The policy statement made by Gotabaya Rajapaksa, President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka at the inauguration of the Fourth Session of the 8th Parliament of Sri Lanka:
Honourable Speaker, Honourable Prime Minister,
Honourable Leader of the Opposition,
Honourable Ministers, Honourable State Ministers, Honourable Members of Parliament,
I have this opportunity to address you as the Head of State of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka consequent to the historic victory granted to me by the people of this country on the 16th of November.
I express my gratitude to all citizens, institutions and all political parties who were committed to a peaceful, free and fair election.
Irrespective of the political party you, the Honourable members in this august Assembly belong to, together all of us have as our prime responsibility to work for the betterment of the people of this country.
I have served this nation as an Army Officer for twenty years, and as Secretary of Defence for nearly another ten years.
Even though I was not actively engaged in politics, I have experienced what service to the people is, from an early age.
My father’s elder brother, D. M. Rajapaksa, began his political journey in the State Council in 1936, representing the Hambantota electorate. After his demise in 1945, the people of Hambantota elected my father, D. A. Rajapaksa, to the State Council. Later, he was elected through the popular vote as a Member of the country’s first Parliament.
From that time until now, many members of the Rajapaksa family, hailing from the rural village of Medamulana in Giruvapaththuwa, Ruhuna, have served as elected public representatives. There have not only been Members of Parliament, Deputy Ministers, Cabinet Ministers, a Deputy Speaker of Parliament, a Speaker of Parliament, a Leader of the Opposition and a Prime Minister, but also two Presidents elected to office by the people, who reposed their trust in us.
From the first day the honourable D. M. Rajapaksa, known as the Lion of Ruhuna, appeared in the State Council, he wore a maroon coloured shawl.
What he symbolized through this maroon shawl were the millet farmers of Giruvapaththuwa.
Following D. M. Rajapaksa, my father D. A. Rajapaksa and each member of the Rajapaksa family who was elected to Parliament wore the maroon shawl.
Even though I do not wear this shawl, I stand for the same profound philosophy of constant dedication to the poor that is symbolized by the maroon shawl.
It is this same philosophy that is embodied in the Policy Statement I presented during my Presidential election campaign.
Honourable Speaker, I now take this opportunity to table the “Visions of Prosperity and Splendour” Policy Statement.
The people of this country gave me a clear mandate at the Presidential election held on 16th November 2019. That mandate was granted because of the trust the people had in me. I, together with my Government, stand committed to honour the trust of the people and implement the programme of developing a prosperous nation that we promised to them.
The people who elected me to office desired a profound change in the political culture of this country. They rejected political agendas founded on race. The majority of the people proved that it is no longer possible for anyone to manipulate and control the politics of this country by playing the role of king maker.
I invite the politicians concerned to understand this reality. I call upon all to join together in the national undertaking to develop this country, and to reject the politics based on petty agendas that have sown division in our society in the past.
We must always respect the aspirations of the majority of the people. It is only then that the sovereignty of the people will be safeguarded.
In accordance with our Constitution, I pledge that during my term of office, I will always defend the unitary status of our country, and protect and nurture the Buddha Sasana whilst safeguarding the right of all citizens to practice a religion of their choice.
I remember my father being at this Parliament, during my childhood. I often used to watch Parliamentary proceedings from the public gallery. The Parliament we had then was exemplary. The discourse that took place in it was of great importance. The debates were replete with logic and rich arguments. School children and adults were eager to come to Parliament to listen to those debates. Members of Parliament always behaved in a way that upheld the dignity of the Parliament and the office they held. The people then had great respect for the Parliament. They respected people’s representatives. Unfortunately, latterly, that respect gradually waned.
This Parliament should once again become an exemplary institution where the real issues of the people are discussed, where matters concerned with national policy are subjected to debate, and where the responsibilities of the legislature are duly fulfilled. The responsibility of ensuring that the Parliament once again becomes an institution winning the respect of the people lies with the Members who are in this House.
There is a social, economic and political crisis in the country today. Even after 70 years of Independence, we cannot be satisfied with the country’s development. We all have a responsibility to change this situation. We must be prepared to make the sacrifices required for this.
The primary responsibility of a people’s representative is service to the people. We should all remember that the offices we hold are not privileges, but responsibilities.
To develop the country, the right vision and plans are needed. The Policy statement, “Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour”, placed before the people at the Presidential Election by me contains a national programme that was crafted during a period of nearly four years by incorporating my vision with the ideas and recommendations of national organisations such as Viyathmaga, the findings of the “Conversation with the Village” programme conducted by the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, the discussions held with other political parties, and the ideas contributed by the general public.
In accordance with that programme, we have already taken several steps including the easing of taxes that were unduly burdening the public, introducing a high degree of transparency and efficiency to the government administration, and curtailing unnecessary government expenditure.
In our policy, National Security occupies the foremost place.
We have already taken steps to strengthen the national security apparatus. Talented officers have been given appropriate responsibilities again. We have taken steps to ensure proper coordination between the Armed Forces and the Police, who are collectively responsible for maintaining national security. The network of national intelligence agencies has been reorganized and strengthened.
We will take all necessary steps to make our motherland a safe country free of terrorism, extremism, underworld activities, theft and robbery, extortionists, the drug menace, disruptions of public order, and the abuse of women and children.
Our primary purpose is to create a productive citizen, a happy family, a disciplined society and a prosperous nation.
The Government must take the initiative to make every healthy citizen of employable age a useful and productive citizen. What we need is for all of them to contribute to the nation’s economy.
We must ensure that the benefits of development reach every group of people. We must employ modern methodologies and indicators to gauge whether the needs of the people are truly being met, and whether they are happy. It is no longer necessary to wait for elections to find out how people feel about the work programme of the Government.
We need everyone’s support for our efforts to reduce the cost of living of the people. The corporate sector must ensure that some percentage of the benefits of the tax concessions recently provided to them are passed onto the public as well. Accordingly, we expect a reduction in the price of all goods and services on which taxes have been reduced.
Eliminating poverty is a priority of our Government. We must understand the causes of poverty and find solutions to eliminate such causes. We will be able to alleviate poverty by finding practical approaches to issues such as the lack of proper education or skills, the lack of land for cultivation, or the lack of capital for self-employment.
We have made plans to find employment opportunities for 100,000 young men and women from low income families within the next month. My government is prepared to present practical solutions to resolve unemployment, with the public sector and the private sector working together.
One of our main themes during the last election was the development of a virtuous, law abiding and disciplined society. The public has given us a mandate for this purpose.
Ours is a country with an ancient history, and a society nurtured by Buddhist teachings and the teachings of other world faiths. We must always safeguard our culture and our values.
Our target is to make Sri Lanka a developed country. It must be a sovereign, independent nation. Also, it must be a safe, and a peaceful country. Sri Lanka will be a prosperous nation only when all of these are achieved.
We have introduced a people-centric economic policy through the “Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour” manifesto.
Its main aims are to ensure economic stability for all citizens, provide equal opportunities to all who seek to improve themselves, to establish a clean and efficient state sector that is committed to public service, and to protect and empower local entrepreneurs.
In order to successfully establish a people-centric economy it is important that every official from the highest to the lowest level of government becomes aware of our vision and aims. That will enable them to perform their duties more productively.
We must also implement a special programme to combat corruption and fraud. Legal action must be taken promptly against all who engage in corrupt practices, irrespective of their status.
Today, most countries have employed technology as a means of enhancing the efficiency of the state sector. Through this, it will also be possible to provide equal opportunities for all. As such, we will pay special attention to increasing the use of technology in government institutions.
We must plan for the future, based on the geographic location, natural resources and human resources of our country.
Sri Lanka has been an international trading hub for merchants from Greece, Rome, Arabia, China and various other nations for thousands of years. One of the main reasons for Sri Lanka’s renowned standing was our country’s unique location in the ocean connecting the east and west. We can benefit from this advantage in the same way today.
During the period from 2005 to 2014, the government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa planned to develop Sri Lanka into the commercial hub of South Asia.
The Mattala Airport was built adjacent to the Hambantota Port with the aim of establishing an industrial city in the south.
The decision to develop the Colombo Port City was taken with the aim of making Sri Lanka a hub for finance and commerce in Asia. We must carry forward these projects that were designed according to achieve long term objectives.
If we work according to a proper plan, we will be able to encourage international businesses to locate themselves in Sri Lanka and supply goods and services to regional neigbouring countries. To encourage such investors, we must be prepared to swiftly provide all the facilities they require within Sri Lanka.
For economic development to occur, it is important that we accelerate improvements to the road network, including the expressways, so that travel from any one part of the country to another in a few hours becomes possible. The development of the train service is an integral part of this programme. We can also help alleviate the grave problem of heavy road congestion through an efficient and comfortable train service.
Urbanization brings both good and bad results to a country. We need a restructuring programme to ensure that the benefits of development reach every region of the country. This will help us reduce congestion, pollution and the cost of living. People dispersed throughout Sri Lanka should have access to facilities for education and healthcare, and opportunities for employment, within their own area. The development of the roads and rail network together with the provision of high-speed internet and telecommunication facilities throughout the country is essential for this.
The cost of electricity is an important factor in economic development. It particularly affects the attracting of investors to the industry sector. We need short-term and long-term solutions to generate power at a reasonable price. In looking at long term solutions, our principle is to pay special attention to the use of eco-friendly renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and hydro-power.
Although our country is rich in gem and mineral resources, relevant value-added industries have not yet developed to international standards. Each year, the country is deprived of significant foreign exchange earnings through the export of these natural resources without value addition. We should establish a world class marketplace in which gems from not only Sri Lanka but even from African nations can be sold after value addition.
While we should provide new technological facilities for conducting oceanic and geological surveys, we must provide special incentives to encourage investments in industries that will provide value addition to Sri Lanka’s mineral resources.
We will not allow various laws, permits and restrictions to impose unnecessary and unfair limitations on some of Sri Lanka’s traditional livelihoods, including the gem industry, tile industry, brick industry, carpentry and handicrafts.
When planning for the future, more attention than at present must be given to the agriculture, plantation and fisheries sectors. As a country that possesses a large oceanic economic zone in temperate waters, we can develop these industries much further.
We need to increase earnings from agricultural produce such as spices, fruits, vegetables, grains, meat and fish, for which there is export potential.
One third of the country’s population is engaged in agriculture, plantation industries and the fisheries sector. We must raise their standard of living.
There is a need for new technology-based approaches that can develop these industries beyond traditional farming methods.
Encouraging the production of food free of pesticides and chemicals, by increasing the use of organic fertilizer for agriculture is part of our policy. We must prepare plans to encourage Sri Lanka’s entire agriculture sector to shift to using only organic fertilizer within the next decade. Increasing domestic production of organic fertilizer should be included in these plans.
The problems that had been caused to growers of export-oriented crops through the allowing of unlimited re-exports were addressed by the new Government soon after its assumption of office. Instructions have already been issued to completely stop the re-export of agricultural products.
More attention has to be paid to the ocean economy. We will introduce a systematic programme to improve the fisheries sector through the introduction of new technologies and equipment. Existing harbours will be improved and new harbours developed to cater to the requirements of multi day vessels that engage in deep water fishing.
Introducing new technologies to further develop the inland fisheries sector is also part of our plan. Protecting the natural environment for our future generations is one of our fundamental responsibilities. We will pay special attention to environmental protection in the formulation and implementation of government policies.
We hope to make Sri Lanka one of the world’s leading nations in achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
Our most valuable resource as a nation is our future generation. As such, we have identified the development of our human capital as one of the primary responsibilities of the government.
We have to pay special attention to ensuring that our future generation will become productive citizens by nurturing them with the required knowledge, skills and abilities. The opportunities young people have to pursue higher education and technical education should be broadened. The infrastructure facilities needed for this must be developed within a short time frame. The number of students entering tertiary education can be increased through more effective utilization of the capacities of state universities and other higher educational institutions.
Some of the courses taught in universities today are not in consonance with market requirements. In the near future, we intend to introduce short-term courses to equip our university students to meet the needs of the modern job market, which they can opt to attend whilst pursuing their current courses of study. Universities and other higher education institutions should be given more freedom in the enrollment of students and in the restructuring of their syllabi to meet the needs of the marketplace.
Institutions in the country that currently teach diploma level programmes must be gradually enhanced to the level of degree awarding institutions. As a preliminary step, we look forward to upgrading teacher training schools and nursing schools to degree awarding level. The shortage of trained graduate teachers continues to be a problem in the education sector. Further, by upgrading the existing 3-year diploma programme in Nursing into a 4-year degree, and by improving the English knowledge of nurses, we will create opportunities for them to even seek work abroad by providing services that meet international quality standards.
Colleges which provide technical and industrial training need to be strengthened to cater to more students who have studied up to the Ordinary Level examinations but not progressed beyond the Advanced Level examinations. The funding and facilities provided to these institutions need to be increased. This will not only enable us to create a workforce that has received vocational training in line with global standards, but also enable such trained personnel to seek high wage employment in the fast-evolving marketplace both here and abroad.
Many young people are currently deprived of employment opportunities due to their lack of proficiency in English. We will introduce a special programme to improve the facilities provided for English education in all schools, and to recruit the required teaching staff.
We intend to entrust our foreign Missions with special responsibilities to seek new employment opportunities for our youth. We can enhance Sri Lanka’s image in the global job market and earn more foreign income by sending trained and qualified workers in all fields to work abroad, instead of untrained workers.
The education sector can be a significant foreign exchange earner. A large number of Sri Lankan students presently study at higher educational institutes in Asia. Instead of sending our students abroad for higher education at a high cost, we should introduce a programme to attract foreign students to Sri Lanka. We must prepare short term and long term programmes to improve the global ranking of our universities.
Sri Lanka is still referred to as a developing country even after 70 years of our achieving independence. We must identify the opportunities that would allow us to move away from this situation and to become a developed country.
With a population of over 5 billion, Asia is undergoing an economic boom and the center of gravity of the global economy is moving towards it.
The fastest growing middle class with high purchasing power is in this region. That is why we must encourage our local entrepreneurs to seek new markets in Asia.
The 21st Century is known as the Knowledge-centric Century.
New technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, biotechnology, robotics, 3D printing, and the Internet of Things, amongst others, are continually changing the world.
Most developing nations have grasped this reality. They are spending substantially to attract technology centric investments.
We must pay attention to this in the formulation of our investment policies. We must understand what type of investments we need to spur future economic development. We must provide special incentives and concessions to encourage investors who are capable of introducing new technologies to the country.
It is also very important to direct our youth to learn these new technologies and undertake research relevant to them. We must assist our education system to speedily prepare to facilitate this change without delay. We must also take steps to promote English education as well as Information Technology usage amongst our youth.
It is important to understand that we have market opportunities beyond technology heavy sectors. One sector we can very swiftly develop is the tourism industry. This sector, which earned 4.4 billion US Dollars in 2018, has space to grow to one that can earn revenue in excess of 10 billion US dollars within the next few years. We will introduce a systematic programme to achieve this.
For us to reap the full benefits of democracy, the government administration must function in an exemplary way.
As we noted in our Policy Statement, we will appoint persons with subject knowledge and suitable qualifications to discharge their responsibilities to govern state institutions efficiently and profitably. After the formation of the new Government, we established a committee to evaluate and recommend suitable persons for the governance of state institutions.
We saw the rapid development of the Sri Lankan economy during the 2005 to 2014 period. Infrastructure such as the road network, housing, electricity, water, and communications and spheres such as garbage management and urban beautification all saw rapid development. We can recreate this momentum by establishing a skillful administration.
Honourable Speaker,
The success of a democracy rests upon the Constitution. The 1978 Constitution, which has since been amended on 19 occasions, has given rise to many problems at the present time because of its inherent ambiguities and confusions.
In order to safeguard the security, sovereignty, stability and integrity of our country, it is essential that changes be made to the existing constitution.
Whilst preserving the positive characteristics of the proportional representation system, electoral reforms are needed to ensure the stability of the Parliament and to ensure the direct representation of the people.
Even though elections can be won through numbers, an unstable Parliament that cannot take clear decisions and remains constantly under the influence of extremism is not one that suits the country.
We can solve this problem through constitutional reforms that will establish a strong executive, legislature and an independent judiciary that can ensure the sovereignty of the people.
Our country’s unique position has resulted in considerable attention being given towards Sri Lanka in global geopolitics in recent times.
We follow a neutral foreign policy.
We must strive to maintain friendly relations with every country.
However, we can never give up our independence.
We must establish an honourable governance that will allow this country to maintain its sovereignty, security, national pride, and deal with all nations on equal terms, without demonstrating weakness in our diplomatic or trading relationships.
We will never allow other countries to take over our economically significant geographic regions or physical resources.
It is my aspiration to ensure that the Sri Lankan people will become a proud people with a global standing.
We can overcome all the obstacles in our path to reaching that goal if we unite as a nation.
I love my country. I am proud of my country. I have a vision for my country.
I invite all of you to join and work with me to achieve the responsibility that has been assigned through history to our present generation.
Thank you.
May the blessings of the Noble Triple Gem be with you.
chiv / January 4, 2020
Good news. After hearing the speech Maniac Trump is planning to meet another Maniac buddy of his from North Korea , in Sorry Lanka and not in Singapore as before. Bad news is Trump is so impressed he is mulling to buy the whole island, to built some of his beautiful golf courses and resorts. Sorry Lankans get ready in your free time practice golf, so that you can enjoy those facilities. Yes, we will not be a shit hole country any more
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Amarasiri / January 4, 2020
chic,
Alaska purchase? Louisiana Purchase? Lanka purchase?
What will happens to the Paras?
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✍Fahim Knight / January 4, 2020
We can consider forgiving most criminals and crooks .
But we can never consider to forgive those who robbed our foreign grants and especially the loans that has trapped us in Debts in billions which was systematically robbed in the past few years using proxies and trnsfering it by way of money laundering .also
No forgiveness for smugglers who bring in 30 -40 Uncleared container loads and send out container load of our money and some carried through vip lounges .
Let us at least now strive to.make Sri Lanka the least curopt nation in South Asia and least criminal and non racist .past is past , so let it go.
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ramona therese fernando / January 6, 2020
Fahim Knight,
*
We will give one year’s Grace to the scoundrels who absconded with the money of the suffering masses of the Beloved Motherland, to invest the money they stole, into our Island’s traditional organic & non-GMO farmlands.
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Amarasiri / January 6, 2020
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa,
Policy statement,
https://m.youtube.com/watch?ebc=ANyPxKqg_id3gwTy8eliytp27YKYVVYUUfVYvBHanrt0EMDaqOQQi9YUcxqqFGrTlFkdbNkX2m2hiJ0VdNGZVTqtUCknsxltOQ&feature=emb_title&v=qGca1OAJ94I&time_continue=160
Policy statement.Beat them up. Teenage girl assaulted by women,
Did they prostrate to imbecile monks before that, who hijacked Buddhism, and got themselves inserted as the 3rd Gem of the Triple Gem? The Monk coup?
The 6 kings and the people did fine without the Monk hegemony.
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Jehan / January 4, 2020
The food price will go up with sanctions coming in March, the petrol price is set to reach usd 150, Gots will try to play the racist card, Swiss companies like swift/AIG might make banks and insurance companies in SL to be bankrupt if SL go ahead against the Swiss embassy employee. Racist Buddhist monks will try to stroke there dumb agenda, another civil war in the offering, same thing going to happen in India because of stupid leaders with narrow vision.
One a Tea boy another a security guard.
What do u expect????
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ranjith / January 4, 2020
Gota must take initiative to broaden tax revenue government revenue is only Rs 2 billion and government expenditure is Rs.4 billion more people has to be brought under tax umbrella all working class irrespective of public ,private or self employed people have to pay tax to the government above a certain level of income should be same to all.
To broaden the tax revenue proper monitoring system has to be implemented with a advance software to link bank, credit cards ,loans ,registrar of motor vehicles ,land registry , private hospitals,international schools etc this make room for governments to increase direct taxes and reduce indirect taxes and bring down cost of living Srilanka cost of living is very high average people are really suffering just reducing prices in one or two items is not going to help low income people.
Over to Gota?????
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S. C. Pasqual / January 4, 2020
Mr. ranjith,
/
Best way of doing it is to have a common tax number for every individual.
Same like ID number….. May be an extension of ID number.
And every transaction must go through a banking system. No cash/over the counter deals.
I will tell you an example to show how much money we are losing because we don’t have a system.
A main stream tuition master in mathematics have about 2000 students in one class.
And he conducts classes in 3 deferent locations.
And he conducts classes for 3 groups at any given time. (As of today 2020, 2021, 2022)
A single student fee is 2250/=
So it is 18,000 students’ X 2250/= comes to Rs. 40,500,000/= (That is per month)
+ Revision class 750 students paying 1000/= comes to Rs. 750,000/=
+ Paper class 750 students paying 1000/= comes to another 750,000/=
That is 42,000,000/= PER MONTH……….. And tax free as it is.
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Rahula Wijepala / January 4, 2020
Sadhu! Sadhu!! Sadhu!!!
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At last we have been freed from the grip of foreign powers and their dollars thrown to NGOs. This ‘pinwatha’ has saved the country from backboneless wonder Ranil.
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We will support every bit of his statement to the last drop of blood.
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Buddhism=civilisation.
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Native Vedda / January 4, 2020
Rahula Wijepala
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“At last we have been freed from the grip of foreign powers and their dollars thrown to NGOs.”
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Is it so,? Only recently modi dropped $550 Million in Gota’s begging bowl. Gota is flying to China to borrow more $s or ¥s. You are rest assured he will definitely travel to many more countries with his begging bowl.
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“We will support every bit of his statement to the last drop of blood.”
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He needs your unassailable loyalty and support for his vanse kabalgema (boasting of one’s clan).
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Keep your support intact while remembering what Albert Einstein once said, “The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing”
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His vainglorious boast of the clan’s achievement will not take the country forward rather it is stuck in the middle ages. –
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He needs to own up his clan’s mistakes and crimes committed by them and beg people’s pardon.
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Chitra / January 4, 2020
Don’t be naive, you have not been freed from the grip of any foreign power, you are now the slave of an American citizen.
Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!!!
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Native Vedda / January 4, 2020
Rahula Wijepala
–
“At last we have been freed from the grip of foreign powers and their dollars thrown to NGOs.”
–
Is it so,? Only recently modi dropped $550 Million in Gota’s begging bowl. Gota is flying to China to borrow more $s or ¥s. You are rest assured he will definitely travel to many more countries with his begging bowl.
–
“We will support every bit of his statement to the last drop of blood.”
–
He needs your unassailable loyalty and support for his vanse kabalgema (boasting of one’s clan).
–
Keep your support intact while remembering what Albert Einstein once said, “The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing”
–
His vainglorious boast of the clan’s achievement will not take the country forward rather it is stuck in the middle ages. –
–
He needs to own up his clan’s past mistakes and crimes committed by them and beg people’s pardon.
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chiv / January 4, 2020
Lankans in general have very short memory (I think it is more of convenience) but I do vividly remember the speeches and initial acts of MS, MR, RW ,CB and JR. (Premadasa was man of few words so I do not remember). And how did they turn out at the end ??????? MS soon after being elected told us about the threat of six foot under and his mission and sacrifice , to save country/people. He even took a walk to Viharamahadevi for a morning exercise with his whole entourage and security struggling to keep up with him. Public was full of praise then but at the end ???? MR gave a Nelson Mandela like speech and promised to take us to all glory, but at the end ???? Less said the better about about Pimp RW. Fool me once shame on you, fool be twice shame on me . I also remember hearing time to time leaders telling us that soon we will be self sufficient and exporting rice/vegetables, electricity, crude oil ——etc—–etc. Lanka must be the only country left now, where some one can promise miracles with no realistic statistics or evidence to support. The reason is, it just dosent matter, to them. What really matters is the potential misery added to their neighbors.
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Mano / January 5, 2020
2020 New Year Resolutions?
‘We must also implement a special programme to combat corruption and fraud. Legal action must be taken promptly against all who engage in corrupt practices, irrespective of their status.’ ha ha aah !
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Douglas / January 5, 2020
One among many changes proposed in this “Policy Statement” is : ” We must change the Constitution”. Be cautious of this word “CHANGE”. Does the President propose to “Amend” or “Draft” a New Constitution? Not clear. What is wrong with the present Constitution? According to him it has been “Amended” 19 times and has not served meaningful changes. What is wrong in 19 times or more? To me nothing wrong, because, the amendments are made to meet the needs of the present time. Outside this , the President has echoed that he needs 2/3rd majority to “Do away with 19th A”. I agree, 19 A needs further “Amendments” to rectify certain , “Arm twisting” tactics included into it. Other than that there is no need to “Write it off”. He (the President) has already set the “Ball Rolling” through his cohorts, such as the “Saffron Clothed” brigade , Wimal W and such other “Slaves”. It is useless to direct attacks on empty promises, but, be AWARE where the “HIDDEN AGENDA” is and prevent that at all costs. I am all the more thankful for “Pasquel” for bringing out that “TRUTH” in his comment: “We have elected him to Govern as he “CHOOSES”. Yes, that is the Truth and nothing but the Truth and that is the “Hidden Agenda” “Plus……..Plus……Plus, as he “CHOOSES” and that would include even the “Constitution”. Many a “Dark Clouds” are gathering before the “STORM” for sure.
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Douglas / January 5, 2020
My comment continued….. I would urge every citizen to this aspect of “CHANGE” of the Constitution. Please read the relevant statement in the Policy Statement:” in reference to 1978 Constitution,…..”.because of its inherent ambiguities and confusions……” and then goes to say: ” We can solve this problem through Constitutional reforms that will establish STRONG EXECUTIVE …………….. Now, I would invite your attention to the proposed two amendments submitted by Wijedasa Rajapakse i.e Amendment 21 & 22. in the form of a Private Bill. In short, it proposes this very idea of establishing a “Strong Executive”. As I sad, earlier all other “Development Initiatives” in the Policy Statement are the “Sugar Coatings” of the “Bitter Pill” of the final taste of an “All Mighty Executive President” crowned with the “VETO” powers, as he “CHOOSES”. He knows the power of this “VETO” crown, as he has lived many years in his chosen country . Wimal Weerawanse has been deployed to put it to the “Slave Community” as its representative, where he says: ” The President needs to be the Executive of the country”. If a Public Opinion is not aroused against this dangerous move, 2/3rd Majority sought would be given on a platter at the next Parliamentary Elections. I urge the “Constitutional Experts” and other “Intellectuals” to get engaged in weathering this emerging dark and cloudy climate.
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Siva Sankaran Sharma / January 5, 2020
Ethnic parties ? The biggest Ethnic parties are these so called national parties UNP. SLFP, LSSP, JVP, now SLPP. All from the time of independence , have only been advocating the Sinhalese Buddhist Fascism and only the interests of the Sinhalese and the marginalisation, disenfranchisement and the structural genocide of the island’s Tamils. They are the biggest impediment and danger to the country. Constantly, rabble rousing , organising state sponsored pogroms against the island’s Tamils and now the against the Muslims, who were their one time partners in their anti Tamil genocidal dance. Espousing fake history., lies and racism in order to win the votes of the stupid brainwashed racist anti Tamil Sinhalese masses. Most of whom , ironically are descended from recently migrated Indian Tamil low castes , who were imported into the island by the Portuguese and Dutch to do menial service work. This Sinhalese Buddhist Fascist racism , espoused by these parties , that have all ruled the island by turns , have ruined the economy , created friction and wars. They are the main cause that the country is in a mess. This clown and his ethnic party , that he openly espouses will only look after the interests of the Sinhalese Buddhists only,should also be banned , as they are the biggest danger to the island’s unity , economy and harmony. So should all the other so called national parties , or any party that overtly and covertly espouse Sinhalese Buddhist Fascism. Just because the Sinhalese are now in the majority(Thanks to the British and no one else, the Sinhalese were never a majority in the whole island before 1833 , but were confined to the south and had no peep in the north and east) in the whole island , does not mean the racism they espouse, promote and all the other activities that they are now doing , like ethnically cleansing Tamils, using the state and fake history to forcibly take over ancient Hindu temples and Tamil lands is fine and patriotic.
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Siva Sankaran Sharma / January 5, 2020
It is not it pure racism , tyranny by the majority and evil. What these parties preach is oppression and the structural genocide of the island’s Tamils . What the Tamil parties are fighting for is not oppression of the Sinhalese or anyone but for the just rights of the Tamils and against the marginalisation of the island’s Tamils by these so called national parties that preach Sinhalese racism. This man is now beating the Sinhalese Buddhist Fascist drum so that he can win the election with the support of the foolish Sinhalese massed who will gleefully support him , so that he can further supress the Tamil speaker, but do not realise his intention is to gain dictatorial powers that will ultimately supress them too once he finished with the Tamils, Muslims and Christian Sinhalese. Just like the Sinhalese gave a mandate to this racist for Sinhalese Buddhists racism , the Tamil speakers in the North and East and Nuwara Eliya gave a bigger mandate against this and for another Sinhalese candidate for equality and to live in dignity and not under the yoke of Sinhalese Buddhist Fascism . This Goat should take a note of this too. Instead of constantly bleating about his racist mandate that he received from racist Sinhalese Billy and Nanny Goats to ruin and disunite the nation under Sinhalese Buddhist Fascism.
Just like the Sinhalese gave a mandate to this racist for Sinhalese Buddhists racism , the Tamil speakers in the North and East and Nuwara Eliya gave a bigger mandate (80$ compared to the 52% ) against this and for another Sinhalese candidate for equality and to live in dignity and not under the yoke of Sinhalese Buddhist Fascism . This Goat should take a note of this too. Instead of constantly bleating about his racist mandate that he received from racist Sinhalese Billy and Nanny Goats to ruin and disunite the nation under Sinhalese Buddhist Fascism.
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Pandi Kutti / January 5, 2020
What about so called national parties that are all Ethnic Chingkalla parties, preaching and implementing Chingkalla Poutha Fascism. The Goat party is one . They all should be banned too , as they are the biggest danger. Chingkallams think their racism is fine as they are the majority , therefore their racism is patriotism , whilst the Thamizh asking for their rights is not but dangerous and traitorous . In reality it is these Chingkalla parties and their racism that is dangerous. not the other way around. Fighting for your rights is not but oppressing others in the name of majoritarianism is . Love from my pig sty XXX;
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ramona therese fernando / January 6, 2020
Very assuring to read Gotabaya’s implementation plans. Well organized and clear cut. All that was needed for over 70 years.
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chiv / January 6, 2020
Not even 24 hours passed since I wrote my last comment, Ranjan was arrested and released on bail. Current government is doing exactly what was expected from them and nothing more . Get all powers under one individual/family, give promises which are free to offer and dose not cost them a cent, with no real numbers or solution to support . In the mean time continue with political vendetta and keep blaming previous government for problems which they have no intentions to address. When crisis hits the roof, come up with distractions. Nothing new , same old play book.
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Vanguard / January 7, 2020
Health issues need to be addressed as well, I think these were in the Manifesto.
It is true – average IQ of foreigners is higher, 100 for the British, and 78 for Sri Lankans.
According to a recent study, low IQ is correlated with a high prevalence of infections diseases, so we need to do something about these as well.
Don’t just take my word for it, look it up.
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ranjith / January 7, 2020
Mahinda ,Ranil and Sirisena together have ruined our country now there is no choice for for the government struggling with fiscal deficit increasing the government revenue is a nightmare reducing the government expenditure another big problem future looks very bleak present rulers doesn’t have brains to get out of this muck Gotabaya is clueless dont no what he is talking another bull sitter will end up in the waste paper basket .
wall painting , visiting RMV and Economic centers is not not going to make a big impact to the economy leave these to the subject minsters or pradeshiya saba members , let the municipal council and pradeshiya saba do their job if not appoint commissioners stop doing sundry work Goatabaya you are now the elected president of the country visiting temples and and funerals will not bring FDI , increase in tax revenue , increase income from agricultural exports etc.
National security is important leave that to the intelligence, police and forces let them do their job they are paid for national security every year government allocate substantial amount from the budget allocation Gota you are talking national security all the time is not going to reduce cost of living you know how people are suffering and starving do something for the senior citizens ball is in your court remanding opposition members of parliament is not going to help our country high time to do something for the country.
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Jayt / January 11, 2020
Who are they? Malays?
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