By Dr. Mrs. Mareena Thaha Reffai Dehiwela.

Irrespective of the party once may belong to, onceƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  a President is selected he becomes the president of ALLƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  citizens of the country. This way people look up to the family in some way and hope they will set the trend. Specially for the youngsters, they should set an example thatƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  the parents will be happy to follow. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ One strong supportingƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  factor that was a reason for the ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ success of our President is the fact that he a has stable, strong family, which, our countrymen still value. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

Therefore it was a little disappointing to see the pictures of the sons of our President attending IIFA in the company of two girls who are not their wives. Come to think of it, none of the earlier presidents ever allowed their children to be portrayed in the newspapers this way.

One may argue that it is the done thing nowadays, to take young girls withƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  you when you attend ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ a party, therefore there is nothing wrong with it. But then is it the correct thing? The decadent west has been ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ setting up this trend and see where it has landed them. True the queensƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ grand sons are seen spending holidays with their girlfriends and it is news lapped up by the public. But then, UK is a country where the king in waiting did commit adultery openly with a married woman, by his own admission, while both of them being married to different persons, ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and the country goes ahead and accepts his marriage to the person with whom he committed adultery. What can be more despicable than that? Do we want to end up ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ following their example?

Though ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ it is a fact that there is a section of our country who thinks nothing of ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ pre marital affairs and even pre marital sex, none of the religions practiced in our country condone it. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Most parents too do not approve of it.

It is said that the CeasorƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s wife not only should not do wrong butƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  should not be seen as one to be doing wrong either. So are the expectations from the ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ children of Ceasor -ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  or the President. .