AN URGENT CALL TO THE NATION

Dr. Telli C Rajaratnam

There shall be one and the same law. One nation. There will be one sovereign-one Executive. Unitary state for a united Sri Lanka. One religion-the religion of compassion and love. One race- The human race. We are passing through the darkest hours-the dawn is not far off.

Ceylon obtained independence from the British Rule in 1948 by smooth transition after India gained its independence. We honour our Patriots who contributed towards that endeavour. But the crucial factor is the independence gained by defeating terror by the Rajapaksa Regime in the midst of so much interference from Developed countries with vested interests is far greater achievement in the history of this country. This is an event to celebrate. President Mahinda Rajapaksa has successfully liberated the country from terrorism.

People’s President

Through the experience he gained through many political tidal waves and his survival to become the Leader of the Nation, with his skills of advocacy which has won over his opponents. Never in the political history of any country has so many opposition members joined and supported the President whom they once opposed. “There go my people, I must follow them, for I am their Leader” were the words of Mahatma Gandhi practiced to the very syllable by President Mahinda Rajapaksa. That is the secret of his success.

Saviour of the nation

Thousands of men, women and children driven from their lands have returned home. The demands of an outraged community have been met. We have achieved a victory for a safer world, for our democratic values, and for a stronger Sri Lanka.

Liberation

We fought and liberated the people held in hostage, what we achieved and what we have to do now to advance the peace and together with the people, forge a future of freedom, progress and harmony. This can be done only under the leadership of President Mahinda Rajapaksa The Terrorists were the cause for Men of all ages separated from their loved ones killed and forced to join the Terrorists, children made to watch their parents die; a whole people forced to abandon in hours communities their families had spent generations building.

When our diplomatic efforts to avert this horror with the LTTE were rebuffed, and the violence mounted, the President took affirmative action. Now the people are free, the roads that were closed for years have opened, the people have been liberated.

Freedom in the North

The schools have been re-opened, they have freedom to shape their destiny. No more nights of hiding in bunkers cellars, wondering if the next day will bring death or deliverance.

Now, all communities must join hands in unity and assist President Mahinda Rajapaksa to continue the development work.

Finally, we have averted the wider war this conflict might well have sparked. Now, we’re entering a new phase – building that peace – and there are formidable challenges, the foremost amongst them is the stability of Leadership and the Government.

Development

We must build and develop our country. For that to happen, the European Union must plan for tomorrow, not just today. Our friends the United States, China, India and the United Kingdom must assist us in our endeavour. They must provide most of the resources for this effort, but it is in SriLanka’s interest to do our part as well.

We must pave a path to a prosperous shared future, a unifying magnet more powerful than the pull of hatred and destruction that has threatened to tear us apart.

National anthem

A National Anthem should be sung in its original version in the original language it was composed. All citizens should learn the meaning whatever race they belong. The national Anthem should be sung in Sri Lanka only in Sinhala. One national anthem, one nation.

Article 7 of the Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka states ” The National Anthem of the Republic of Sri Lanka shall be “Sri Lanka Matha,” the words and music of which are set out in the Third Schedule”.

The third schedule contains only the words in Sinhala. As such the only valid and legal version of the National Anthem is the official sinhala version. Sri lanka’s literacy rate is very high, all citizens can know the meaning of the national anthem and sing it within an hour.

A national anthem (also national hymn, song etc.) is a patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history and traditions of its people, recognized either by a nation’s government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.

We have toprotect our nation. We need our armed forces to be vigilant and eradicate thepillars of Terrorism and the very foundation which supports them

Certain etiquette may be involved in the playing of a country’s anthem. These usually involve military honours, standing up, removing headwear etc. In diplomatic situations the rules may be very formal.

Sri Lanka Matha is the national anthem of Sri Lanka. The words and music were written by Ananda Samarakoon in 1940 in the Sinhala language, and was officially adopted as the national anthem on November 22, 1951 by a committee headed by Sir Edwin Wijeyeratne.

Tolerance and freedom

President Mahinda Rajapaksa represents tolerance and freedom, not repression and terror. As such every individual or group which transgresses these ideals should be dealt with by the Laws of the land.

President and the nation

We have sent a message of determination and hope to all the world. Think of all the millions of innocent people who died in this bloody century because democracies reacted too late to evil and aggression. Because of our resolve, the past is gone not with helpless indignation, but with a hopeful affirmation of human dignity and human rights for the 2010. In a world too divided by fear among people of different racial, ethnic and religious groups, we have given confidence to the friends of freedom and pause to those who would exploit human difference for inhuman purposes.

Challenges

Sri Lanka still faces great challenges in this world, but we look forward to meeting them. We can successfully maintain the territorial integrity of Sri Lanka now that we have re-elected President Mahinda Rajapaksa. We must stand united as Patriots of Sri Lanka to support and defend, President Mahinda Rajapaksa .

Patriotism

Patriotism is the grund norm of Civilized Society. As citizens we owe allegiance to the Constitution of Sri Lanka and we owe our loyalty and allegiance to the President. We must appreciate the fact that we would be the most blessed Nation for easy development only if we can eradicate all the other Tamil Terror groups who are terrorizing us. The total eradication of Terrorism is possible only if arms are seized from all militant groups who pay lip service to democracy whilst flirting with the major Terrorist Group.

Morality and law

As nature and religion teach moral obligations and prescribe to children dutiful conduct towards the parents, so nature and religion imposes on citizens certain obligations towards their country and its rulers. These obligations may be interpreted as patriotism and obedience. Patriotism requires that the citizen would have a reasonable esteem and love for his country. He should have a reasonable esteem and love for his country.

Legal Allegiance is due when a person takes an oath of allegiance required for a particular office in the State.

Unitary state

Article 2 of the Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka states “The Republic of Sri Lanka is a Unitary State.”

Article 63 of the Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka states: “Except for the purpose of electing the Speaker, no Member shall sit or vote in Parliament un and subscribed the following oath or made and subscribed the following affirmation , before Parliament:- ‘I ………………………………. do solemnly declare and affirm/ swear that I will uphold and defend the Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka”‘.

Article 81 illustrates in regard to the expulsion of Members and imposition of civic disability. The Sixth amendment to the Constitution (certified on August 8, 1983) the preamble states “Whereas Sri Lanka is a Free , Sovereign , Independent and Unitary State and it is the duty of the State to safeguard the independence, sovereignty, unity and the territorial integrity of Sri Lanka. By virtue of the Sixth amendment to the Constitution Article, 157A was added after Article 157 for ‘Prohibition against violation of territorial integrity of Sri Lanka’ , Article 11 was amended as well. The Seventh Schedule by virtue of the Sixth amendment to the Constitution is ” I………………………..do solemnly declare and affirm / swear that I will uphold and defend the Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and that I will not, directly or indirectly, in or outside Sri Lanka, support, espouse, promote, finance, encourage or advocate the establishment of a separate State within the territory of Sri Lanka”.

We have been paying lip service to Peace, whilst the Tamil Political parties have been making fun of the country, its nation and successive Governments. We have to protect our nation. We need our armed forces to be vigilant and eradicate the pillars of Terrorism and the very foundation which supports them. THERE SHALL BE ONE AND THE SAME LAW. ONE NATION. THERE WILL BE ONE SOVEREIGN-ONE EXECUTIVE.

Due to our internal conflicts which we could have long resolved, external forces with vested interests have all sought to intervene some in the pretext of resolving the conflict but our experience has proved that the gap of resolution of conflict does not seem to be narrower now. Those who finance terror through some NGO’s, those who launder their money, and those that cover their tracks are every bit as guilty as the fanatic who commits the final act. We look for diplomacy.

But there is no diplomacy with some of those opposed to us. We do not consider them opponents but they oppose every conceivable move we make to develop the country.

Sometimes, there is no compromise with such people, no meeting of minds – no point of understanding – so we would have a just choice -defeat it or be defeated by it.

We learnt that however much we strive for peace; we need a strong defense capability where a peaceful approach fails. Whatever the dangers of the action we take, the dangers of inaction are far greater.

Laws will have to be changed not to deny the basic liberties but to prevent their abuse and protect the most basic liberty of all; freedom from terror. The people are terrorized by certain Tamil Militant and their political parties with vested interests in their vile pursuits for power committing crimes and targeting a reflex scenario as if the Government was responsible.

We must always be on guard for those who will exploit and manipulate for their own narrow political ends who will distort the essence of pluralism and tolerance for their own extremist agendas. People are being tainted by the reckless media. It is a national catastrophe for the nation. We must enact new laws amend the old.

The governing idea of modern social democracy is community founded on the principles of social justice. The standard of living is higher. The expectations of the people are higher. This is a consumer age. People don’t take what they are given. They demand more.

We are not alone in this. All round the world governments are struggling with the same problems. The program of reform is huge. We must have co-operation, determination and consensus. We are a community of people, whose self interest and mutual interest at crucial points merge and that it is through a sense of justice that community is born and nurtured. This is the moment to bring the faiths closer together in understanding of our common values and heritage a source of unity and strength.

By the strength of our common Endeavour we achieve more together than we can alone. We must reach beyond our fears and our divisions to a new time of great and common purpose. Let us trace the roots of affirmative action. Let us determine what it is and what it isn’t. Let us see where it has worked and where it hasn’t and ask ourselves what we need to do now.

We must not permit a contaminated moral environment. Let us not negotiate out of fear, But let us never fear to negotiate.

Politicians must set an example to those among whom they work. After all, politics is a matter of serving the community which means that is morality in practice. We cannot restore peace unless we can find some way to bring the nation close together. There should be collective responsibility within groups or else the people will be confused.

We must be Patriotic. We must uphold and defend the Constitution and the Head of State-the President. We owe allegiance to the President and the Constitution as Citizens of Sri Lanka. We must uphold the norms of the Constitution apprehend and prosecute those who terrorize us by their actions and threats, then economic prosperity will follow suit. Our destiny lies in our hands.