CLASSIFIED | POLITICS | TERRORISM | OPINION | VIEWS

HAVING LIVED WITH A FALSEHOOD THAT SETTLEMENT IS POSSIBLE WITH TERRORISTS LANKA HAS BECOME PRAGMATIC NOW, SAYS MINISTER BOGOLLAGAMA

By Walter Jayawardhana

Photo by Sisisira maddumage

After having lived with the false belief that a compromise could be brought about through negotiations with the terrorists for almost thirty years Sri Lanka took a more pragmatic home grown solution of annulling the fruitless Ceasefire Agreement, defeated terrorism in the East and introduced true representation for the people and installed a democracy which the people embraced readily said, Rohitha Bogollagama, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister.

He was addressing a ceremony at the Birmingham Budddhist Maha Vihara presided over by Dr. Vitharandeniye Kassapa O.B.E. to celebrate the Vesak organized by a multi-ethnic communities of the area. The liberal democratic member of Parliament John Hemmings also graced the occasion.
Having remained in bondage to a Fascist terrorist movement for three decades Sri Lanka’s sprawling Eastern Province has just now endorsed the government’s plan to embrace democracy and by flocking to the polling stations in large numbers to vote under a multi-party system, casting ballots for both government and opposition political parties rejecting a one man dictatorship, who called themselves the sole representatives of the people, the people have shown a way the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister said. He said 600,000 people have voted in three districts defeating terrorism that kept them under a yoke for such a long time, seeing light at the end of the day ,the Minister has stated.

Bogollagama with John Hemmings (Liberal Democrat) Foto by Nimal navaratne

Endorsing the government’s plan to bring forth an administration uniting all ethnic entities of the area the voters also elected a multi-ethnic council for the province making it possible for the government’s attempt for the empowerment of the people, Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said. Calling it a major mile stone in Sri Lanka’s contemporary political development the Foreign Minister said a roadmap of normalcy and security for the people suffering under terrorism is unfolding for the whole country. The power devolution under the 13th amendment is now opening at a pragmatic level for the first time, the foreign Minister pointed out.

He said he wanted wide participation of the people in governance and two generations of Sri Lankans in the Northern and Eastern Provinces had to pay a heavy price under the jack boot of terrorism .

He said the unfolding road map also would open up new vistas of democracy even in the Northern Province, especially in about 2 ½ districts still under the dominance of the terrorists. He said with the advent of liberation new economic growth will be introduced soon to the area . Such a pursuit of peace and security is really wanted in a country where a seven per cent growth is annually taking place , the Minister emphasized. To develop the North before a council is elected a temporary three man committee has been appointed by the President, he said.

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