President Mahinda Rajapaksa addressing the nation at 63rd celebration of Independence in Kataragama said the government was committed to building a law-abiding society as the freedom would not be meaningful in the absence of a law-abiding society.
‘Therefore, we are. The respect for discipline in a society is essential for development.’ He said.
"The people of our country must change their attitudes about future progress of the country, similar to the manner in which they began to think afresh about achieving victory over the forces of terror. There is the need for a change in attitudes and that change should come from children to adults to achieve national development”, he said.
President Rajapaksa added that the country cannot be developed solely on popular decisions. ‘Inconvenient and difficult decisions are also necessary for the nation’s progress. It is the nation’s responsibility to take hard and difficult decisions to bring light to the future of our children, rather than take popular decisions that will lead them to darkness ahead’, he said.