Masses supporting us - President
Rohan MATHES
Despite the misleading and unfounded propaganda to the contrary, by
certain reactionary and unpatriotic forces, we ought to make the
international community aware that the masses of this land are fully
supportive of the Government’s stance in eradicating terrorism from our
land, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said.
“The masses of this country wanted me to unite a fast fragmenting
country. If our decisive actions were delayed any further, in this
watershed moment in our history and the trend continued, the LTTE would
have expanded from Kilinochchi, upto Negombo and the Yala sanctuary, as
per their conceptual map,” he added.
“Cast your precious franchise to the ‘Betel leaf’ and display your
fullest support and solidarity to the Government in their effort to wipe
out terrorism from our Motherland,” President Rajapaksa urged when he
addressed a ceremony to grant SLFP party membership to over 4,000 former
UNPers from the Kalutara District at Temple Trees yesterday.
He said that in addition to crushing terrorism, his Government had
confronted many a crisis such as the oil and food, and had emerged
victorious from them all.
They had to re-build the country at an exorbitant cost. While
fighting the war successfully, his Government never abandoned or
retarded the mega development work envisaged in the broad based Mahinda
Chintana. Projects such as the Norochcholai, Kerawalapitiya, Kotmale
among others are underway successfully now.
The provision of the fertilizer subsidy to the farmers, is ongoing,
despite a colossal loss to the Government. The Government service has
not been pruned, but expanded exponentially within the last three years.
The cost of living has now dropped to a record 5.3 from 28.2 percent.
Some of the Mahinda Chintana concepts such as ‘Home Gardening’ has also
been accepted and practised in the USA, by the Obama family as well.
Without being restricted only to the Western Province, development must
spread to the remotest village.
“The fullest support and the cooperation of our people are our only
strength and our inspiration. I am a ‘down to earth’ man.
If not for the security precautions, I would have visited your own
homes and be in your company. I have walked down Galle Road up to
Kataragama, for 18 days,” he said. President Rajapaksa welcoming the new
members, told them that they would be treated equal as members of one
family.
They could now stick with them for ever and work for the party and
the country.
SLFP General Secretary Minister Maithripala Sirisena said within the
last three years, the policies of Prime Minister S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike
had been best implemented, to uplift the down-trodden masses.
Minister and Kalutara District Parliamentarian Mahinda Samarasinghe
who had been instrumental in getting the new membership to the fold,
claimed that he would never regret in his decision to join and support
President Rajapaksa who has assured a sustainable peace and an
environment where all communities could co-exist in peace and harmony. |