By Walter Jayawardhana

The 1956 resurgence of the nation was produced by five categories of people’s power clalled ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Pancha Maha Balavegaya’ manned by Monks, indigenous physicians, teachers, farmers and the toiling working classes. President Mahinda Rajapaksa said today, to those five fold powers a new category has been added to power the second renaissance of modern Sri Lanka and the new engine added is nothing else but the class of valiant soldiers.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ President Rajapaksa said, “I call this new six-fold power ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Shad Maha Balawegaya’that would carry forward this great nation of ours to the promising times of the 21st century.”

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ He was addressing hundreds of thousand people gathered at the parliamentary sports grounds to pay the nation’s homage to the thousands of soldiers alive , those who died, lost their limbs and otherwise disabled to protect the territorial integrity of mother Sri Lanka by defeating the world’s most ruthless group of terrorists.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Before the rally started thousands of people representing various categories of people marched dutifully from Campbell Park in Borella to the parliamentary sports grounds in Sri Jayawardhanapura Kotte. The march was so long, until the commemorative meeting was over the river of people was still flowing to the meeting ground. It was a moving sign to see children who mostly lost their fathers or brothers in the war holding their photos and marching.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The President said that to commemorate the fallen soldiers of the Second World War a Poppy Day has been introduced. He said it would be a good idea that a flower should be selected to commemorate our own fallen soldiers.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The President said he has fulfilled his election promise stated in the manifesto called ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Mahinda Chinthanaya’ to liberate the country from the secessionist terrorists who occupied one third of the landmass of the country and two thirds of the island’s coastline.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ He said today he would definitely promise the nation that he would accelerate development of the country and like during the war, he also wanted the cooperation of the masses to complete it.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Rajapaksa emphatically said, “Let everybody get together to develop the country. We all should undertake this great responsibility in unity.”

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ He said all valiant soldiers, both the living and the fallen, their wives, parents and children should be respected by showing the whole nation’s care since this country’s future was saved by no one else but by them.