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| Monday, 23 August 2004 |
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| PM at Zahira College 'Tamil Vila': We should unite to build trouble free nation by Sarath Malalasekera "All Sri Lankans should unite to build a trouble free nation. It is a great step taken by the Board of Governors of Zahira College, Colombo to launch a Tamil language day towards building bridges of friendship and understanding between the South and the North, said Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse speaking in Tamil at the Zahira College Colombo auditorium on Saturday. At the end of the Prime Minister's speech in Tamil, the members at the head table and the other participants who were in the well of the auditorium, gave him a grand oration. The Prime Minister, President's Counsel M.M. Zuhair, Chairman of the Board of Governors of Zahira College, Dr. Uvais Ahamed, Principal of the College, Foreign delegates and the other distinguished invitees inspected the Guard of Honour at the entrance to the College premises presented by the College Cadets. The Prime Minister who was the chief guest at the 'Tamil Vila at the Zahira College' said that Zahira College has a proud history in education and is one of the colleges in Colombo which produced several leading figures in the country. He emphasised that Zahira College has contributed much to the Tamil language, to the development of the country, to the protection of Islamic culture and values as well as to the contribution of Muslims in nurturing the Tamil Language in our multi-cultural society. The Tamil language is one of the oldest languages in the country, and it will help to build a peaceful nation, the Prime Minister added. President's Counsel M. M. Zuhair, Chairman of the Board of Governors of Zahira College said it is a significant event for the Prime Minister to participate in the Tamil Language festivities as chief guest. 'We know, in the not too distant past, languages had caused misery and hardship to the people in the country. Even globally, widespread death and destruction had been caused from battles fought arising from language differences,' the President's Counsel said. The Sri Lankan people are now on the threshold of overcoming past misjudgments. We need to break away from man-made barriers and unite as one Sri Lankan nation, while respecting the diversities of each other, he added. Zuhair emphasised that Sinhala, Tamil and English have played a vital role in the lives of the people of this country. In addition, the Arabic language, Malay language and 'Arabic' Tamil have contributed for the preservation of Islamic culture and thought in our country. Together, these languages have enriched the quality of life of all Sri Lankans, for a considerable part of the country's history. |
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