President Sirisena was speaking at the final progress review meeting of the Ampara district Rata Wenuwen Ekata Sitimu (Let’s Stand Together for the Country) programme at Uhana Maha Vidyalaya Ground in Ampara on Saturday. The President said the responsibility of all citizens who love the country should be to fulfill their respective responsibilities towards creating a peaceful environment where all citizens could live freely.
He pointed out that certain statements made by a few persons with the objective of achieving petty political gain was a hindrance to the process of building national reconciliation while freeing the country from the scourge of terrorism. The President stressed he would continue the operations to eradicate terrorism and he was not a person to resign and allow the terrorists to win. He called on the public and private sector workers to attend work and children to attend schools and bring normalcy as that is the way to defeat the aims of terrorists.
The President emphasized that the incident on April 21 was connected to global terrorism and added the local operations by Security Forces to nab those with links to terrorism were highly successful. He said that when the Security Forces successfully defeat terrorism, the public officials should take measures to end the fear lingering in the public mind and restore trust and understanding among communities.
In accordance with the instructions and guidance of President Sirisena, the Presidential Secretariat commenced the Programme of Rata Wenuwen Ekata Sitimu (Let’s Stand Together for the Country) with the aim of monitoring the implementation of national development projects such as Grama Shakthi National Programme, National Drug Prevention Programme, Protect Children National Programme, National Chronic Kidney Prevention Programme, National Food Production Programme and Environment Protection Programme and special development projects and various programmes implemented by the different Ministries ensure that they are implemented efficiently and productively for the benefit of the public.
This programme will also help to identify the public issues already identified by the government institutions and work to solve these issues with maximum efficiency through the state mechanism. Religious leaders in the area, former Prime Minister D.M.Jayaratne, Minister Daya Gamage, Eastern Province Governor M.L.A.M. Hezbollah, North Central Province Governor Sarath Ekanayake, Member of Parliament Shriyani Wijevickrama, former Minister P.Dayaratne, Ministers, Secretary to the President Udaya R. Senevirathne and Government Officials were also resent on this occasion. The President also paid homage at the Sri Dalada Maligawa in Kandy and received blessings from the Maha Sangha.
