'Govt can overcome political extremism'

Chandra ATTANAGODA

"Although a handful of bankrupt political extremists are trying to create a crisis in the country, the government has the strength to thwart such attempts and bring them under control within the next few days, said Mass Media and Information Minister Keheliya Rambukwella participating in the SLBC Subharathi programme yesterday morning.

Minister Keheliya Rambukwella

The Minister said that cropping up of minor problems is a natural feature when certain government sectors tried to effect changes essential for the country's forward march. A certain extremist group was trying to exaggerate them as national problems to create a temporary uprising in the country putting the blame on the government for it. But since problem solving was more important than the causing of problems, as regards activities connected to people's welfare and progress, the government as a democratic administration is prepared to take up the challenge of solving those problems in a manner that would benefit the people.

Minister Rambukwella noted that certain trade unions as well as extremist groups failed to unite and act in a responsible manner beneficial to the country's progress as regards the problems in universities, GCE Advanced Level results, and issues relating to the use of crates in vegetable transport, private sector pensions and other issues.

There is no big challenge that is insurmountable for the government which had the strength to solve the terrorist problem and usher in peace for the countrymen.

Rambukwella said it is easy to inject revolutionary ideas to youth during university days. Such situations had been common throughout history.

It is not due to a failure on the part of rulers that problems had arisen in the university sector in various countries in the world. Since ideologies cannot be permitted to disrupt higher education in a country, the government is always prepared to solve problems through dialogue and discussion.

The Minister who described the LTTE which operated a propaganda and fund raising network in nearly 230 countries as one of the richest terrorist organizations found in the world, said that even though the government was able to defeat LTTE terrorists initially the Eelam dream had not been erased from the minds of Tamils living abroad and various local and foreign organizations due to the Tamil homeland concept propounded by the LTTE.

Since their motives cropped up under different faces, the government will understand the situation and provide the necessary solutions for that problem too.

Minister Rambukwella said the LLRC report was submitted by an independent group and it did not reflect the opinion of the government. The minister who appreciated the positive response given by many countries for the report regretted the TNAs rejection of the report through a statement running to nearly 100 pages.

The Minister who said the government never intended to pigeonhole the LLRC report, said a PSC was appointed to activate its recommendation according to accepted norms. Any party or group is free to submit its problems and needs to the PSC and get them solved through discussions and consensus.

The minister said the government has drawn attention to a solution going beyond the 13th amendment to the constitution. He said the government is never prepared to barter away the country's basic needs.

The government has opened a dialogue because it is difficult for them as a country to grant the demands of one party wholesale because it was the government's duty to ensure that unpleasant incidents do not recur in the country in future.

Asked whether the government was trying to censor the media through the registration of websites, Minister Rambukwella emphasised that the government had no intention whatsoever to censor or control the media.

Although controlling or gagging new technology was a difficult task, websites which tried to destroy country's moral and spiritual values and bent on character assassination are a cancer disrupting the country's forward march.

Therefore, persons maintaining websites should utilize modern technology for the welfare and progress of the country. The discussion was conducted by Indika Jayaratne of the SLBC.