By A.A.M.NIZAM – MATARA

The racist evil trio Sambandan/Sumanthiran/Wigneswaran who are highly dismayed over the GR victory are making use of every petty issue to discredit, defme and project Sri Lanka as an oppressive and autocratic country and the latest issue they have taken as the punching pad to hit at Sri Lanka was their stupid and illegal demand to sing the National Anthem in Tamil as well on the Independence Day function.  Their cohorts, foreign based terrorist scribes NGO ruffians and some fringe political idiots in Tamil Nadualso raised their voice in support of this demand visualising that GR government could also be blackmailed as they blackmailed spinelerss Sirisena/Ranil government since 2015 to sing the anthen in Tamil as well, although there was no constitutional [provision for that.

Admirably the government completely ignored this baseless demand and the Anthem was sung only in Sinhala.  If the government gave in totheir demand, next time these idiots nay even ask to sing a translationof the ‘Jayamangala Gaatha’ in Tamil as well.

In a brilliant address to the mation, President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said that Rights of all citizens will be protected and extremism and terrorism will not be allowed to raise their heads

Apprnded below is the full text of President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa’s addrerss to the Nation on the 72^nd Independence Day held on 4^th February, 2020.

Sri Lanka is a Unitary State. It is a free, sovereign, independent and democratic Republic. On this occasion when we celebrate 72 years of Independence after nearly 500 years of imperialist colonial rule, I address you as the Head of the State with a pledge to further strengthen your freedom. I pay tribute to all Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim, Malay and Burgher leaders who dedicated themselves to achieving and ensuring this Independence.

Every citizen living in Sri Lanka has the right to live freely and securely. We will always ensure their right to think freely, hold independent opinions, and express themselves without any hindrance.   We will always respect the right of any citizen to follow the religion of his or her choice. Every citizen has the right of free association and of free assembly. We will always defend the right of every Sri Lankan citizen to participate in the political and governance processes through his or her elected representatives. We consider all these as rights of human beings that no one can challenge.

There are several domains that need to be maintained in equilibrium for democracy to function properly. Maintaining the balance of power between the executive, the legislature and the judiciary is very important in this regard. There needs to be a clear consensus on the responsibilities of the central government and decentralized authorities in the devolution of power. The responsibilities of the civilian and military establishments need to be clearly understood, and we must always remember that citizens have individual as well as collective rights.  Coordination between the State and the public is integral to this.

Following Independence, every leader who came to power in this Republic was elected through universal franchise.  As the current Head of the State elected through the popular vote, I am ready to work with the utmost dedication for the betterment of the country and its people during my term of office.

In a democracy, when the leader is elected following a legitimate process, he becomes the President of all the people of the country.  During his term of office, he must serve the entire Sri Lankan people. He is not bound to serve only the interests of the people who voted for him. I have the vision that I must serve as the leader of the country looking after all citizens rather than serve as a political leader concerned only about a particular community. As the President today, I represent the entire Sri Lankan nation irrespective of ethnicity, religion, party affiliation or other differences.

A strong executive, a legislature and an independent judiciary is essential for the well-being and advancement of any democratic society. If, for whatever reason, there is a loss of public confidence in any of these key institutions fundamental to the functioning of a country, that can give rise to anarchy within the country. Therefore, all such stakeholders must perform their role with the powers they have been granted for the welfare of the country and for protecting the sovereignty of the people with a national vision.

I am committed to working towards fulfilling the needs of the people of this country.  That is my responsibility and my duty. I do not envisage public officials, lawmakers or the judiciary to impede my implementing this commitment.  I not only respect your freedom, but I will work towards improving it and guarantee the political and economic freedom in a truly democratic country. 

Some limitations on the freedoms of the people have arisen because of the way public administration has evolved over time.Those rules and regulations that have been enacted without adequate study and coordination have led to the public facing considerable harassment and inconvenience.  This has led to various irregularities and corruption. Losses to the public in terms of time, resources and livelihood opportunities are enormous.

We must re-examine the need to obtain licenses for things that affect the day-to-day lives of the people. We must refrain from imposing unnecessary restrictions on the majority of the people; instead we must swiftly enforce them against the minority who transgress it. We must give our people the opportunity and real freedom to live law abiding, disciplined and virtuous lives.

Outdated laws, regulations, taxes and charges that prevent people from freely undertaking self-employment, traditional industries or businesses need to be revised swiftly. We will work towards removing unnecessary restrictions imposed on the public to better ensure their right to live freely.

Sri Lanka is a country with an ancient history.   It is a country that has been nurtured by the Buddhist philosophy, and a country that has been a haven for people of all ethnicities and religious beliefs. During my term of office, I will guarantee the freedom of all persons to follow the religion of their choice. 

In the Buddhist philosophy, our leaders always have been advised to ensure a lawful, just and fair governance where no citizen is discriminated. I am committed to protecting and nurturing the Buddhist philosophy of this country during my tenure.

The public will only achieve true freedom when social and economic inequalities are minimized. All citizens within a Unitary State should have equal rights.

Even today, there is a large gap between the haves and have-nots in our society.   The facilities that are available in our urban centers are lacking in rural areas. Education facilities are not equal in all areas. Healthcare facilities are not equally dispersed. Job opportunities have not spread to all regions.  These inequalities are not due to racial or religious reasons. These are common problems that the country faces. In strengthening the ability for people to live freely, we must first address the economic problems that affect the public. That is why the eradication of poverty is a priority of our Government.

President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa receiving Guard of Honoue at the 72^nd Independence Day celebrations on 4^th February, 2o020,

Thirty years of conflict and various other factors have delayed the progress of development in our country.   We can no longer afford to waste time. We will act to accelerate our development activities in line with new trends in the global economy by making appropriate use of our country’s unique geographical location, natural resources and human resources.

An efficient and corruption- free Public Service is essential for the development of a nation. The public administration and governance must function in a proper manner so as to grant people the maximum benefit of their freedom. The entire public administration must accept responsibility for this.

If due to terrorists, extremists, thieves, thugs, extortionists, women and child abusers, there is impediment to ordinary life of the people, then the people will not be free. We have paid special attention to strengthening the National Security and Public Security. We will not allow extremist organizations that pave the way for terrorism to further function in the country.

Parents will not be free until their children are liberated from the drug menace that has spread throughout the country. The public will not be free as long as there is corruption in state institutions. Therefore, we will strictly enforce the law to eliminate all social hazards that can impact ordinary social life.  The reforms required to increase the efficiency of the law enforcement agencies in order to accomplish this are already being carried out.

I wish to fully strengthen the freedom of people to think and to write freely. It is then that visionaries and quality works of art will be created. My government is always ready to tolerate and accommodate opposing views. The media has complete freedom today. We have ensured that everyone has the right to freely express themselves.

Social media can pose new challenges to democracy. Spending more time online, often with complete strangers, creates situations where people are misled by false information resulting in their swiftly believing the worst of those who bear different views.

I request everyone to act in accordance with one’s conscience. Always think about the country.  Think about your fellow citizens.  Without thinking only about political requirements, think carefully about whether your actions and your words will benefit or harm the country. However, if your conscience tells you that the government is moving in the wrong direction, you always have a duty to point this out boldly.

We must always respect the rule of law. The public will get real freedom only when the law is fairly and equally applied. My government has taken steps to change the culture of political interference in legal matters.

We have many challenges ahead of us. We need everyone’s support for the efforts taken by the government to overcome them. The Policy Statement I placed before you comprises an action plan that will allow us to overcome the challenges before us.  It is our expectation to create a prosperous nation through this. Only the present generation can realize this hope on behalf of future generations. I request all Sri Lankans to join with us in accepting this responsibility that history has bestowed upon us.

I wish you all a prosperous future!

The Island editorial of 5^th  said that when one says something, one has to make sure one has said it. This, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa (GR) did, in his address to the nation, yesterday. Unlike his predecessors, who, in their Independence Day speeches, dwelt on the past to the point of queasiness, he spoke of the present and the future.

President GR gave several assurances to the public. He said his government would protect the people’s religious, political and economic rights while ensuring national security and public safety. Terrorism and extremism would not be allowed to raise their ugly heads again, and his government would do everything in its power to rid the country of criminals who caused immense suffering to the citizenry, especially women and children, he said. Vulnerable sections of society live in fear of criminals and it is hoped that the President will get cracking.

In the run-up to the last presidential election, the detractors of GR painted a black picture of him as a dictator, who would suppress all democratic rights of the people, if elected the Executive President. He looks determined to prove his critics wrong; he apparently sought to answer them, yesterday, when he said: “Every citizen living in Sri Lanka has a right to live freely and securely. We will always ensure their right to think freely, hold independent opinions, and express themselves without any hindrance. We will always respect the right of any citizen to follow the religion of his or her choice. Every citizen has the right of free association and of free assembly. We will always defend the right of every Sri Lankan citizen to participate in the political and governance processes through his or her elected representatives. We consider all these as rights of human beings that no one can challenge.” President GR also reiterated his commitment to defending media freedom. “My government is always ready to tolerate and accommodate opposing views. The media has complete freedom, today. We have ensured that the people have a right to express themselves freely.” We hope he will continue to disappoint his critics watching him closely.

One of the biggest threats Sri Lankan democracy is faced with is the severe erosion of public confidence in the three branches of government. President GR promised to strengthen the executive, the legislature and the judiciary, whose independence, he said, his government would ensure. When the people lost their faith in these institutions, the country ran the risk of being plunged into anarchy, he warned. How does he propose to restore public faith in Parliament? Will he see to it that tainted persons won’t be nominated by his party to contest the next general election?

President GR said he had undertaken to minimise political, economic, and social inequalities, which, he said, affected the people regardless of their ethnicity, religion, etc. He has realised the need to do away with the imbalance of development due to the glaring urban bias in resource allocation. He said the facilities available in urban centres were lacking in rural areas; job opportunities were not equally distributed among the regions. He believes that the public will achieve true freedom only when social and economic inequalities are minimised. It is these inequalities that the JVP exploited to incite the rural youth to violence on two occasions.

All citizens within a unitary state should have equal rights, President GR said. This statement can be considered an extension of the opening sentence of his speech—‘Sri Lanka is a unitary state’. His point is clear: rights and freedoms of the people can be guaranteed within a unitary state and his government will endeavour to do so.

The President’s message to the other branches of government and the public service was loud and clear: he said he was committed to working towards fulfilling the needs of the people as the elected Head of State and he expected to carry out his duties and responsibilities without any hindrance from state officials, the legislature and the judiciary. He would respect their freedom, he added. In other words, he wants the principle of separation of powers respected.

The President is apparently in a hurry. He stressed the need to make a serious effort to achieve economic development without wasting any more time. One cannot but agree with him on this score.

Now that the President has talked the talk, it is earnestly hoped that he will walk the walk.

The terrorist grandpa whose dfays are numbered has said that Tamil people are annoyed about not singing the National in Tamil.  Therse selfish huys completelu ignore what happens in other countries and the legal provisions in this country.  He has said that he did not participate in the function because that the anthem will not be sung in Tamil.  It may be the same reason that his buddies Sirisena and Ranil also did not participate.

Jaffgna University which hass becpme a den of separatist and pro terrorist elements and which organises all sorts of terrorist commemorations have kepy c;psed om Fenruary 4^th josting black flags and declared the day as Blacj Independence day.  Despite governments conciliatory and goofwill measures the student leaders of this University, proxies of racist politicians, are behaving like Sri Lanka is an alien country.  As nothing constructive is happening from this University and the government isonly wasting itsresourcesit is better tothink seriously about closing down this University and transfer the students and the Academic staff to the Raharata Universuty. 

Meanwhile the Kallathoni descendent MP Mano Ganeshan gas severely flayed the government for not including the singing of the anthen in Tamul in the Independence Day programme and thereby alienating the Tamils.  This nincompoop who was a close confidante of megalomaniac Prabhakaran and very much intimate to Raniil was responsible for creating this unnecessary issue of singing the anthem in Tamil.  Hehas also stated that the policies of the government strengthens the Prabhakaran’s concept that the Tamils need a separate nation and a separate state,  This was not the first time this nincompoop gas espoused separatism in this country and he is also targetingto launch a demand for a separateMalai Nadu State. 

As such this Kallathoni descendant should be charged for treason and disenfranchise for at least for seven years.  At the same time an emergency Bill against espousing separatism and it is hoped that UNP MPs who have an iota of patriotism would wholeheartedly support this Bill,  The Bill should be in the line of Jawaharlal Nehru’s anti-separatism Law which has kept Tamil Nadu politicians completely silenced.