Sri Lanka News | Online edition of Daily News

President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday called on the visiting Commonwealth Parliamentarians to make use of the opportunity to learn about the real Sri Lanka in its post- conflict era, when the highest priority is given to nation building through reconciliation.

“Your presence in Sri Lanka gives you a good opportunity to see for yourselves the progress of democracy in our country, after the major threat it faced under terrorism. This is important in the context of the barrage of lies being spread about Sri Lanka today. As you will see, there is full freedom of travel to any part of the country. You can also speak to anyone, from the government or the Opposition and different communities. I urge you to make use of this opportunity to learn of the real Sri Lanka, in its post-conflict era, when the highest priority is given to nation building through reconciliation,” President Rajapaksa said inaugurating the 58th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Colombo.

The President told the gathering it was unfortunate that today, many impressions of Sri Lanka in foreign countries are based on unverified facts, and wrong or deliberately manipulated disinformation, carried out by those who once supported the forces of terror.

Rich democratic tradition in Sri Lanka- Speaker

Sandasen Marasinghe and Rasika Somaratne

Sri Lanka maintains a vibrant and robust unbroken tradition of Parliamentary democracy with regularly held elections and political power alternating between different political parties since independence was achieved, Commonwealth Parliamentary Association President and Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa said. He made this observation delivering the welcome address at the opening ceremony of the 58th Commonwealth

Parliamentary Conference at the Nelum Pokuna Mahinda Rajapaksa Theatre yesterday after reading Queen Elizabeth’s message.

Queen Elizabeth in her message said Sri Lanka is a country with rich traditions, culture and philosophy.

“ The majority of Sri Lankans practise Buddhism for more than 2,300 years which concentrates on tolerance. In Sri Lanka, the Buddhist temple, Catholic Church, Hindu Kovil and Muslim mosque are situated close to each other in perfect harmony,” the Queen said.

Delivering the welcome speech, Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa said this is the third time Sri Lanka is hosting the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference which reflects the strong commitment of Sri Lanka towards Commonwealth and Parliamentary Democracy. He said member countries have shared the history of British Colonialism that ran as a thread to bind them altogether to set up this Association to promote Parliamentary democracy and good governance.

Speaker Rajapaksa said Sri Lanka received universal franchise in 1931 when it was still a colony.

“Since we achieved independence in 1948, we have maintained an unbroken tradition of Parliamentary democracy with regularly held elections and political power alternating between different political parties. Since then, Parliamentary democracy remains vibrant and robust in this part of the world.”

He said it was because of this commitment to Parliamentary democracy and the Commonwealth that Sri Lanka was hosting this meeting.

The Speaker said Sri Lanka has been a member of CPA for long years and functions as the regional secretariat.

He said for 30 years, Sri Lanka had to fight terrorism that severely destroyed the social fabric of the country. Speaker Rajapaksa said he admires the resilience and courage of the people to endure the hardships of the conflict.

“It is our firm intention to strengthen the bonds of friendship among all communities to ensure that their children will grow up in a culture of peace and co existence. All our actions today are directed towards building a nation where discrimination will not be tolerated,” he said.

Sri Lanka, an inspiration to other C’wealth nations - Sir Alan Haselhurst

Rasika Somarathna and Sandasen Marasinghe

The holding of the 58th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Conference in Colombo is an epoch making one because it is being held in a member nation which is rising rapidly after emerging from the ravages of terror, CPA Executive Committee chairman Sir Alan Haselhurst said.

He also identified Sri Lanka as an inspiration to other Commonwealth nations. Sir Haselhurst was addressing the opening ceremony of the 58th CPA

Conference held under the patronage of CPA Vice Patron President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the Nelum Pokuna Theatre yesterday.

He said it was a historic moment to hold the conference in Sri Lanka because they can witness the rejuvenation, reinvigoration and rebirth of a country that has risen ‘Phoenix’ like from the violence of “terror and turmoil” .

“Sri Lanka could be seen as an inspiration. It is one of the most literate among emerging nations, it has an economy which has grown over eight percent in the last few years and has low unemployment and an expanding education system, nano technology and banking. Tourism too is booming,” he said.The UK Parliamentarian said there were a lot of positives for Sri Lanka to be proud of an added that however the country’s greatest pride should come from peace.

“It is peace that has driven this momentum of change, growth and innovation, supplemented by the efforts of the government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. This will inspire us because we too in the CPA should move ahead with renewed energy and innovation,” he said.

He urged legislators from member nations to use the diversity of knowledge, experience and expertise around them for the future benefit of their countries and people.

“The true purpose of the CPA comes out when one sees representatives from all over the Commonwealth, over five continents coming together, respecting each other and learning from each other. What we have in common is what binds us together,” he said.

Delivering the vote of thanks at the opening ceremony, Mninwa Johannes Mahlangu, MP Vice President CPA and chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, South Africa welcomed all countries present to visit the next annual conference slated to be held in his country. A stamp to mark the occasion too was issued. The CPA deliberations will be held at the BMICH until Friday.

These same elements continue to sow the seeds of division and separatism through various media, and also influence politicians in their new countries of domicile, to act against Sri Lanka, based on such disinformation.

He said these are people who claim to speak for Sri Lanka or a section of our people, while slandering the country from their shelters abroad.

“They do not bother to contribute to the reconciliation and development taking place here. But worse, they do not even contribute to the progress of the people whose cause they claim to champion, from their activities abroad. You can now see the truth and return to your countries with a deeper and richer understanding of Sri Lanka.”

President Rajapaksa said in seeking to advance democracy in the world, which is the commitment of the CPA, it is also important to appreciate the different cultures and values of each country where democracy has been rooted, or is growing.

The Commonwealth is a rich diversity of nations with the common bond of democracy. It is also a rich diversity of cultures, traditions and values. There are countries where culture and heritage date back to many millennia.

“There are others with shorter histories and traditions. Democracy will truly blossom when these differences are best understood and respected in all our dealings with each other, he said. The President said democracy, or representative democracy, is today competing for headlines with various emerging national or regional springs.

“There is also the hum of drones that seek to bomb democracy into place with a carpet of destruction. We must be cautious of all these strategies that experience shows have not helped real democracy to take root and thrive. It is necessary to bear in mind that democracy does not foster hatred within societies, among communities and among nations and countries. Democracy stands for unity of purpose in a spirit of mutual understanding,” he said.

“In conclusion, I wish to state that having your conference in a vibrant democracy, where the will of the people has been cherished, and protected for eight decades and more, there is every hope that your deliberations, amidst the well springs of democracy that prevail in our land, will produce the best results for parliamentary democracy in the Commonwealth and the world, ” he said.

‘Learn about the real Sri Lanka’