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Bounden duty of all to support goal for peace - Media Minister

from P. D. A. S. Gunasekera, Ratnapura group correspondent

Sri Lanka after an endless ethnic war during the last 20 years, taking a heavy toll of human lives and the resources of the country had come at last within sight of permanent peace, under the good offices of the UNF government. It was the bounden duty of all, to take probably the last available chance to reach the final goal of permanent peace, by keeping to the 'peace-path' trod under the leadership of the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the Media Minister Imithiaz Bakeer Markar, at Ratnapura recently.

The minister said so, addressing the media conference and the 'media accredition' award ceremony cum workshop held at the SPC auditorium to educate the media personnel, in Sabaragamuwa, on their duties and responsibilities, both legal, social and cultural.

The Media Minister said that the UNF government was doing its best to tide over the economic and financial difficulties into which the country had fallen due to the prolonged ethnic war, and the mismanagement and maladministration of the past regime. The disruptive political elements, war mongers making millions on arms deals and the local political opportunists designing to remain in power using the ethnic war as the proverbial 'beggar's wound' were throwing barricades on the way, to 'block' the peace process, set in motion by the UNF government.

He said trade unions, misled by the political mischief makers raising a 'war cry' against the government's efforts to put the country's economy back 'on the rails' by systematic development (under the world-accepted open economy) of the government institutions already on the brink of bankruptcy, without offering realistic alternative plans.

Taking the postal dept. as an example the Minister said that it was running at a loss of Rs. 790 million. Other departments were in no better position. Under such circumstances was it possible for the government to provide more facilities, higher salaries and other costly privileges.

It was time that all right thinking people as well as them opposite numbers, put the interest of the nation, even at this last moment, above party politics and personal interest, the Minister stressed, to save the country and its people from complete ruin.

Even once, economically backward, socialist countries like China and Vietnam were fast striding along the road to prosperity, using the much abused 'capitalist norms' for the development of their economies, still remaining under the banners of the 'communist emblem' of the 'sickle and the hammer' the minister pointed out.

The government had been accused of privatisation of the postal dept, when he was organising it under a systematic plan to convert it, to an institution capable of paying its way. Contrary to the claims of the opponents he was planning to make the postal department a 'family unit' under a blue-print already underway.

It was the prime duty and responsibility of the independent media, while enjoying the freedom in full, to work in their field without fear or favour, the Minister said.

The Smallholdings Development Minister Susantha Punchinilame paid a tribute to the media minister.

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Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
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