President at Maritime Archaeological Museum opening :
Bring committed politicians up
Chaminda PERERA in Galle
Masses should bring to politics people really committed to rebuild
the nation in the future, said President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday.
The President was speaking at the opening of the maritime
archaeological museum established at the Dutch warehouse in the Galle
Fort Premises under the Galle Fort Conservation project which was funded
by the Netherlands Government.
The President added that politicians should have an in depth
knowledge of the history of their area and the country at large.
The Netherlands Government has provided Rs. 160 million to
rehabilitate the Dutch warehouse where artifacts found in ships sunk in
and around the Galle harbour are to be placed for public display.
President Rajapaksa said there was an era that the people lost a part
of this country and became the tenants in their own Motherland with the
removal of history as a subject from the school curriculum.
The younger generation should learn humanity, values and virtues and
the country’s rich culture through history, he said.
The President added that the country was on the verge of being
divided after the people lacked knowledge of their country’s proud
history.
The Government has ended an era in which people in various
communities fought each other. There are a number of betrayals recorded
in the country’s history and all these betrayal ended in tragedy and the
people had to suffer, he said.
The Sinhalese Kings never abandoned the task that his predecessor
could not fulfil during his tenure in office. The successor following
the footsteps of his predecessor accomplished the task.
People’s preference for imported goods over local ones should be
changed, he said. President Rajapaksa said schoolchildren, teachers and
the public can get an idea about the relations Sri Lanka has developed
with foreign countries through the maritime archaeological museum. |