President in the limelight at CHOGM

By Shanika SRIYANANDA

Two girls from Hambantota were the happiest among the cabin crew on the SriLankan flight that was heading to Colombo from Perth. Australia. Becoming an air hostess was a distant dream for the village lasses as it was mostly preserved for those from ‘elite’ schools. With the dawn of a new era where the doors are open more for village youth to come into the limelight to show their talents, some of the fields dominated by the ‘elites’ are gradually opened for the village youth. (It was one aspect that was implemented under the Mahinda Chinthana policy - to open up more avenues for village youth).

They never thought that they would be given a chance to have a few words with the leader who caught the most media attention at the 2011 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) held in Perth from 28-30 October. While they were nervously waiting at a corner of the flight, President Mahinda Rajapaksa humbly invited them.

The girls from Hambantota district thanked the President for opening the doors for girls like them coming from villages, making their dreams come true. In a very relaxed mood after participating at the CHOGM sessions successfully, President Rajapaksa had a very friendly chat with the two village lasses.

President Rajapaksa, who is famed for turning an impossibility to a possibility is a leader who sets examples before preaching to others. Mathata Thitha (period to alcohol and drugs) is implemented by the government to bring down alcohol consumption and put an end to the drug menace. It was truly observed by the President who had said ‘No’ to alcohol in every flight that he was in. The SriLankan flight for Perth and also to Colombo was completely free of alcohol. With no chances of having even a glass of wine, the government delegation had more chance to drink fruit juices and water. Duty purchasing of alcohol on board was also not seen.

The 22nd CHOGM, was an event that made President Rajapaksa and the government more popular with a wide spread media coverage. Apart from the media publicity given to the Head of the Commonwealth, Queen Elizabeth, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard who presided over the CHOGM as Head of State of the host nation, President Rajapaksa was the third most important character at the CHOGM, who got wide publicity and prominence. Even though it was negative publicity, due to actions of LTTE sympathisers. It gave a chance for the government to convey the truth more and it was a great advantage to the President.

All attempts by the pro-LTTE lobby to tarnish the image of the country and the President through unfounded war crimes and human rights violation were disrupted and the world leaders and also a section of the world media commended his contribution to bring peace after decades and also to make the nation stand on its own feet.

Taking a strong stand against the proposal to appoint a special commissioner titled Commonwealth Commissioner for Democracy, Rule of Law and Human Rights, the President said if a country had acted against democracy it should be corrected and led on the correct path through discussion and dialogue rather than through expulsion, for expulsion would aggravate the situation by enabling such country to act in any manner it wanted.

This was an effort to expel Sri Lanka from the Commonwealth, which expelled Fiji before. President Rajapaksa thwarted these attempts by reiterating that sanctions should not be imposed on a country and its people to act against its leader. At the sports breakfast meeting which was addressed by the Commonwealth Games chairman, the Australian PM and President Rajapaksa, he explained that the festival had been held in about 5 countries so far - Australia, UK, Canada, NZ and India while other countries have been denied the opportunity.

He said he was speaking on behalf of countries which were denied the opportunity to host it and Australia had hosted it four times. He explained that such big events would help boost a country’s economy and the government offered Hambantota as a venue to develop it as a country making reconciliation efforts and requested to give the chance to Sri Lanka to host the event.

A Commonwealth Secretariat official described the President’s speech as the best diplomatic speech from a Head of State.

Despite opposition from some nation on hosting the next CHOGM in Sri Lanka, he said his government was waiting to welcome world leaders.

“Come to Sri Lanka in 2013 when the next CHOGM will be held in Colombo, I firmly believe that it will be a memorable experience for you,” he said.

Denying war crime and human rights charges, President Rajapaksa said his government was working to repair the divisions caused by the deadly conflict. “We await the submission next month of the report of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission - a home grown institution which I appointed to help leave behind us the pain and anguish of the past and guide the nation towards the era of peace and prosperity,” he said.

President Rajapaksa at the prize-giving at Visakha Vidyalaya, on Friday said:

I am really glad to be present at this prize-giving of the Visakha Vidyalaya. When I think of Visakha Vidyalaya my mind goes back to my school days when there was a debate between Visakha Vidyalaya and my school.

I was a member of the school debating team, the only student from the Ordinary Level among Advanced Level students. Visakha Vidyalaya emerged victorious defeating her rival at the debate.This debate is unforgettable in my life because Thurstan College had suspended its debating team for 10 years. Hence the result is crystal clear. Later as a young Member of Parliament I came to Visakha Vidyalaya to see my sisters.

When I witness the talents of these children I see a resourceful young generation being moulded to accept the future challenges.

Visakha Vidyalaya was set up 93 year ago as a prominent Buddhist school in memory of Mrs. Jeramias Dias, mother of our national hero Arthur V. Dias, popularly known as Kos Mama

Visakha Vidyalaya belongs to the nation. It is also the wish of our nation. The name Visakha ranks only next to Mahamaya and Yasodhara. Every mother and father wishes a Visakha-type daughter.

“Pannaya Pari Sujjathi or Wisdom fosters moral rectitude is the motto of Visakha Vidyalaya. The whole world is in pursuit of knowledge with scant regard to morality, merit and character formation.

You may be perhaps aware that according to what the leaders of European countries say in public we are far ahead of them.

Our learned expatriates in Western countries return to the motherland when their small children begin to understand things.

Most of them leave no stone unturned to admit their daughters to schools such as Visakha. Despite all facilities available in such Western countries why do they want to come back to Sri Lanka with their daughters?

Passing examinations with distinction itself is not adequate. Beyond that a daughter needs to be endowed with an excellent character and the social, cultural and traditional background necessary for it still exists in this country. It is your responsibility to preserve this tradition and foster our ethics and customs. You should also safeguard the unsullied name of your motherland.

Our patterns of thinking are different from those of other countries. Our ethos is unique. You should have heard the saying that there is a persuasive wife behind every successful husband and not vice versa.

Vihara Maha Devi was in the vanguard and did not play second fiddle. That is our tradition. Therefore, it is something alien to you to imitate the thinking of Westerners or Europeans.

You ought to be conversant with intellectuals and other personages such as Abraham Lincoln - his famous letter to children, the Most Ven. Veedagama Maithriya Nayaka Thera who authored Loweda Sangarawa and Francis Bacon who promoted the habit of reading. We should not forget that this country has an abundance of libraries and Pothgul Viharas.

You should also be familiar with the name of such illustrious members of the academia such as Shakespeare, T.S. Elliot, Leo Tolstoy, Anton Chekov, Gurulugomi, Most Ven. Thotagamuwe Sri Rahula Thera, Alagiyawanna Mukaveti, Munidasa Kumaratunga, Tibetan Bhikkhu Ven.S. Mahinda, Sybil Wettasinghe, Ananda Rajakaruna and “Tie Mama”.

The world community is there to speak of foreign philosophers. It is you who should absorb what our great intellectuals had said as an everlasting resource for life.

The Buddha’s advice to Visakha, “Confine strictly to the four walls of your home is as valid today as it was then. Do not speak ill of your school or motherland in public.

Becoming modern means divorcing oneself of one’s past mistakes, weaknesses and petty thinking and one should be urbane, refined and civilised.

The TIME magazine in its recent worldwide survey has revealed that Sri Lanka is far ahead of other countries in the status conferred on women.

The so-called advanced countries in the West are far behind us. Once you leave school you could see what sort of country you could have access to. As you are aware the posts of Chief Justice and Attorney General are held by women. Women are much closer to dominate the labour pool, and production field.

In Sri Lanka women form a percentage of 24 in the householdership, 84 percent teachers and more than half of expatriate workers. The majority in the legal profession and universities are also women.

Of those appointed to the banks recently 60-70 percent were women. In Sri Lanka’s population women have exceeded their male counterparts by one million and is bound to increase further.

Hence your future responsibilities will be much heavier.