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by Wyman Hettiarachchi

President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga said the time has come for all patriotic people to unite under a single banner to save the country by driving away all inefficient leaders.

She said the present government under the guise of the peace process had only strengthened the hands of LTTE leader Prabhakaran during the past one year. As Head of State her grave concern was that Prabhakaran may find an excuse to start another war at any moment.

The President said this at a public rally held at Bandarawela recently to felicitate her on the 8th anniversary of her election to office. The President referring to the current peace negotiations said the government's chief negotiator and the Prime Minister had expressed two contradictory views.

According to Government Chief Negotiator Prof. G.L. Peiris negotiations were proceeding successfully. But Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe during his briefings had told her that they had been discussing only immediate humanitarian needs in the North East so far.

The President said despite these claims LTTE Chief Negotiator Dr. Balasingham had expressed a completely different view to Tamil expatriates living in Europe. Balasingham had said the LTTE agreed to a ceasefire to give a respite to its armed forces. She said no war could be conducted successfully without understanding the true nature of the enemy.

The President who said the country was facing a decisive moment in its 53-year history since independence said it had faced turbulent periods from time to time under stupid rulers. Year 1983 was one case in point where Tamils were subjected to undue oppression. That mistake had engulfed the country in a dreadful war over the last two decades.

The President said Uva and Wellassa had produced patriotic sons who came forward to save the country from cruel rulers at decisive moments. The PA government which was elected in 1994 had rendered great service towards the development of Uva which was an under-developed region in the country.

The UNP and the UNF government had not only undone the social welfare measures taken by the Bandaranaike governments but also heaped unnecessary burdens on the people. She said unemployment had aggravated, Samurdhi assistance and fertilizer subsidy to farmers had been curtailed, school children had been denied easy access to school uniforms and condition of the road network had gone from bad to worse.

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