President on SLFP Convention

President Mahinda Rajapaksa in his message to mark the 17th Convention of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), stated that, "today we have given highest priority to internal democracy in the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and all high offices of the party are open to all who work with dedication and sincerity."

"New blood has seen infused into the party through the selection of new leaders for Local Government institutions. With the pride of Eastern victory in your heart, so set forth on the journey towards a new Sri Lanka," the President's message to SLFPers said.

President Rajapaksa, in his message to party membership, said; "The Sri Lanka Freedom Party and freedom are synonymous. The freedom won in 1948 was made more meaningful by S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike when he removed the British military camps at Katunayake and Trincomalee.

That independence was made a reality by Sirimavo Bandaranaike with the introduction of the Republican Constitution in 1972. Today, after three decades we have taken a decisive step towards eliminating the politics of terrorism and violence from this noble land.

There is no other country except Sri Lanka that had committed a criminal act by acceding to a treaty, which confers a legitimate territory to terrorism.

It is based on this myth of its own territory that the LTTE was able to conduct worldwide propaganda about a state of Tamil Eelam. Today we have exposed this myth through a Government led by our party.

Parallel to this operation we have to rebuild the historic fraternal relations among the Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim people that were destroyed by sowing the poisonous seeds of racism. On this historic occasion I would like to draw your attention to the fact a basic obligation of our party at this moment is to rebuild that fraternity."