A significant New Year

The first year of the new decade would be most significant in Sri Lanka’s development drive to be the ‘Wonder of Asia’. With the dawn of another New Year yesterday, let’s take stock of our achievements and failures during the past year and gear ourselves to face the challenges this year.

It has been the practice over the years to send greetings during the New Year. However, it’s now opportune for us to ponder whether these greetings are restricted to mere words. Generally, people the world over wish happiness, peace and prosperity to one another during the New Year. This wish could be made a reality by living in amity with one another and respecting each others’ ethnicity, beliefs, faiths, customs and traditions.

It has been more or less a habit for people to approach the dawn of a New Year with renewed hope, expectations and high goals in life for a better tomorrow. However, unfulfilled public expectations and aspirations would compel some of us to dismiss such yearnings with a certain degree of scepticism and cynicism.

Thanks to the untiring efforts of the Security Forces and the strong and far-sighted political leadership of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, people all over the country are now enjoying the dividends of peace, having vanquished the LTTE leadership and its terror outfit.

The majority of people in Sri Lanka yearned for peace for almost three decades. This was the earnest wish and dream in every New Year greeting.

Nevertheless, it was only in May 2009 that this long-time dream was achieved due to the immense sacrifices made by the true sons of our soil and the indomitable political leadership of President Rajapaksa which proved to be a tower of strength for the valiant soldiers to beat all insurmountable odds.

Now that peace prevails in the country for all of us to live in harmony, irrespective of our ethnic and religious affiliations, let us renew this sublime wish in the New Year and act resolutely with undeterred determination to fulfil the hope of Sri Lanka’s new battle of winning the ‘economic war’ as well. This is by no means an easy task, but certainly achievable if all work with dedication.

It was a little over five years ago when President Rajapaksa as the leader of the country was entrusted with the gigantic task of taking Sri Lanka forward. Most people were convinced that he alone could usher in peace.

Eventually, he achieved it by his exemplary political leadership to overcome all sinister moves by a section of the international community. The path to peace was an uphill task. It was painstaking.

Peace at any cost, perhaps, would not have been that difficult and easily achievable. However, the President strongly believed in an honourable peace. The nation’s aspiration was not a type of peace to defeat one party or achieve a victory to another, but an honourable peace, acceptable to all communities in the country and a peace that would receive the mandate of most political parties.

As we celebrate the New Year with our close friends and loved ones, we should remember that there are thousands of Security Forces personnel on duty to safeguard Sri Lanka’s territorial integrity. Unlike us, the guardian angels of our nation do not have an opportunity to celebrate the New Year with their loved ones. During the battle against terror, they spent many sleepless nights in bunkers, keeping vigil against the terrorists to protect us.

Simultaneously, let’s remember those gallant soldiers who had paid the supreme sacrifice to protect the nation and safeguard its territorial integrity. They sacrificed their lives to make our tomorrow safer. Hence, it is proper that we always remember with gratitude those war heroes who strove to usher in peace.

Our New Year thoughts should always be with those brave men on duty and those who sacrificed their youth to restore peace in Sri Lanka. We enjoy this freedom today due to their courage, dedication and sacrifices. The dividends of peace are being reaped gradually.

Though terrorism which destroyed our community life and smothered the economy over the past three decades in Sri Lanka was eradicated, global terrorism continues to threaten people in most parts of the world. Some countries which encouraged terrorism are now seeing things in a truer perspective.

Therefore, the foremost wish of people throughout the world is to wipe out international terrorism and foster lasting peace in those countries. This would enable all nations to live in perfect harmony. In this era of globalisation, the international community seeks to dispel war and live in peace and harmony. This should be the spirit of co-existence. It is the duty and responsibility of the international community, and other organisations such as the United Nations, to create a just society where people could live sans fear and suspicion.

We, in Sri Lanka enter a crucial phase in our post-independence history with the eradication of terrorism. With numerous mega development projects being completed and some under way, Sri Lanka is marching magnificently towards new economic horizons.

With the setting up of mega power generation projects such as Norochcholai and Upper Kotmale, Sri Lanka could successfully meet the increasing demand for power. Infrastructure development projects are being completed at a rapid pace with the Southern Expressway, Colombo-Kandy super highway and the expansion of the Northern and Southern railway tracks. With the commissioning of the Magampura harbour and the opening of the Mattala International Airport in Hambantota next year, Sri Lanka would be on track towards a new era of prosperity.

The Government is acutely aware of its responsibility to meet the aspirations of people both in the North as well as the South and build a society that would promote harmony among all communities. All Sri Lankans have a crucial role to play and contribute more in the new decade. Each and everyone could become a partner in the new development drive.