Archives

President calls for national dialogue for building communal amity

President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga on Monday called for a national dialogue for building communal amity when she addressed a meeting held at the Ambanpola Vidyalaya, Yapahuwa to mark the distribution of housing assistance among disabled war heroes in the Kurunegala District.

President Kumaratunga said she had on several occasions pointed out that we have still failed in building a pluralistic society. Therefore, an extensive national dialogue should be started to find out the reasons as to why we are still divided as a nation today and suggest suitable ways to overcome that situation and foster communal amity. It is through such a dialogue that mutual understanding could be built among various communities.

The President said, "The signing of an MoU between the Government and the LTTE alone will not bring about peace unless peace is created in the people's minds. Programs like the Sudu Nelum Movement launched by the PA Government made a major contribution towards creating an aura of peace in the peoples minds. It is due to that ground work laid by the PA Government that the peace process of the UNF Government is making headway. People who do not want admit this fact is trying to brand me as the main obstacle to peace," the President said.

President Kumaratunga said she had sacrificed everything except her own life for the sake of peace in this country.

The President who charged that the present government had even pruned the Samurdhi subsidy of needy Ranaviru families without Cabinet approval said she would question Prime Minister and the Finance Minister on this very soon.

She said the Ranaviru Seva Authority had been able to provide houses to only 1,000 Ranaviru families in the Yapahuwa village. Considering the 10 to 20,000 families needing houses this was only a minor fraction. Twenty times as much funding would be needed to cater to all of them. She would therefore request the Government and private sector businessmen to channel more funds to this welfare scheme for disabled war heroes and their families.

Tracing the history of the peace process initiated by her PA Government just a day after its victory in 1994 the President said the LTTE unilaterally breached the ceasefire entered into with the PA. When the war re-started her government was able to regain control of the Jaffna peninsula and the LTTE smarting under the defeat in Jaffna even attempted to assassinate her.

Expressing her happiness about the present ceasefire which had been in force for the last seven months the President said it is a good thing that it had stopped killings. But she said to ensure the success of the peace process the LTTE should be brought to the negotiating table soon.

The President said as the head of state she would be finally held responsible for everything that happens on account of the MoU. She had approved the peace process due to her sincere desire for peace. "Peace should be achieved without getting subjugated to the enemy," she said.

News | Business | Features | Editorial | Security
Politics | World | Letters | Sports | Obituaries |

Produced by Lake House
Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
Comments and suggestions to :Web Manager