The greatest benefit from freedom can be enjoyed when everyone fulfills their duty to the country, said President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
The President addressing the nation at the 74th Independence Day celebrations at the Independence Square on Friday, February 4 said, “As citizens of a free and democratic country, we all have rights as well as responsibilities adding, that it is not appropriate to speak only of rights while forgetting one’s responsibilities.”
President Rajapaksa said, “I have pledged as the Head of State to always to protect the freedom won for the future generations, and to safeguard the unity, territorial integrity and sovereignty of this country. We will always abide by that pledge.”
Referring to the difficulties facing the nation, he said that hard times don’t last forever and called on the people to build a positive attitude to overcome these obstacles. The President said, “If we are to win over the challenges before us and accomplish our future goals successfully, then all of us have to make a change. We all have to make some sacrifices towards it. People of great resolve are needed to face difficult times.”
The President said, “People do not want a leader who runs away from problems. I am always ready to provide leadership that can overcome any challenge facing the country. The world is being changed by those who dreamed of a better future adding that those who demoralise the people are not doing any good for the country.”
However, the President said that the support of the entire country cannot be expected in steering the country in the right direction, but added that he was not ready to allow the country’s progress to be hampered due to criticism by some quarters.
He said, “The aim of the Government is to do the right thing for the country and not to please everyone. Pessimists do not change the world and those who are accustomed to criticising without addressing a problem have no vision for the future. Hence, we cannot abandon the country’s progress because of those who don’t want to change.”
President Rajapaksa also called on all politicians of this country to lead by example. “As President, I am ready to set an example. I am already doing this to the best of my ability. I ask all Ministers, Parliamentarians and other politicians to act in an exemplary manner for the country at all times.”
State Minister Arundika Fernando on Thursday said that he decided to resign from his ministerial portfolio until the investigations into the assault on a group of students of the Ragama Medical Faculty are concluded. The decision to step down comes in the backdrop of the SLPP Parliamentarian’s son surrendering to Police in connection with the alleged incident of attacking medical faculty students in Ragama.
He told the media at his office, that he met President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and conveyed his decision. He said that he also requested a fair investigation into the incident from the President.
He said that if anyone connected to him is involved in the incident, he would definitely take disciplinary action against them following the investigation. He said “If anyone says that I am involved in it, I will definitely resign from the ministerial post if it is proved.” Six persons including the State Minister’s son were remanded on Thursday in connection with the assault of a group of Ragama Medical Faculty students on Wednesday.
Organised attack
The vehicle of National People’s Power (NPP) Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake was subjected to an egg attack at the NPP’s Gampaha District Convention last Sunday, January 30. The Gampaha District Convention of the NPP was held at a private banquet hall in Kalagedihena.
Party Leader Dissanayake was on his way to the venue when his vehicle was hit by eggs near the main entrance of the hall. Party members had apprehended two people in connection with the attack. They were later handed over to the Nittambuwa Police. The suspects had stated that about 16 people had come with them. The rest of the gang had fled the scene.
Claiming that the egg-throwing attack targeting JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake was a politically motivated and organised attack, JVP Parliamentarian Vijitha Herath said that a private security firm was behind the attack.
He told a news conference on Monday, January 31 that the group that threw rotten eggs had attempted to portray that the attack came from the public. He said, “No harm was caused to Dissanayake or his vehicle.” The JVP Parliamentarian said those who resorted to such a spiteful action, not to do such things and urged them to confront policies.
Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga has written to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, requesting a swift investigation into the egg attack on NPP rally in Kalagedihena, Gampaha.
Minister Ranatunga requested the President and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to conduct an impartial inquiry into the attack and penalise everyone responsible for this attack. In letters to the President and the IGP, the Minister stressed that he recognises and respects the democratic right to hold political meetings not only in the Gampaha District but in any part of the country. Thus, he urged that an impartial inquiry be conducted into the incident and bring those responsible to book.
Ranatunga said that the intelligent people of Gampaha never approve of such disgraceful acts and that there is reasonable doubt whether this attack was launched to embarrass the Government and the President. Ranatunga also refuted the allegations leveled against him in connection with the incident, claiming that media reports and social media posts mentioning that he was allegedly behind the egg attack on NPP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s vehicle are completely untrue.
“Unfair”
Foreign Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris denied media reports that Government Ministers are rushing to the northern part of the country ahead of the upcoming UNHRC session in Geneva.
The Minister was addressing the students and the academics of the Jaffna University along with Justice Minister Ali Sabry, PC during their visit to the Jaffna University last week. He said such reports are totally unfair and untrue. “The visit the Ministers made had nothing to do with the upcoming UNHRC session.”
Prof. Peiris said, “Our objectives are totally different. We believe that priorities of the people should be identified in their respective areas rather than all decisions being made in Colombo.”
The Foreign Minister told the media at the Jaffna District Secretariat, that it is very necessary for the youth of the North to strengthen and maintain contacts with their counterparts in the South to improve unity and reconciliation. He said, “We have had enough divisions and suffered a lot. So, it is my request for the people in the North to join hands and work together with the people in the South.”
The Minister said that the basic objectives of all the youths in the North and the South are the same. They all want to live a good life, have a decent income, raise a family and live in dignity. “So why do we need divisions?”
Development
SJB Parliamentarian Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka told a public gathering that he does not believe the country will develop just because the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) comes to power.
He said, “This country will not develop simply because we form a Government. On the other side there are economic experts. We also have great people.” Referring to the ruling party and the main Opposition, the SJB Parliamentarian said there are experts on both sides, however, this country is not developing.
“Why is it not developing? It is because of corruption and misuse. There is no accountability, no responsibility.” He said that, therefore, no matter what economic experts come they will only balance things out. Fonseka said, “If the country has no production, the country will not go up on one side. On the other side is corruption.”
He said that if their party is to be truly different to the others, they have to understand this fact and work on that line.
“If the Party Leader was here, I would give this message in the same way. I told my Party Leader in Badulla that you should never even mention the name of Ranasinghe Premadasa ever again because there is no point in that now. We definitely need to make our journey. Our leaders need to become better,” he said.
False information
Chief Government Whip Highways Minister Johnston Fernando said it is a sorry state of affairs to see that the very same Opposition that spread fears about the vaccines during the first and second waves of the Covid-19 pandemic is now engaged in spreading false information about the booster dose vaccination.
At a ceremony to open a three-storey building for the Kurunegala Pradeshiya Sabha recently, the Minister said that the Opposition parties had no other means but to spread lies and further lies.
He said, “When they see that some innocents believe their lies, the Opposition amplifies the volume of their lies thinking that the people will stand up against the Government. What the Opposition is still unaware of is that their lies get exposed and that they will end up as a bunch of liars in the long run. This has happened many times in the recent past.”
Minister Fernando said, “ Sajith Premadasa and Anura Kumara Dissnayake spoke against the vaccination drive.
They said that we are using the country and its people as a testing laboratory for the vaccine. However, both got the vaccines later on. Now, they have got their men and social media activists to spread doubts and fears about the booster dose. It is such an unfortunate situation that we have got an Opposition that speaks against science to mislead the people.”
“Notorious”
SLFP Member of Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) Pradeep Jayewardene had come under attack with chilli powder by another member of the CMC on Monday, January 31. Jayewardene who is a grandson of late President J. R. Jayewardene had told the media that a female member of the council threw water mixed with chilli powder at him.
He said, “I was attacked by this female member of the council after I defeated her father who is also a member of the CMC at the vote held to elect a chairman of the Standing Committee on Environment and Environment Protection. I obtained four votes and my opponent got only one vote. The daughter of my opponent who is also a member of the CMC threw the substance at me as soon as the result was announced.”
“These two members of the CMC are notorious as they have created havoc on an earlier instance as well. I have lodged a complaint with the Police and an inquiry is on. Mayoress Rosy Senanayake was also informed of the incident,” said Jayawardene.
‘Cardboard heroes’
Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa challenged the ‘cardboard heroes’ who are getting ready with new suits and daydreaming of becoming the next President, to work up to his level instead of putting up media shows. At a public gathering at Dambulla recently, Premadasa inquired whether these ‘cardboard heroes’ can contribute to the country’s development and whether they have a plan for it.
Premadasa said, “This Government ridiculed the service that I have been conducting through the ‘Husma’ program which was conducted for the development of health and ‘Sakwala’, the digital literacy program. We provide our service to the people while being in the Opposition. The ones who criticise those programs are the cardboard heroes who do nothing but act in front of the media at press conferences.”
He said that Sri Lanka is one of the leading countries when it comes to inflation and price hikes, where the leaders of this Government continue to go around the world begging for dollars. The Opposition Leader said that though this Government reverses all the gazettes that they issue, they cannot reverse the discomfort that they have caused to the public through these unrealistic and burdening gazettes.
Broad social program
SJB Parliamentarian Patali Champika Ranawaka said the SJB is not strong or powerful enough to face the crisis that is affecting the country. Ranawaka said shifting of power from one party to another cannot resolve problems in the country and there needs to be a broad social program. He said the SJB was formed as a result of the UNP dodging the opportunity to rule the country in 2015.
MP Ranawaka while noting that his political career was not decided by being a member of a main political party for a long period or from being a member of a family with political affiliations, said his stand in the political firmament will be decided in the future by prevailing social and political conditions of the time.
Two SJB frontliners Gayantha Karunatilleka and Niroshan Perera have endorsed remarks by their colleague Patali Champika Ranawaka that there was a need to unite all the forces. SJB Parliamentarians Karunatilleka and Perera told a recent press conference that MP Ranawaka’s remark is correct, as there is a dire need for such unity among all the forces.
The two SJB seniors were responding to a question raised by the journalists on the media report which quoted Champika Ranawaka saying the SJB alone cannot overcome present challenges.
Karunatileka said, “What Ranawaka meant was that unity is the need of the hour and we also welcome it.”
MP Perera said the SJB would like to see allies of the Government including SLFP leaving the Government. He said, “Parties such as SLFP should leave the Government and join the Opposition without criticising the Government while being in the Government.”