Join hands with Govt to ensure national development

President to Opposition parties at Budget presentation:

Rohan Mathes and Irangika Range

Presenting his third consecutive Budget yesterday in Parliament, President Mahinda Rajapaksa made a fervent appeal to all Opposition political parties to bury the hatchet and join hands with his Government for the sake of national security and economic development.

Unveiling Budget 2008 which lays accent on national security and development, the President said: “We need to forget personal animosities arising from jealousies and associated political rivalries when it comes to national security and economic development.

It is not possible to rectify the mistakes of 30 years and to eliminate the related destructive consequences to enter a path that would help in addressing the needs of the Nation within a short span of time or by taking a divided approach and by defaming each other”.

President Rajapaksa stressed that in seeking a political solution to the national problems based on democracy and humanitarian considerations simultaneously to the military victories, all ideological differences should be ironed out to indulge in a political process which would offer solutions to issues confronted by the Tamil and Muslim communities in the North and East.

“The fight against terrorism was not a fight against the Tamil people. It is our duty and the responsibility to protect and preserve democratic rights of Tamils, Muslims and the Sinhalese in all parts of the island. I therefore invite all of you in the Opposition to join hands with the Government to move forward with a common agenda in the interest of our Motherland,” he noted.

The Mahinda Chintana, the envisaged development framework and the ‘Guiding Force’ which will steer the Nation for the next 10 years, he said, has to a great extent helped in changing certain key idealogies of our leaders, such as abandoning a federal solution to the ethnic conflict and their privatisation policies.

The President pointed out that as a country plagued by the most ruthless form of terrorism, we could not remain complacent, relax the stringent security measures undertaken, neglect the Security Forces needs or ignore their advice and endanger the country’s stability.

“We have witnessed how the cost of ill-effects and destruction, outweigh the cost of inconvenience and sacrifice,” President Rajapaksa added.

He said the daunting challenges confronted during national security operations and in the implementation of the development projects, should be considered as crucial and essential in the best interest of our Motherland and our future generations.

He was of the view that an economic growth in excess of 7.5 per cent was possible for 2008, by expediting all key development projects, and in line with the Api Vavamu-Rata Nagamu, the national food production drive which could take advantage of the favourable climatic conditions, increasing local investment and production in the backdrop of the private-sector zeal and the military victories.

Nevertheless, President Rajapaksa pointed out that a high economic growth per se, was inadequate to indicate a meaningful development for the country and its people. The development process should encompass the infrastructural networks that provides opportunities for the rural people as well.

The benefits of the economic growth should trickle down to all levels and communities, while preserving the social and cultural values and create aspirations of a Nation that moves forward with emphasis on innovations.

Defending the recent International Bond Issue, the President opined that large sums required for development activities should not be obtained via the sale of national resources and privatisation. National revenue and foreign exchange should be enhanced instead.

“One should ascertain why the borrowing was obtained. We proceeded to mobilise this large sum of funds through the Bond Issue, only after making a concerted effort to raise Government revenue and also failed to raise funds from concessionary sources”, he said.

He said this measure was resorted to be able to complete the infrastructure projects already undertaken well on time, to find the required foreign exchange for such development projects, in cognizance of the fact that domestic borrowing in itself would result in high interest rates and thereby weaken the performance of the private sector.

“These funds will be utilised to complete the development work already undertaken and will not be used to provide for the flour subsidy or for the day-to-day consumption expenditure as done in the past,” the President added.