President a genuine leader of all communities

Dulshani Gunawardena

The important thing today is to highlight the everyday issues of the people and to focus on their basic needs. This process should go hand in hand with large scale infrastructure development said National Integration and Reconciliation Minister Vinayagamurthi Muralitharan.

Addressing an International Conference “Engaging the Tamil Tigers: Lessons from a failed peace process” held in Colombo yesterday, he noted that though being an MP for just around a year, he had been able to achieve much identifying the needs of the people who were recently liberated.

“They are enjoying the new found freedom, the restoration of law and order. They are happy that their children are back in school.” However, much needs to be looked into, specially in regard of productive resettlement and the sustainable eradication of poverty.

“The people need substantial change that will give a direct boost to their quality of life; not just the construction of roads and large scale infrastructure development”.

He noted that had this hurdle been overcome, the President would have to be able to obtain the majority in the North East at the last Presidential Election.

Muralitharan emphasized that President Mahinda Rajapaksa has proved himself as a genuine leader of all communities, the only leader to take a positive stand in eliminating the LTTE.

“Having been a part of a Terrorist Group myself in my youth, I may truthfully state that in every Terrorist Group there are the moderates, like myself who are sincerely interested in a just and peaceful solution. The relevant Governments and authorities should make a genuine effort to recognize such moderates and create an opening for them to work in collaboration with the Government in finding a just solution to the crisis. The involvement of such moderates will prove an invaluable asset to solving the crisis before it germinates further.”