President expresses desire to work for better environment, achieve peace after retirement

President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga on Friday expressed her desire to devote the free time she would have on retirement to work towards the furtherance of two matters which she said were closest to her heart-environmental protection and the peace process.

Addressing professionals, academics, businessmen, scientists, representatives of volunteer organisations, journalists and schoolchildren selected to receive awards for their contributions towards protection of the environment, the President told the first ever Presidential Environmental Awards ceremony at the President's House, she said since taking office as President in 1994, her Government had paid a great deal of attention in the preservation of the environment and had occasion to even take strong action against certain Ministers and Deputy Ministers who had indulged in environmental degradation by denuding our forests.

"Protection of our forests and wildlife is an essential requisite for the future development of humanity. The forest cover of Sri Lanka has fallen to alarmingly low level of 20 per cent. We need to take positive action from now if we are to raise it to an acceptable level of 50 per cent in the years to come," she said.

The Presidential awards ceremony was organised by the Central Environmental Authority and award winners were selected by a special panel considering contributions individuals and organisations had made towards environmental protection in hotels, industries, print and electronic media.

President Kumaratunga blamed politicians for engaging in illegally cutting down trees and also protecting those who denude forests which led to deforestation.

"We have to have the political will to arrest this situation. We have to educate all politicians who do not understand the values of protecting the environment and the consequences of indiscriminately cutting down trees," she said.

The President commended Environment Minister A.H.M. Fowzie for his commitment to take stern action against environment polluters irrespective of their social or political standing. Fowzie's resolve to ban use of polythene is commendable. However they had not been able to progress much in this regard.

However they should pursue these measures if they are to achieve the desirable results, President Kumaratunga said.

She said she had given firm instructions to act against those who violate environmental laws even if he is a Minister or an M.P.

Police seem to be scared in acting against politicians, she said. The President said she had even at one occasion sacked a Deputy Minister. "Other Governments have not done so," she said and appealed to the Police to act impartially and without fear to bring to book wrong doers.

Commenting on the peace process, the President said after she took over as President, she had been able to convince a majority of her party members that the armed conflict was not the solution to the ethnic problem but negotiations.

Many programmes were launched including the Sudu Nelum Movement. "I was able to convince a vast majority of our party supporters except a few," the President said.

"I will have free time in my retirement to engage in these two matters closest to my heart-environmental protection and the peace process and would devote my time towards these objectives," President Kumaratunga said.

Congratulating the award recipients for being chosen to receive these awards, the President said they no doubt represented many more others who had also made valuable and meaningful contributions towards the betterment of the environment.

Minister Fowzie, Deputy Minister Bandula Basnayake, President's Secretary W.J.S. Karunaratne and Central Environmental Authority Chairman Tilak Ranaviraja were also present.