Nation pays tribute to war heroes - President

Rohan Mathes

The entire nation, from the ‘Line Rooms’ to the luxurious mansions were paying their greatest and heart-felt tributes to the war heroes who have fought relentlessly to eradicate terrorism from our motherland, said President Mahinda Rajapaksa addressing the second triumphant rally at Norwood playgrounds in Kotagala yesterday, in support of the UPFA candidates contesting the forthcoming Wayamba and Central Province Provincial Council elections to be held on February 14.

The fluttering of our Lion Flag in each and every household in the country, amply signifies the nation’s appreciation and their highest tributes paid to our gallant war heroes, he said.

The President reiterated that the Armed Forces were in no way fighting the Tamil people in the North, but at the risk of their lives, were only striving their best to liberate the innocent men, women and children from the bondage of the terrorists who were retaining them as slaves. “They are fighting for the betterment of the entire nation, inclusive of the estate community”, the President added.

He said that his Government has been of immense service to the estate community within the last three years. The estate community who were only confined to a few square feet of housing, have now been able to own and live in their dream homes, inclusive of all basic and modern amenities such as sanitation, electricity and potable water, which have now become norms rather than luxuries.

The estate community who only walked the foot paths among the tea bushes in the past, have now got the opportunity to tread on the modernised concrete roads which accounts for over 80 per cent of the roads therein.

The ‘Teacher shortage’ which was dominant in the estate sector schools some time back, has also been resolved successfully, by recruiting young and educated teachers from their own fraternity, instead of bringing them from elsewhere.

Already over 3000 such teachers have been appointed. This is ample testimony that there is a great future which they could be proud of, in the estate sector.

The provision of proper health facilities for the estate sector was long overlooked by many Governments in the past. Nevertheless, this Government had taken a policy decision to uplift the health standards in the estates, as a prime responsibility.

The Government in this process, had acquired 23 hospitals owned by the estate companies.

“We will allocate from the budget, over Rs. 150 million, to uplift the hospitals, and Rs. 75 million for sanitation facilities.

Which Government has done such things within your lifetimes? There has been a true renaissance and a further ray of hope to the estate community. You too have equal rights for everything in the country as others and a sense of ownership.

No one could deprive you of same. We are all children of one mother”, President Rajapaksa categorically stated.

He said that despite the global economic crisis, all necessary precautions were taken, to mitigate the impact on the village, including the estates, by the provision of special subsidies for rice and kerosene. Mobile trade centers were also introduced.

President Rajapaksa also lauded the estate fraternity for their exemplary sense of discipline displayed when they had visited the President’s House in Kandy, for Thaipongal. He urged them to display the same sense of gratefulness, at the Provincial Council elections too.

Ministers Hemakumara Nanayakkara, C.B. Rathnayake, Arumugam Thondaman and Muthu Sivalingam also spoke. Ministers Pavithra Wanniyarachchi, Kumara Welgama, Nirmala Kotelawela and a host of other distinguished guests participated at the rally.