• Vows not to allow division of country
• New reform programme to be implemented

President Ranil Wickremesinghe addressing the nation yesterday (4) said that he was determined to see maximum devolution of power to the provinces, but would not stand for the division of the country.

He said that a Cabinet sub-committee had been appointed to look into the unique issues faced by the people living in the north and the east.

“All political parties are informed of its decisions and their implementation dates. Thereby those tasks are carried forward. We have given priority to activities such as release of land and prisoners. Furthermore, measures are being taken for the maximum division of power in a unitary state. However, we’ll never consent to the division of this nation,” he said.

“I’m not attempting to treat the superficial condition with painkillers, but to treat the root cause of the malaise. It is challenging and difficult, but it’s our only option. I know that many of the decisions I have been compelled to take since assuming the presidency have been unpopular,” he added.

The President also stood his ground on implementing painful reforms despite an increasing public outcry and against what he termed “obstacles the anarchist political forces seek to create”.

However, Wickremesinghe, who has been in politics for over 50 years, acknowledged that Sri Lanka had little to celebrate on the 75th anniversary of gaining independence from the British Empire, telling the public that he “will focus on regaining the freedom that we have lost today”.

The President conceded that Sri Lanka had made mistakes from the beginning, adding however that everyone shared responsibility for the shortcomings Sri Lanka faced today.

“Around 75 years ago, the esteemed London Times newspaper carried an editorial stating: ‘It is our desire to see Sri Lanka become a Switzerland in the East very soon.’ They had not expressed a similar vision for any other country in the East. However, what has happened to us today? Today, we are facing an unprecedented economic crisis, hitherto never experienced.

“Why have we to face such a situation? Who is responsible for such? Let’s be truthful. All of us are more or less responsible for this situation. None of us can point fingers and blame each other. We made mistakes from the beginning. Efforts were made to rectify those mistakes, though it was not possible to correct them completely,” Wickremesinghe said.

He stated that Sri Lanka had descended into divisive politics, which had caused many issues and disunity, blaming the political culture which had been formed post-independence for being built on lies and deceit. He also blamed economic practices which were championed during the period and stated that the crisis today was partly due to such measures.

“We got trapped in a consensual political culture. Our characteristic was to be dependent on borrowed resources and we borrowed even more. We adopted the notion that ‘the government is a spring of resources’. Many were of the view that the duty of the rulers was to distribute the various resources obtained from that spring among the people.

“Accordingly, job opportunities were provided and various goods and equipment were also distributed. Cash was also made available. In most instances, we did not vote on behalf of the country. Instead, we voted for a candidate in order to receive a job, to gain admission to a school for our children, and to have a tender passed, etc. We worked for political candidates expecting personal favours in return.

“We borrowed more for consumption rather than for investment. However, according to Buddhist philosophy, one should take loans for investment purposes and not consumption.  While we are talking of Buddhism, our action is not in keeping with the Buddha’s teachings.”

He called on the citizenry to move away from narrow politics to recover from the current crisis and unite in that effort. “We must face this challenge together as children of one mother and make our fullest contribution to strengthen the path towards the successful development of this country. We must all move forward as Sri Lankan nationals, leaving aside all differences,” he added.