Consensus government established to create peace, reconciliation, development: PM

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said he and President Maithripala Sirisena had joined hands and established a UNP-SLFP consensus government to create peace, reconciliation and development during the present day youth generation because they both witnessed the holocaust of war during the most part of their youth.

The Prime Minister was addressing the gathering at the concluding ceremony of the ‘Yovun Puraya 2017’ youth camp held at the Meheyzer Stadium, Trincomalee on Saturday.

The UNP and SLFP at loggerheads fighting for power in the past and they had now come together to ensure a better future for the youth of this country rather than themselves, the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister said lives of thousands of youth in the armed forces, terrorist and innocent civilians were lost in vain during the war. If their strength and effort could have been deployed to develop, the country would have been able to match countries like Malaysia in development today.

An opportune moment had come today for all to join hands and march towards development goals. The duty of all parties including the UNP, SLFP, JVP, TNA, SLMC and all and sundry today was to ensure a better future for the country by ushering in development, he said.

The Prime Minister said he had worked as a deputy minister and minister when he first entered Parliament in 1977 in the J.R. Jayewardene government which ushered in massive development schemes such as the Mahaweli Development Scheme, Sri Jayewardenepura Capital City Development Programme, Free Trade Zones and Gam Udawa Housing programme.

Later, under the R. Premadasa government, they were able to grant free school books and uniforms and open up garment factories in remote areas. His pledge to the youth was that the government led by President Maithripala Sirisena would ensure a far greater development to the country and a promising future for the country’s youth, the Prime Minister said.

The government had been in a position to start rapid development schemes because it had been able to unite several parties for a common endeavour and win over lost international confidence. The Ruhuna Development Programme would generate thousands of employment avenues. Investment promotion zones and tourist industries would be launched in Wayamba and the development programme from Kandy to Hambantota was now in its initial stages.

Arrangements had been made to develop Trincomalee and adjacent areas. Plans were afoot to develop the North which was devastated by war. Nuwara Eliya and Badulla would be developed as tourist zones. The President had initiated a programme to develop Polonnaruwa under the Pibidunu Polonnaruwa programme, he said.

The Prime Minister said the Youvun Puruya 2017 was held in Trincomalee in response to a request made by Opposition Leader R. Sambandan. He wished to thank each and every one who had contributed towards making the event a success.

He said Rs. 120 million had been disbursed so far under the “Gamata Kotiyak’ programme. The youth leadership in villages had launched projects valued at Rs. 500 million by utilising that nucleus fund. Next time the disbursement under the ‘Gamata Kotiyak’ programme would be increased from Rs. 75,000 each to Rs. 150,000 and the number of projects to be doubled from 1500 to 3000, Wickremesinghe said.

Added to this, the Swashakthi would open many self-employment avenues for youth, he said.

The very people who criticised the offer of land on 99-year lease today, offered land on 99-year lease to several Indian hotels during their time. They even tried to sell landn outright to certain foreign firms. How could creating 700 to 800 industrial factories in the country be considered as a total sell off of the country, the Prime Minister asked.