Western Provincial Council elections:

Anandians felicitated

Azuwar MOHIDEEN- Colombo additional district group correspondent

All Anandians can justifiably be proud that their alma mater continued to produce men of outstanding calibre who contribute their mite for the development and prosperity of the motherland, said Colombo Ananda College Principal Lal Dissanayake.

He was addressing the gathering at a felicitation ceremony organised by the Schools OBA at the school premises to welcome Western Province Chief Minister Prasanna Ranatunga and other past pupils who have been elected to the Western Provincial Council recently.

The other PC members who were felicitated at the ceremony held at the Olcott Hall of the school were Sunil Jayasinghe, Jayantha de Silva, Mohan Lal Grero, Attorney-at-Law Ajith Perera, Renuka Perera, Kithsiri Manchanayake, Vikum Gunasekera, Ajith Manapperuma, and Captain Sunil Perera.

Dissanayake said there was no doubt that the new Chief Minister with the inspiration he had drawn from the institution and living up to the motto of the school would prove his mettle in the high position he had attained.

Chief Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said what moulded his character and disciplined his life to achieve all his political victories was the exemplary training he received as a student of the school and the strict code of conduct prevalent at Ananda. The cooperation and support extended to me by the Anandians to climb the ladder of success in my fifteen year political career had been tremendous. We have arrived at a momentous period of our history and the fact that the people of the Western Province have voted me to power as their Chief Minister with the highest number of preferential votes as the new era began has given me added vigour and courage to repose the confidence they have placed in me, the Chief Minister said.

Among the others who addressed the gathering were Ven Athapattu Kande Ananda Thera and Ven Dharmacharya Habarakada Indraratna Thera.