INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The 72nd National Independence Day ceremony that re-affirmed the commitment for strengthening of Sri Lanka sovereignty, territorial
integrity, economic development, reconciliation and peaceful co-existence, took place at the historic Independence Square at Torrington,
Colombo 7 this morning (4) with pomp and pageantry.The colourful national spectacle of the year was dignified by the presence of religious
leaders, His Excellency, the President, Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the First Lady, Mrs Ioma Rajapaksa and a host of distinguished invitees,
including Hon Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and his spouse, Mrs Shiranthi Rajapaksa, former President, Mrs Chandrika Bandaranaike
Kumaratunga, Speaker, Chief Justice, Leader of the Opposition, Minister of Public Administration and Home Affairs, Admiral of the Fleet,
Marshal of the Sri Lanka Air Force, Governor for Western Province, State Ministers, Secretary to HE the President, Secretary to Hon Prime
Minister, Secretary to Ministry of Defence, Acting Chief of Defence Staff and Commander of the Army, Commander of the Navy, Commander of the
Air Force, Acting Inspector General of Police, Director General of the Civil Security Department, Secretaries to Ministries, District
Secretary for Colombo, Additional Secretaries, Ambassadors, Officers and civilians.This year National Day celebration, graced by the Russian
Federation Commander-in-Chief of the Land Forces, General of the Army, Oleg Salyukov leaves a landmark in the country post-war phase of
development as a distinguished top-rung foreign military officer who added colour and grandeur to the event at the invitation of his Sri
Lankan counterpart, Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva, acting Chief of Defence Staff and Commander of the Army.Today ceremony commenced
with the arrival of the President, along with the First Lady Mrs Ioma Rajapaksa
They were formally received by Hon Prime Minister and Mrs Shiranthi Rajapaksa and Minister of Public Administration and Home Affairs, Hon
President arrival at the venue, accompanied by mounted Policemen and Tri-service Military Police outriders in a colourful pageant, was
heralded by blowing of trumpets.Seconds after that, the Acting Chief of Defence Staff and Commander of the Army, Commander of the Navy,
Commander of the Air Force and Acting Inspector General of the Police conducted HE, the President to the main flag post where he hoisted the
National Flag, amidst rhythmic beating of Magul Bera (auspicious drums) and blowing of conch shells while 100 school girls from eleven
multilingual girls& schools in the province, sang the national anthem, filling all patriotic hearts with pride of being an independent
nation, rich with age-old unmatched cultural ethos.Afterwards President from the special dais received the blessings of the recital of
‘Jayamangala Gatha& and ‘Devo Vassatu Kalena& stanzas, presented by a bevy of 100 school girls in the province
It was followed by observance of a two-minute silence in memory of all the patriots and War Heroes who laid their lives for the noble cause
of defending the Nation.
The next phase of the day agenda was the colourful tri-service Guard of Honour, accorded to the President,
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, followed by the customary 21-Gun Salute, presented by Sri Lanka Artillery Regiment.
Next was time
for the much-awaited President address to the Nation, in which he called upon all Sri Lankans, irrespective of petty differences, to rise to
the occasion and jointly help overcome all the challenges on our road to recovery
His Excellency also expressed his heartfelt gratitude towards everyone who sacrificed in achieving the freedom we enjoy today.
Soon after
his address, the smart parade comprised of tri-service Officers and Other ranks, Police and the Civil Defence Service personnel in their
respective ceremonials was reported by the Parade Commander, Major General Mahinda Mudalige, Commander, Security Forces - West to the Chief
Guest who took the Salute in accordance with military traditions.A total of 5988 troops, Police personnel and Civil Security Department
personnel attired in their ceremonial dresses afterwards began their march-past, according their salute to His Excellency, the President,
the Chief Guest on the occasion.Rhythmic cultural troupes, made up of well-known artistes, school students and others added special
colourfulness to the whole parade as the day programme drew to a close
These cultural dances were from different areas in the Western province.Religious dignitaries of all denominations and a massive crowd of
spectators witnessed the National Independence Day proceedings.Here follows the full text of the President's address to the Nation;Most
Venerable Maha Sangha,Other Religious DignitariesHon
Ministers, Ministers of State and Members of ParliamentHon
the Ambassadors and High Commissioners
Secretary to the President and all State OfficialsChief of Defence Staff and Commander of the
ArmyCommander of the NavyCommander of the Air ForceInspector General of PoliceDirector General of the Department of the Civil
SecurityDistinguished InviteesWar HeroesAll Sri Lankan brothers and sistersBeloved children
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
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
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
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
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
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 the law 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
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
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.
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
unique geographical location, natural resources and human resources.
An efficient and corruption- free Public Service is essential for the
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 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
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 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
