Mahinda Chintana Idiri Dekma:
A practical document
Lakshmi de Silva
Mahinda Chintana Idiri Dekma policy program is a practical
implementation plan presented by President Mahinda Rajapaksa for the
next six years covering 14 sectors. It is a pledge given by a national
leader who had implemented over 90 percent of the pledges made in 2005
as the presidential candidate, UPFA General Secretary and Education
Minister Susil Premajayanth said yesterday.
Addressing a UPFA press conference at the Mahaveli Centre, Colombo,
he said US President Barak Obama put forth ‘Change’ as his policy but it
was a political slogan.
President Rajapaksa’s Mahinda Chintana manifesto is not a slogan and
he brought about change in the minds and a physical economic growth of
six percent, the Minister said.
“For example we had to ensure the security of our children going to
school and parents had to go to schools taking turns to stay outside the
gates to see that there were no threats to children. There was the
government administered areas and areas under terrorists control.
The whole country is under the administration of the State as
promised by President Rajapaksa,” Minister Premajayanth said.
He said computer literacy was 28 percent in 2007 among teachers.
Education authorities had given IT training to 60,000 teachers. Eighty
percent of teachers will be IT literate by June this year.
Ports and Shipping Minister Dilan Perera said President Mahinda
Rajapaksa will introduce legislation to eradicate bribery and corruption
in his second term of office.
His foreign policy is based on goodwill with our neigbours India and
Pakistan based on alliance and compliance. While we have a special
relationship with India we have good relations with China,Iran and many
other countries, the Minister said.
JHU Provincial Council Minister Udaya Gammanpila said political and
economic stability were the two most important factors of any country
and President Rajapaksa achieved both these.
Railways General Manager Dr Lalithasiri Gunaruwan said a committee of
eminent persons formulated the policies of the Mahinda Chintana policy
manifesto in 2005. It was intended to protect the national heritage and
to take the country to a set development objective using the national
resources efficiently, he said.
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