Attempt to revive terrorism

Over US $ 2,129 m invested in Northern development:

Excerpts from the winding up speech by President Mahinda Rajapaksa as Finance Minister at the end of the Third Reading on the Budget 2011

The Judicial system in our country has been protected as an independent institution by our Constitution. Programs are now being implemented to attack and degrade our Judiciary and bring our legal framework under the influence of foreign courts. The objective of these underhand schemes is to internationalize the Judiciary. Our Supreme Court has explained that there are avenues to find solutions to various problems causing in the country. Within our legal framework in keeping with internationally accepted standards, The Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) was appointed to study the failure of the Ceasefire Agreement implemented to eradicate Tiger terrorism and experiences of the humanitarian operations and make recommendations to the Government regarding them.

Foreign influence

President Mahinda Rajapaksa

The Government has also implemented the recommendations made by the LLRC from time to time. Through this we have shown the maturity of our country in managing such situations and activities. Any party is free to give evidence before this Commission. As a sovereign Government we cannot allow these activities to be belittled or bring our legal framework and the Judicial system under foreign influence. We consider that as much as national security it is important to safeguard the independence of our Judiciary and strengthen it. Mr Speaker, more than all this the most dangerous thing is the subtle attempt made to revive communalism through the Budget debate.

Oxford Union

There seems to be a close connection between the views expressed by certain people against this Budget and the allegations made against our Government about war crimes through the terrorist conspiracy to sabotage the lecture I was due to make before the Oxford Union.

They uncovered the attempts made to divert the country again towards separatist terrorism. The documents tabled with this Budget show that our Government has accessed a massive and meaningful development program in the North by clearing mines, resettlement and creation of livelihood programs.

Up to now 2,129 million dollars have been invested for Northern development. This information is included in the document ‘Towards an emerging economy in Asia’ compiled by the Foreign Resources Department which was tabled in this Parliament in all three languages (Note-1).

Similarly, our vision regarding a political solution explaining the manner in which we should engage in stabilizing democracy in the North and administration in those areas with the contribution of the people in the area was the essence of the lecture I was due to deliver before the Oxford Union. We have paid attention to political solutions needed to strengthen the people and the economy at village level.

GSP plus facility

The latest strategy of the terrorists is to prevent the world from getting to know about these policies and programs. Concurrent to the Budget process local and foreign forces trying to divert the good and peaceful environment building up in the country towards another direction raised their heads again in the international arena. This proved that people without any sense of patriotism depending on NGOs resorting to this process is nothing new.

People of this country are fully aware as to who teamed up with foreign forces to deprive us of the GSP plus facility when the private sector in our country and the Government made representations to obtain the facility without betraying our country’s sovereignty.

This was done to promote the closure of factories with the cancellation of GSP plus, create mass unemployment and put the Government into inconvenience economically.

This was planned in the run up to the Presidential Election believing that such a situation would benefit them at the election. But our Government clearly believes that the economy can be maintained even without GSP plus and more than political gain country’s sovereignty should not be betrayed for the sake of trade concessions.

Mr Speaker, similarly in an attempt to subdue the positive trends emerging from this Budget certain people tried to revive the communal germ by saying that funds have not been allocated for Northern Development. Development takes pride of place even in the effort to find a justifiable solution by uniting the Tamil, Sinhalese and Muslim sections for a political solution.

Political leadership

Therefore, we have given priority towards the accelerated development of the Northern and Eastern Provinces.

The public service was directed towards this endeavour. While systematically bringing normalcy in those areas we took measures to ensure the democratic rights of the people. Under each Ministry funds have been allocated for development activities in the North. When the situation is this, a program, launched internationally by a group of people who have not lived in this country even for a day but pretending to be saviours of the Tamil people emerged from London city. In the same way they acted to prevent the GSP plus facility it has become a popular trick to obtain visas to foreign countries by pretending that human rights violations are occurring in our country and they cannot enter it.

These sections are engaged in a conspiracy to raise funds in these countries, build a political leadership on the pretext of safeguarding minority rights and thereby lead luxurious lives in foreign countries. Their motive is to defame and degrade the country’s image.

Budget debate

This is the main challenge this Parliament should understand at this decisive moment we are entering a new decade with the conclusion of this Budget debate.

Businessmen who spent money in large measure on behalf of terrorists who launched attacks hiding in Northern jungles and NGOs sponsored by those organisations are still engaged in illegal money transactions.

They are continuing the program to divide the country through the Tamil Eelam dream. Except for bomb explosions within the country hidden forces of terrorism are still operating abroad.

It is the prime duty of the honourable members of this Parliament who have pledged to protect the constitution to save the country from this grave threat. I addition to providing resources necessary for it through this Parliament it is also essential to desist from engaging in activities that would damage the country’s image for the sake of political expediency considering it as a National duty.

Translated by D P Wickremasinghe