Accept National Govt offer, Sangaree urges Ranil
TULF President V. Anandasangaree yesterday called on Opposition
Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe to accept President Mahinda Rajapaksa's
offer to form a National Government.
Anandasangaree said Minister Mahinda Wijesekara, at a press briefing
on Thursday had revealed that the President had asked him to convey to
Wickremesinghe, his offer to form a National Government with the UNP and
with you as Prime Minister.
The TULF leader in a letter to Wickremesinghe said: "Please permit me
to make my observations on the proposed offer of the President. At the
very outset I wish to say that you have a moral duty to accept this
offer in the greater interest of the country and its people.
I am sure this will receive the support of the majority of the people
of this country and will also be applauded by people belonging to all
ethnic and religious groups and leaders of all religions. Our people had
suffered beyond ones endurance and are yearning for peace.
Both you and the President being very seniors in politics know fully
well what the country had really lost during the past 50 years and how
it can be rectified. The lack of knowledge of the past, among the people
especially younger generation, is the cause for the problems the country
is facing today.
Apart from the extensive damage to both public and private property
worth several billions, the other losses cannot be assessed in terms of
money and what is lost cannot be replaced too. The number of lives lost
in all the three main communities the Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims
exceeds 70,000, whether combatants or otherwise.
Several thousands of lives are lost and are being lost even today in
claymore and bomb attacks in buses, trains, hotels, market places and
road sides. The innocent civilian lives lost are innumerable.
There had been several massacres in mosques, Buddhist and Hindu
Temples. You are not unaware that we have more than 30,000 Sinhalese,
Tamil and Muslim widows and a large number of orphans. We have very many
destitute persons. There had been communal riots on a large scale in
1958, 1977 and 1983 and also a few small ones.
The Muslims from the entire Northern Province had been ordered to
quit leaving behind all their possessions like houses, jewellery,
television, radio, car, lorries etc. at very short notice, with just Rs.
500 each.
You are also aware that all these Muslims are languishing in over 160
refugee camps for over 17 years in the South with hopes of returning to
their birth places one day soon. How many had been disabled with their
limbs and eye sights lost? How many rich had become paupers overnight?
How many children had lost their education? How many skilled persons
had lost their varieties of skills? How many people in the North had
lost their fishing and agriculture? How many people had lost their dear
ones and how many had lost their sole breadwinners? Even I have lost two
brothers four nephews and nieces. How many families are broken and
shattered?
Fishermen, farmers, skilled workers are idling in their thousands.
Above all everyone lives in constant fear and tension. Should not all
these miseries stop once and for all? To stop this, the only option
responsible leaders of this country have today is to soothe the wounded
hearts of all the people by joining hands and find a permanent solution
in full and not in installment.
Not only these, many more unpleasant things happen in our country.
Yet there is one section who are not bothered of the woes and sufferings
of our people. Some are worried of their positions and are not prepared
to shed a few drops of tears in sympathy for the suffering masses.
You may determine the period of the existence of the National
Government and also fix the deadline for solving the ethnic problem. I
wish to remind you that during the last Presidential Election I made an
appeal to the Presidential Candidates to take the "ethnic issue" out of
the election campaign and to jointly find a solution after the election.
You as the country's alternate President should rise to the occasion
by settling your differences and accept this offer in the greater
interest of our suffering people. If both of you with your teams of
devoted Parliamentarians get together and find a solution to the ethnic
problem that is over 50 years, both of you will go down in history as
the joint saviours of the country, its people and their democratic
rights.
I plead with you, as a patriotic citizen of this country who loves
the country and its people and on behalf of the people, that both of you
and your respective teams should forget all your political differences
and unite to bring the country back to its old glory and create a
situation for all the people to live as equals enjoying all rights as
children of Mother Lanka.
The blessings of all religious leaders will be there to guide you in
this worthy cause." |