Ven.
Members of the Maha Sangha
Hon. Ministers
Hon. Members of Parliament,
Secretaries to Ministries,
Members of the Opposition
Members of Provincial councils and Pradeshiya Sabhas
Friends
I wish to say at the outset that
this is a day when as a Government we accept a great
responsibility. The developing of 12,000 villages within
one year is no simple task. It is a truly great responsibility.
Today, I am glad to share this great responsibility
with the people of this country.
Ven. Sirs, most of the development
plans in this country are made in rooms situated in
places beyond the reach of the people. They are not
implemented with the participation of the people, but
according to the thinking and plans of political leaders
and officials. The people s participation in these comes
only after the politicians, officials, contractors,
and employees. There is a popular satirical comment
which says that if there is a plan to build a harbour
in the hill country, the people will have to just
watch it being done.
It is in order to overcome this situation
that we let the Provincial Councils and Pradeshiya Sabhas
carry out our development work. However, those of us
engaged in politics know very well what most often happened.
There are very good plans made at the beginning of the
year. But by the end of the year those plans are altered
due to political necessities. We have heard of situations
when at year s end money allocated for development being
used to buy chairs and tents for death benefit societies.
It is political necessity that precedes
the needs of the country.
Venerable Sirs, it is you who first
realized that there can be no future for a country in
such a situation. Whether a person takes one s oaths
at the Pattirippuwa (the Octagon of the Temple of the
Tooth), at Galle Face Green, or at the Royal Palace
your first admonition to them was to build national
unity. You have told this to all leaders since Independence.
You have repeatedly asked all politicians to be united.
However, Venerable Sirs, is there anyone who paid heed
to this?
Everyone remembered about national
unity only when the country was submerged on all sides
following a national disaster. We realized that this
country cannot be built with such a false unity. That
is why at the very outset we began work having said
we will unite the country. The people of this country
did not vote for Mahinda Rajapaksa for me to work alone.
It is to unite the country and work according to a consensus.
As you all know I am not alone in
wanting to develop and revive the village. Mr. DS Senanayake
tried to revive the village by establishing agricultural
colonies. Mr. SWRD Bandaranaike tried to establish a
Grama Rajya or rural governance. Mr. R. Premadasa introduced
the Gam Udawa or Rural Awakening.
But these leaders were unable to realize their expectations
for the village. Why was this?
It is because where village and the
country are not brought together; these efforts become
mere political projects.
The other reason is the absence of
people's participation. In a country that has no national
unity and people's participation, it is not possible
to erect a lamppost, even by spending a billion. That
is why we need to pump both fuel and water to make the
engine of development run. The fuel and water to drive
this engine are national unity and people s participation.
We launch this massive program of development having
brought these two important elements together.
Friends, there are nearly 14,000
Grama Sevaka Divisions in this country. We are now preparing
to develop 4,000 of these Grama Sevaka Divisions by
the end of this year. We have already allocated Rs.
77 billion for this work in the current year. The road
development work has already begun.
It is necessary to provide water
for cultivation. The village has to be given electricity.
The temple needs assistance. The village needs a computer.
If the youth have no place for recreation we intend
providing that too. Yet, the village cannot be developed
only by providing it with water, electricity, telephones
and computers. We must revive and build the ethical
values of the village that prevailed before we became
subject to imperialism. The village should say no to
drugs and intoxication.
For the past several decades development
plans for the country were drawn up leaving aside one
entire side of the country. Where the war prevails no
government machinery or equipment is taken anywhere
near it. However, we are implementing this Jathika Saviya
in a manner that will bring the entire country together.
After nearly 20 years this program will bring life to
villages in the North and East too. 12,000 villages
that were not well treated all these years will have
a new life. In the next year we will give such life
to 12,000 more villages through the Jathika Saviya.
We expect to wipe out all difficult or uncongenial villages
from our map through development.
Is there any more proof needed that
we will not move even an inch away from the Mahinda
Chinthana? We will not depart one iota from the Mahinda
Chinthana.
Friends, it is the same principle
we apply to both developing the village and eliminating
terrorism. Venerable Sirs, in the past when announcements
were made calling for recruits for the armed forces
and recruitment centers were kept open through 24 hours,
in most places what we saw no one coming to join the
army.
Today, Venerable Sirs, thousands
queue up to join the security forces. At the head of
that queue are our children. The country knows that
we are correctly carrying out the battle against the
terrorists. The people of this country have faith that
this time we will not fail.
I recall the day I went to lay the
foundation stone for the International Sports Stadium
at Homagama. I went among the people and asked them
about the high price of goods. They told me that they
will bear up with cost of living and asked me to save
the country for them. I will not abandon the
responsibility cast on me by the people with such deep
feeling.
Friends, after the air attack at
Katunayake there were those who asked us to resign.
They placed the blame on us for carrying out a major
war. They spoke the same language as Prabhakaran.
But no one should think that it if
there is a loser in this battle it will be Mahinda Rajapaksa.
The attempt is to defeat the people of this country.
Those who think they will be right
on top if terrorism wins are making a grave mistake.
No on can be pleased if terrorism is victorious. On
September 11 the entire world was threatened with the
airborne attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon,
created opinion in the world that terrorism
should be eradicated. The United States too agreed to
this irrespective of any political differences. The
LTTE terrorists have now come by air and attacked an
Air Force base. It is now clear that terrorism is a
threat to our region too.
If anyone thinks that the government
will be shaken by terrorist attacks and will fall on
their lap, they are committing a grave error by their
own politics. This is not only a battle against terrorism,
but also a battle for development. This battle includes
the development of the Weerawila airport, the development
of the ports of Colombo, Galle and Hambantota, the Upper
Kotmale, Norochcholai and Kerawalapitiya power projects.
We have taken to the village the
development that was once confined to Colombo. We are
ready to develop 12,000 villages in one year. We cannot
allow our cherished cultural values of over 2,500 years
to be destroyed, even though we may successfully carry
out all this development work and also
eradicate terrorism. We must not let future generations
forget these values. That is why we have said no to
drug, and seek to achieve moral upliftment while developing
the country.
Therefore, we need your full cooperation
in this massive task. We must develop this country through
strengthening the village, increasing production and
raising the living standards of the people. We launch
this task today. I trust we can complete this task in
three years. We will develop the entire country.
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