Tamil Diaspora vote and funds are working round-the-clock to take Sri Lanka to task at the next UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) sessions in Geneva in March. The moderates in the international community should think twice before they jump to any conclusions on Sri Lanka. The international community should not be swayed by concocted stories dished out by LTTE cohorts.

The pertinent question is, where were these so-called godfathers of human rights when LTTE terrorists went on the rampage, carrying out mass-scale bomb explosions in all parts of the country? The self-same people, who are now breathing fire, maintained a stoic silence when the Tigers massacred thousands of innocent men, women, including pregnant women and children for nearly three decades. 2014 will be an eventful year and the Government has drawn plans to complete more major development projects, expressways, more development in ports, reclamation of the sea and building a new city of Colombo, new irrigation schemes such as the Deduru Oya and power and energy projects harnessing eco-friendly energy sources, apart from education and health. The Northern rail track which was destroyed by terrorists will be fully restored and completed this year. The extension of the Southern rail track beyond Matara will also be a reality this year.

The Government, under President Rajapaksa's illustrious leadership, has embarked on several landmark projects that were a pressing need in the country's forward march. The Colombo-Katunayake Expressway, which was conceived as far back as 1965, became a reality last year.

The country's second international airport that was merely a pipe-dream for people in the South, was also realised. A large number of major irrigation projects implemented last year, brought under cultivation a large extent of fallow rice fields, leading to self-sufficiency in rice, taking quality education to rural areas through the 1,000 secondary schools project along with the Mahindodaya laboratories that will provide children in rural areas the same or better education facilities than most urban schools, affording an opportunity to the rural masses to become digital communities and increase their IT literacy to around 45 percent. A large number of star-class tourist hotels is now attracting tourists like never before, and the landscapes in cities and rural areas have seen a marked change.

Projects launched in every Grama Niladhari Division have been either completed or about to be completed under the direction of the President. These are only some of the numerous projects implemented by the Government last year for the masses' benefit. Nevertheless, the LTTE rump and certain quarters of the international community seem to have turned a blind eye to these developments and are taking their personal agendas forward with a vengeance. They fail to realise that Sri Lanka has a sovereign government, duly elected by the people and they should bear in mind that no one can threaten countries or governments. The world does not have one policeman.

A handful of countries should by no means be permitted to hold the United Nations to ransom and undermine the rights of all other member nations which are also sovereign countries. Navi Pillay is not the end-all or be-all. It is not her solitary voice that matters, but rather the views of its member countries. Simultaneously, the member countries of the UNHRC should not succumb to Western pressure and vote wisely on crucial issues.

The West need not dictate to our leaders how to run the country. Sri Lanka is no more a British colony. It is a sovereign nation, second to none. David Cameron and Navi Pillay should respect Sri Lanka's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Nobody expects Sri Lanka to perform miracles overnight and set goals which no other country had achieved.

Fortunately, Sri Lanka has a fearless political leadership which listens only to the people of this country. If the West feels that it could manipulate the political leadership here by exerting undue pressure on internal matters, it is sadly mistaken. It is the President's dream to build a strong Sri Lankan nation, under one banner, in a united country. The Sri Lankan brand must be projected at all costs. To achieve this task, Sri Lankans need to sink petty political differences and work harder and more diligently to ensure the well-being of future generations.

The far-reaching educational reforms are designed to create a resilient nation that can withstand any pressure - external or internal. With that goal in mind, Sri Lanka's dream of becoming the 'Wonder of Asia' could be achieved sooner than later.