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Saturday, 10 September 2011

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Giving people's anxieties a hearing

The issues confronting the people currently are of such a nature that the holder of the office of Executive President of this country cannot afford to cultivate an imperious aloofness from the public or high-mindedly distance himself from them.

The Executive Presidency has given rise to much debate on account of its wide powers and the opportunities it could afford for a certain regality of governance but this is not necessarily so now. It is to the proportion to which the President gives public grievances a sensitive hearing and responds to them positively that he would be measuring up to the norms of governance expected of him and, fortunately, we are having proof of this.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has just had wide-ranging discussions with some major Tamil political parties and an important outcome of these talks was the decision to establish co-operative links between the Police and people's organizations in the North-East with a view to defusing the fears and anxieties of the public. The backdrop to these talks was the unrest which was stirred in some sections of the public by individuals described as 'suspicious characters'.

It may have been noticed that this species of unrest emerged alongside moves by the state to systematically dismantle emergency regulations. Apparently, the aim of those who incited the unrest was to instill in the minds of the public a sense of uncertainty and fear over their security, since the extraordinary measures provided by the Emergency were no longer available and, consequently, the confidence could not be fostered in the public that their safety could be taken more or less for granted. In other words, the 'suspicious characters' syndrome was a product of efforts to bring the government into disrepute.

It could have been also a move to compel the state into reconsidering its decision to lift the Emergency. However, it is to the credit of President Rajapaksa and the administration he heads that they have not panicked and allowed themselves to react impulsively.

The Emergency is well and truly off but the normal law of the land will remain firm and deal with situations on their merits. Besides, we have the assurance that the government would be working with all major political actors to balance the fundamental freedoms of the people with law and order provisions that would ensure their security.

A fine balance between basic freedoms and security requirements is, indeed, what should be aimed at and achieved.

However, the launching of people-based initiatives for securing the legitimate needs of the people is the right way to go. It cannot be emphasized enough that in these post-Emergency times, the people should figure more and more prominently in securing their just needs. The people should be brought increasingly into the public arena and the President is achieving much by way of securing the democratic health of the country, by facilitating this process.

The lifting of the state of Emergency by the President should be seen as a high point in this effort of giving increasing depth to the democratic process and the latter is particularly essential in the North-East. Needless to say, the will of the people was stymied by the LTTE during the 30-year conflict and the bringing into being of people-based organizations that would liaise with the agencies of the state is what is desired.

One of the highest points in Sri Lanka's democratic process would be reached with the establishment of the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) and the working out of, hopefully, a permanent solution to our conflict. Here too, the President has recognized the importance of the popular will, by saying that he would be going ahead with a solution the PSC collectively arrives at.

This is as it should be because the Executive Presidency could establish its perfectly democratic and people-centred nature by being a catalyst for carrying out the will of the people. Thus, the Executive Presidency shows its sensitivity to the aspirations of the people and thereby becomes a channel through which the popular will is exercised.

All in all, the Executive Presidency proves that it is an instrument for projecting the sovereign will of the people, which is democracy in its essence.

CIFIT - prestigious int’l investment exposition

China has become the largest development partner and an important investor in Sri Lanka especially in infrastructure projects. There are plenty of opportunities and areas that we can exploit for mutual benefit. Having eliminated terrorism from our soil Sri Lanka is on a fast tract approach to develop the infrastructure for a solid and sustainable economic and social development,

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The wit of Ravi Karunanayake

Last Wednesday, Ravi showed his superb mastery of his comic medium. He addressed a gathering at the UNP HQ, Sirikotha, on the occasion of its 65th anniversary. He said that winning or losing elections was not the criterion for the success of the party. The UNP is patently not Marxist. It, palpably, does not attempt to reform society. It was formed just prior to independence in order to contest the elections. So clearly Ravi is indulging himself in his harmless, unthreatening and entertaining little vice,

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President’s focus on deceit and duplicity against Sri Lanka

The major Rotarian event in Colombo was the venue when President Mahinda Rajapaksa come out most strongly not only about the pride of Sri Lanka in having defeated the most ruthless terrorist outfit in the world and as a country that had also made South Asia safer from terrorism. After a considerable period of facing continued attacks on Sri Lanka from a range of sources that took no trouble to consider the depth of the crisis and tragedy that Sri Lanka had gone through under nearly three decades of terror, President Rajapaksa made his strongest criticism of these voices of ranged against Sri Lanka,

Full Story

 

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