Prof Peiris tells WP professionals:

Victory won, challenge to defend

External Affairs Minister Prof G L Peiris said that defending and safeguarding the victory achieved under the leadership of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, has become the major challenge faced today and that the Government should not be left to overcome this challenge by itself.

He said that there was no better group to help this cause by creating the much needed and strong awareness of the people than the professionals of this society.

The Minister further said that even though the LTTE was defeated militarily paving the way for a peaceful society, both local and foreign groups linked to the LTTE were trying to destroy the country’s economy and it was the duty and responsibility of the professionals of our society to impart information about these threats in order to defeat them.

Prof Peiris made these observations when he addressed a gathering organized by the Sri Lanka Freedom Party Professional’s Organization, with the intention of initiating a dialogue on the country’s current situation and the role of professionals in the upcoming local elections.

The meeting was held at the Kurunegala District Secretariat’s auditorium and parallel to this, two further events were held, addressing the professionals of the areas, at Wennappuwa Zakariyas Hall the same evening and on Sunday morning, at Sanasa Auditorium in Kegalle.

“Our most valuable resource was the human resource and we were not in a position to make use of this unique strength during the last 25 years due to terrorism. When there were bombs exploding and people dying, no investor or tourist ventured to visit, Sri Lanka,” he said.

Many military experts from different countries had unanimously stated that it would be impossible to completely eradicate one of the strongest terrorist organizations like the LTTE.

Yet, our brave men and women under the leadership of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, were able to defeat the LTTE, defying all odds. He said that one of the major factors behind this victory, in addition to military operations, was the President’s foreign policy. Unlike on previous occasions, the President was able to overcome impediments in order to achieve the national aspiration.

However, if anyone believed that we were not facing any more challenges due to the war being ended, it was a complete illusion.

There was a broader operation at play with the intention of taking our political leaders to an international war crimes tribunal and also to marginalize us in terms of the economy, to prevent Sri Lankan products from entering international markets in short, to destroy the country’s economy.

The Government could face these challenges without any fear as long as the people of this country were fully behind us. Each and everyone of us needs to make a contribution in order to safeguard the victory we have achieved. What was crucial, in this respect, was creating strong consciousness among the people.

No one else was better qualified for this task than the professionals of this country. That was why we decided to inform the professionals from all parts of the country of this urgent task.

Chairman, Sri Lanka Foundation Institute Dr Ranjith Bandara also addressed the gathering. Senior Minister S B Nawinna, Chief Minister Wayamba Provincial Council, Athula Wijesinghe, Vice Chancellor, Wayamba University Prof Nimal Perera, as well as senior university professors, lawyers and accountants were among those present.