Mandate to strengthen battle against terrorism

The Provincial Council elections in the North Central and Sabaragamuwa Provinces are round the corner. People in these provinces would get an opportunity to exercise their democratic right and elect people of their choice to run the provincial administration of the two provinces.

Simultaneously, it would give an opportunity to the Government to test its popularity. It is up to the people in the North Central and Sabaragamuwa to give their mandate to the Government once more and strengthen the hands of President Mahinda Rajapaksa to continue the relentless battle against terrorism.

Apart from the North and the East, people in the North Central Province too have been a prime target of the LTTE terrorists. The ruthless terrorists have not only massacred the Sinhalese but also the Muslims and their own Tamil community.

People still remember how the blood-thirsty Tigers massacred innocent civilians at the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi and also brutally killed bhikkhus at Aranthalawa.

During the 2001-2004 UNP regime of Ranil Wickremesinghe, several areas in the North Central Province were called ‘border’ villages as the then Government officially accepted the areas governed by the LTTE under the controversial Ceasefire Agreement (CFA).

Vellupillai Prabhakaran and his merciless terrorist organisation fortified their positions under the cover of the CFA while the then Prime Minister Wickremesinghe and his Government turned a blind eye.

Innocent civilians in the Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa districts experienced immense hardships as the LTTE terrorists played havoc even in the North Central Province.

However, since President Rajapaksa was elected to be the First Citizen of this country in November 2005, the trend changed for the better and people in the North Central Province were rescued from constant threats of the Tigers. The LTTE cadres were completely wiped out from the Eastern Province.

The Government liberated the innocent civilians in Mavil Aru, Sampur, Vakarai and Thoppigala from the clutches of the LTTE and also restored civil administration. People in the Eastern Province were given the privilege of exercising their democratic right after 14 woeful years.

The Government has achieved many successes in the battlefield and in several other spheres. Several measures have been taken to increase local food production and promote the sale of our own products.

Even people in the recently liberated Eastern Province have joined the production process. The purchasing power of people in the East has increased as money has started flowing into the Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Ampara districts through dairy farming and the fishing industry.

People in the North Central and the Sabaragamuwa provinces are also making a significant contribution to national production and projects such as Vagaa Sangramaya titled Api Wawamu Rata Nagamu have been successfully implemented in these provinces.

A massive fertiliser subsidy was granted to assist local farmers under President Rajapaksa’s leadership. Though the UNP is now making a song and dance on the fertiliser subsidy, it was the then Prime Minister Wickremesinghe’s Government which increased fertiliser prices without any subsidy and made farmers commit suicide.

Paddy farmers, who make an immense contribution to the national economy, now enjoy a 96 per cent subsidy on fertiliser. Hence, farmers in the North Central and Sabaragamuwa are ever grateful to the Government for lending them a helping hand.

Many infrastructure development projects have been launched, improving the road network under the Maga Neguma.

To boost agriculture, mega irrigation projects such as Moragahakanda have been launched. Power generation projects such as the Kerawalapitiya and Norochcholai power plants were launched to provide an uninterrupted power supply to promote the industrial sector. Steps have also been taken to protect local farmers as well as producers in the industrial sector.

Over the past two-and-a-half years, the Government has taken many meaningful steps to protect local farmers. Every encouragement has been rendered to local producers and the domestic industrial sector. Many concessions have been granted to local producers and consumers have been encouraged to purchase local products.

Our farmers are reaping good returns for their sweat and toil. In addition, paddy and dairy farmers are now enjoying all-time high prices for their products. This has enabled Sri Lanka to save a great deal of valuable foreign exchange.

The prices of liquid milk and rice have comparatively gone up, but the benefits trickled down our rural farmers. The age-old tradition of importing powdered milk is on the wane as our dairy farmers are stepping up production. This not only saves foreign exchange but also strengthens Sri Lanka’s rural economy.

All these factors should be taken into consideration when voters in Sabaragamuwa and North Central, who mainly represent the farmer community, cast their votes on Saturday. Their decision would have a big impact on the destiny of our beautiful island, which is gradually overcoming the threat posed by terrorism.

To continue the good work and strengthen the hands of President Rajapaksa, voters should take the most sensible decision. The UPFA Government has always been close to the masses. It has always worked for the betterment of poor rural farmers and uplifting the living standard of those in rural areas.

A clear mandate for the UPFA could also be considered as a mandate for the Government’s fearless battle against terrorism. This would definitely boost the morale of the Security Forces to achieve even greater heights in the future.