Maga Dun Piya shows way to progress

It is rarely, if very that a head of State on the threshold of beginning one’s second term of elected office, is able to see the near completion of a massive development project launched in his first term. This was the rare achievement of President Mahinda Rajapaksa as when he inspected the Upper Kotmale Power Project, last Thursday.

The media focus is largely on his achievement in fulfilling his pledge to the nation in his first term of ending the war of separation of the LTTE and restoring the unity of the country as a unitary State. All of this should be underscored in view of the suspicions and disbelief that many here and abroad had of the ability of Sri Lanka to defeat the LTTE.

We are now have a vast array of interesting and valuable evidence given by a range of important personalities, among them the very victims of terror, to students and academics on conflict resolution, political and NGO activists and leaders of the Catholic clergy to the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission on how we should proceed on the path of reconciliation and restorative justice after the historic and exemplary success in the defeat of terrorism, which many other nations of the world are struggling to achieve.

National Grid

As the liberation from terror moves gradually to the past and reconciliation and stabilizing of peace comes to the fore it is worth looking at record of President Rajapaksa on the task of development, which is his pledge for the second term.

During his visit to the Upper Kotmale project he used an interesting metaphor to describe the success of the project which will see the completion of the longest tunnel in Sri Lanka and provide 150 mw to the National Grid by December next year. “What goes in this historic tunnel is not only water, but our strength.

Defeating terrorism

What is transformed into electricity is our courage. The ability to take bold decisions leads the way to sustainable development.”

This is the theme of self reliance, in the search of homegrown and domestic solution to national issues that the President has been emphasizing from day one. The success so far achieved at Upper Kotmale, well within target shows the success of President Rajapaksa’s policy in his first term of not letting the battle against terror, which all previous governments saw as inevitably holding back development, not be allowed to obstruct the path to progress.

Development was given as high a priority as defeating terrorism, in budget allocations and negotiating assistance from abroad, the early fruits of which we are now beginning to see and which one can expect in abundance during his second term.

On power alone we will see more results of his commitment to development, while fighting terrorism, when the Norochcholai Coal Power Project is commissioned in January 2011, becoming one of the largest sources of power to the National Grid.

Much has been written about opening of new fly-overs and large bridges in many parts of the country, during the last four years. But little is known of the actual level of progress in the sector of roads and bridges, which is a vital sector of growth in the country. The newly widened and well carpeted roads that link most main cities and towns are the talking point among those who travel in cars and they are already doing much to the development of tourism, as well as the spread of industry and other development to areas other than the once privileged Western Province.

War torn regions

In all 59 bridges, including five fly-overs have been completed since 2006, after President Rajapaksa took office in November 2005, placing him in a unique position of helping bridge both the divide between the main communities in our country with the end of terrorism and also linking the people of all areas of the country who were faced with major problems of lack of access to schools, trade and hospitals etc., due to the lack of bridges for the transport of people and produce.

While this record in bridge building, which saw the completion of some of the longest bridges in the country, will help much in the reconstruction and development of the former war torn regions, there has been an even more remarkable record of success in the building of roads.

Available records show that 322 km of major highways and expressways are under construction with many fast reaching completion.

Not less than 1,114 km of roads have been built as restoration of the flood damaged, network improvement, conflict affected and tsunami affected, during this same period, which all adds up to 2,052 km of new and improved roadways.

This does not include more than 2,000 km of rural and village roads built under the Maga Neguma and Gama Neguma programs, which all add up to nearly 5,000 km of roads in the country.

What is interesting to note is that almost all of the roads under the government’s Roads Development Authority have been newly built, restored or upgraded, when there is a lack in such progress in roads that come under the Provincial Road Development Authorities. Even taking such shortcomings into account, this is a clear record of achievement in the context that all of this development was done at a period when the country was using much of its resources in fighting terror.

British colony

This again points to the success of President Rajapaksa’s policy to prevent the progress of development be affected by the vitally important task of defeating terrorism. As much as he did not fear to accept the challenge of the LTTE and its many supporters here and abroad, he was also equally determined to get on with the key areas of infrastructure development, which he saw as the key to growth in the future. This will no doubt pay great dividends when he moves on to a policy with an even sharper focus on development in his second term.

Historically, the person best known for road building in Sri Lanka was Sir Edward Barnes, Governor of the then British colony of Ceylon from February 1820 to October 1931. His statue stands outside Janadhipathi Mandiraya (President’s House) the former Queen’s House; and one learns that all main road distance measurements were taken from there. He was responsible for work on the Colombo-Kandy Road and many other key roads, which record could not be beaten by his British successors or the Sri Lankan leaders who followed them.

However, President Mahinda Rajapaksa has today shown that he is the undoubted road builder of the country, deservedly earning the title of Maga Dun Piya - the leader who gave us the roads and showed us the road to progress, too.

Earlier this week, President Rajapaksa saw the implementing of a core principle of his policy, that of not selling the country’s assets to foreigners in the name of development. The take over of the 51 percent share of Shell Gas by the Sri Lankan Government, was a grand fulfillment of this policy, especially because it was with the privatization of the Colombo Gas & Water Company that came down from British days and was later owned by the Government, that President Chandrika Kumaratunga launched her massive policy of privatization, which did little to improve the economy of the country. Two such privatization moves were reversed by the Supreme Court on grounds of corruption and not being in the public and national interest. But, President Rajapaksa’s move in taking over Shell Gas and not let it be sold to any foreign bidder by Shell, was a clear indication of the path of national development that the country can expect in his next term of office.

The strategy of development which will mark the next six years is already seen in two regions, the North which prior to being ravaged by war, was wholly neglected by the Colombo based governments of all political parties and alignments.

Lion of Ruhuna

So it was with the Deep South, from where the Lion of Ruhuna DM Rajapaksa hailed, demanding justice by the peasantry of the South, also largely neglected in the post-independence period, too.

Both these areas are now focal points of development in Jaffna and Hambantota. These are signs of the even spread of development that is a strong policy of President Rajapaksa.

President Rajapaksa has underscored belief in the strength and courage of national policy and ingenuity to taking over and successfully carrying out the tasks of national development and which has been at the core of his foreign policy too, especially in negotiating development assistance from friendly foreign nations.

This policy will be truly accelerated in the coming years.