Fruitful first year
Today marks the first
anniversary of the election victory of President Mahinda
Rajapaksa installing him for a second term in office as
President. Several functions and ceremonies including
multi-religious observances have been organised to mark the
event. This time last year there were unprecedented scenes
across the country as people lit crackers and ate kiribath on
the streets to celebrate the overwhelming victory. It was the
first time that an incumbent President won the race with a near
60 percent mandate and the mood of the public naturally was one
of jubilation.
Today one year on, this mood of the public remains unshaken
despite the many vicissitudes such as the rise in the cost of
living and a string of natural disasters such as the recent
unprecedented floods that took a heavy toll on the economy. This
is because the larger masses are forever grateful to the
President for ending the scourge of terrorism that plagued the
nation for three decades ushering in lasting peace that is now
being enjoyed to the fullest.
It is this singular factor that contributed to the electoral
fortunes of the President one year ago and is likely to be
further underlined at the upcoming Local Council elections. This
is because more than anything else today people have banished
the sense of fear and insecurity that gripped their lives not
many moons ago and are breathing the fresh air of peace and
tranquillity. Mothers no longer live in fear and apprehension
until the safe return of their offspring from schools. Wives are
no more on pins at the news of a bomb blast in the city
wondering if their husbands are among the victims. Roads that
were closed have been opened and barricades come down in
hitherto no go zones in the city all contributing to an air of
serene comfort. All these no doubt are standing symbols of the
change wrought by the President. His first year naturally was
devoted to building on this climate of peace by promoting trade
and foreign investment and generally consolidating the economic
gains.
No doubt the country has still a long way to go before it
achieves the President's desired goal of becoming the Wonder of
Asia but there is no denying that he has laid a firm groundwork
to make this dream a reality. The President did not stall
development proffering the excuse of war even during the height
of the conflict and during his first year took the country to
new heights in the development sphere under a more congenial
environment.
The first anniversary of any event is no doubt a time to
reflect and take stock. There is no doubt a tendency to look
back and enumerate the positives and negatives of the preceding
year and also identify the mistakes in order to take remedial
action to redress such shortcomings. It is also a time to
identify the priorities and implement measures to realize them.
Therefore this is an ideal time to make a genuine assessment of
the pluses and minuses of the past year and devise measures to
consolidate on the successes and stamp out the minuses in order
to take the country on an accelerated journey towards progress
and prosperity. This no doubt would be uppermost in the mind of
the President given his frequent meetings with officials and
administrative top brass designed to iron out all deficiencies
and make positive progress.
The year was certainly productive in the development sphere
where many mega projects were commissioned with others nearing
completion and expected to be operational in the President's
second term. Chief among them was the commissioning of the first
stage of the Hambantota International Port, the country's second
fully fledged harbour that would make Sri Lanka a major maritime
hub in the Indian ocean with immeasurable economic benefits. A
second fully fledged international Air port is also being built
in the South. No doubt all these mega development schemes have
transformed the Southern landscape into a burgeoning commercial
hub empowering the rural masses while adding new infrastructure
to a neglected, development starved backwater.
The first year in retrospect was a year of consolidation for
President Rajapaksa. As mentioned there is still a long way to
go and the President is aware of the magnitude of the task
ahead. He will no doubt make all efforts to use the past year as
a springboard to launch his more ambitious programs to move the
country forward into conquering new vistas and frontiers.
President Rajapaksa proceeded with steadfast commitment to
liberate the country from terrorism and prevent its
dismemberment defying the threats and intimidation of the
Western powers. No doubt it is the wish of the people that he
steps into the next phase and take the country forward to
realize its development potential, with the same single-minded
purpose and zeal. |