{"id":98716,"date":"2020-02-05T16:12:23","date_gmt":"2020-02-05T23:12:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=98716"},"modified":"2020-02-05T16:12:23","modified_gmt":"2020-02-05T23:12:23","slug":"enact-tough-laws-to-curb-separatist-demands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2020\/02\/05\/enact-tough-laws-to-curb-separatist-demands\/","title":{"rendered":"Enact tough Laws to curb Separatist Demands"},"content":{"rendered":"

By A.A.M.NIZAM – MATARA<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

T<\/strong>he racist evil\ntrio Sambandan\/Sumanthiran\/Wigneswaran who are highly dismayed over the GR\nvictory are making use of every petty issue to discredit, defme and project Sri\nLanka as an oppressive and autocratic country and the latest issue they have\ntaken as the punching pad to hit at Sri Lanka was their stupid and illegal\ndemand to sing the National Anthem in Tamil as well on the Independence Day\nfunction.  Their cohorts, foreign based\nterrorist scribes NGO ruffians and some fringe political idiots in Tamil Nadualso\nraised their voice in support of this demand visualising that GR government\ncould also be blackmailed as they blackmailed spinelerss Sirisena\/Ranil\ngovernment since 2015 to sing the anthen in Tamil as well, although there was\nno constitutional [provision for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Admirably the government completely\nignored this baseless demand and the Anthem was sung only in Sinhala.  If the government gave in totheir demand,\nnext time these idiots nay even ask to sing a translationof the \u2018Jayamangala\nGaatha\u2019 in Tamil as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a brilliant address to the mation, President\nGotabhaya Rajapaksa said that Rights of\nall citizens will be protected and extremism and terrorism will not be\nallowed to raise their heads<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apprnded below is the full text of President\nGotabhaya Rajapaksa\u2019s addrerss to the Nation on the 72nd<\/sup>\nIndependence Day held on 4th<\/sup> February, 2020. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sri Lanka is a Unitary State. It is a\nfree, sovereign, independent and democratic Republic. On this occasion\nwhen we celebrate 72 years of Independence after nearly 500 years of\nimperialist colonial rule, I address you as the Head of the State with a pledge\nto further strengthen your freedom. I pay tribute to all Sinhala, Tamil,\nMuslim, Malay and Burgher leaders who dedicated themselves to achieving and\nensuring this Independence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every citizen living in Sri Lanka has the\nright to live freely and securely. We will always ensure their right to think\nfreely, hold independent opinions, and express themselves without any\nhindrance.   We will always respect the right of any citizen to\nfollow the religion of his or her choice. Every citizen has the right of free\nassociation and of free assembly. We will always defend the right of every Sri\nLankan citizen to participate in the political and governance processes through\nhis or her elected representatives. We consider all these as rights of human\nbeings that no one can challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are several domains that need to be\nmaintained in equilibrium for democracy to function properly. Maintaining the\nbalance of power between the executive, the legislature and the judiciary is\nvery important in this regard. There needs to be a clear consensus on the\nresponsibilities of the central government and decentralized authorities in the\ndevolution of power. The responsibilities of the civilian and military\nestablishments need to be clearly understood, and we must always remember that\ncitizens have individual as well as collective rights.  Coordination\nbetween the State and the public is integral to this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following Independence, every leader who\ncame to power in this Republic was elected through universal franchise. \nAs the current Head of the State elected through the popular vote, I am ready\nto work with the utmost dedication for the betterment of the country and its\npeople during my term of office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a democracy, when the leader is elected\nfollowing a legitimate process, he becomes the President of all the people of\nthe country.  During his term of office, he must serve the entire Sri\nLankan people. He is not bound to serve only the interests of the people who\nvoted for him. I have the vision that I must serve as the leader of the country\nlooking after all citizens rather than serve as a political leader concerned\nonly about a particular community. As the President today, I represent the\nentire Sri Lankan nation irrespective of ethnicity, religion, party affiliation\nor other differences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A strong executive, a legislature and an\nindependent judiciary is essential for the well-being and advancement of any\ndemocratic society. If, for whatever reason, there is a loss of public\nconfidence in any of these key institutions fundamental to the functioning of a\ncountry, that can give rise to anarchy within the country. Therefore, all such\nstakeholders must perform their role with the powers they have been granted for\nthe welfare of the country and for protecting the sovereignty of the people\nwith a national vision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am committed to working towards\nfulfilling the needs of the people of this country.  That is my\nresponsibility and my duty. I do not envisage public officials, lawmakers or\nthe judiciary to impede my implementing this commitment.  I not only\nrespect your freedom, but I will work towards improving it and guarantee the\npolitical and economic freedom in a truly democratic country. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some limitations on the freedoms of the\npeople have arisen because of the way public administration has evolved over\ntime.Those rules and regulations that have been enacted without adequate study\nand coordination have led to the public facing considerable harassment and\ninconvenience.  This has led to various irregularities and corruption.\nLosses to the public in terms of time, resources and livelihood opportunities\nare enormous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We must re-examine the need to obtain\nlicenses for things that affect the day-to-day lives of the people. We must\nrefrain from imposing unnecessary restrictions on the majority of the people;\ninstead we must swiftly enforce them against the minority who transgress it. We\nmust give our people the opportunity and real freedom to live law abiding,\ndisciplined and virtuous lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Outdated laws, regulations, taxes and\ncharges that prevent people from freely undertaking self-employment,\ntraditional industries or businesses need to be revised swiftly. We will work\ntowards removing unnecessary restrictions imposed on the public to better\nensure their right to live freely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sri Lanka is a country with an ancient history.\u00a0\u00a0 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The public will only achieve true freedom\nwhen social and economic inequalities are minimized. All citizens within a\nUnitary State should have equal rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even today, there is a large gap between the haves and have-nots in our society.\u00a0 \u00a0The 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.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa receiving Guard of Honoue at the 72nd<\/sup> Independence Day celebrations on 4th<\/sup> February, 2o020,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thirty years of conflict and various other\nfactors have delayed the progress of development in our country.   We\ncan no longer afford to waste time. We will act to accelerate our development\nactivities in line with new trends in the global economy by making appropriate\nuse of our country\u2019s unique geographical location, natural resources and human\nresources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parents will not be free until their\nchildren are liberated from the drug menace that has spread throughout the\ncountry. The public will not be free as long as there is corruption in state\ninstitutions. Therefore, we will strictly enforce the law to eliminate all\nsocial hazards that can impact ordinary social life.  The reforms required\nto increase the efficiency of the law enforcement agencies in order to\naccomplish this are already being carried out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I request everyone to act in accordance with one\u2019s conscience. Always think about the country.\u00a0 Think about your fellow citizens.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have many challenges ahead of us. We need everyone\u2019s 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.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I wish you all a prosperous future!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Island editorial of 5th<\/sup>  said that when one says something, one has to\nmake sure one has said it. This, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa (GR) did, in his\naddress to the nation, yesterday. Unlike his predecessors, who, in their\nIndependence Day speeches, dwelt on the past to the point of queasiness, he\nspoke of the present and the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President GR gave several assurances to the public. He said\nhis government would protect the people\u2019s religious, political and economic\nrights while ensuring national security and public safety. Terrorism and\nextremism would not be allowed to raise their ugly heads again, and his\ngovernment would do everything in its power to rid the country of criminals who\ncaused immense suffering to the citizenry, especially women and children, he\nsaid. Vulnerable sections of society live in fear of criminals and it is hoped\nthat the President will get cracking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the run-up to the last presidential election, the\ndetractors of GR painted a black picture of him as a dictator, who would\nsuppress all democratic rights of the people, if elected the Executive\nPresident. He looks determined to prove his critics wrong; he apparently sought\nto answer them, yesterday, when he said: “Every citizen living in Sri\nLanka has a right to live freely and securely. We will always ensure their\nright to think freely, hold independent opinions, and express themselves\nwithout any hindrance. We will always respect the right of any citizen to\nfollow the religion of his or her choice. Every citizen has the right of free\nassociation and of free assembly. We will always defend the right of every Sri\nLankan citizen to participate in the political and governance processes through\nhis or her elected representatives. We consider all these as rights of human\nbeings that no one can challenge.” President GR also reiterated his\ncommitment to defending media freedom. “My government is always ready to\ntolerate and accommodate opposing views. The media has complete freedom, today.\nWe have ensured that the people have a right to express themselves\nfreely.” We hope he will continue to disappoint his critics watching him\nclosely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


\nOne of the biggest threats Sri Lankan democracy is faced with is the severe\nerosion of public confidence in the three branches of government. President GR\npromised to strengthen the executive, the legislature and the judiciary, whose\nindependence, he said, his government would ensure. When the people lost their\nfaith in these institutions, the country ran the risk of being plunged into\nanarchy, he warned. How does he propose to restore public faith in Parliament?\nWill he see to it that tainted persons won\u2019t be nominated by his party to\ncontest the next general election?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

All citizens\nwithin a unitary state should have equal rights, President GR said. This\nstatement can be considered an extension of the opening sentence of his\nspeech\u2014\u2018Sri Lanka is a unitary state\u2019. His point is clear: rights and freedoms\nof the people can be guaranteed within a unitary state and his government will\nendeavour to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nPresident\u2019s message to the other branches of government and the public service\nwas loud and clear: he said he was committed to working towards fulfilling the\nneeds of the people as the elected Head of State and he expected to carry out\nhis duties and responsibilities without any hindrance from state officials, the\nlegislature and the judiciary. He would respect their freedom, he added. In\nother words, he wants the principle of separation of powers respected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The President\nis apparently in a hurry. He stressed the need to make a serious effort to\nachieve economic development without wasting any more time. One cannot but\nagree with him on this score.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now that the\nPresident has talked the talk, it is earnestly hoped that he will walk the\nwalk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The terrorist\ngrandpa whose dfays are numbered has said that Tamil people are annoyed about\nnot singing the National in Tamil. \nTherse selfish huys completelu ignore what happens in other countries\nand the legal provisions in this country. \nHe has said that he did not participate in the function because that the\nanthem will not be sung in Tamil.  It may\nbe the same reason that his buddies Sirisena and Ranil also did not\nparticipate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jaffgna\nUniversity which hass becpme a den of separatist and pro terrorist elements and\nwhich organises all sorts of terrorist commemorations have kepy c;psed om\nFenruary 4th<\/sup> josting black flags and declared the day as Blacj\nIndependence day.  Despite governments\nconciliatory and goofwill measures the student leaders of this University,\nproxies of racist politicians, are behaving like Sri Lanka is an alien\ncountry.  As nothing constructive is happening\nfrom this University and the government isonly wasting itsresourcesit is better\ntothink seriously about closing down this University and transfer the students\nand the Academic staff to the Raharata Universuty.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile the Kallathoni descendent MP\nMano Ganeshan gas severely flayed the government for not including the singing\nof the anthen in Tamul in the Independence Day programme and thereby alienating\nthe Tamils.  This nincompoop who was a\nclose confidante of megalomaniac Prabhakaran and very much intimate to Raniil\nwas responsible for creating this unnecessary issue of singing the anthem in\nTamil.  Hehas also stated that the\npolicies of the government strengthens the Prabhakaran\u2019s concept that the Tamils\nneed a separate nation and a separate state, \nThis was not the first time this nincompoop gas espoused separatism in\nthis country and he is also targetingto launch a demand for a separateMalai\nNadu State.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As such this Kallathoni descendant should be charged for treason and disenfranchise for at least for seven years.\u00a0 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,\u00a0 The Bill should be in the line of Jawaharlal Nehru\u2019s anti-separatism Law which has kept Tamil Nadu politicians completely silenced.\u00a0 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-98716","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-aamnizam"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98716","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=98716"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98716\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98716"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=98716"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=98716"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}