Those waiting to topple Sri Lanka’s National Unity government will never be successful, President Maithripala Sirisena said on Sunday, inviting citizens to join him in a journey to take the country forward.
His remarks come weeks after his predecessor Mahinda Rajappaksa vowed to topple the government in 2017.
Contrasting his government’s initiatives to those of the Rajapaksa administration, President Mr. Sirisena, speaking at an event to mark his government’s second anniversary, said that while the former government invested in plush roads, highways and buildings, none of that benefited the common man.
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“It seemed like a beautiful world, but it was artificial and pushed our country into unprecedented debt,” he said, at an event held to mark his government’s second anniversary.
Observing that he was committed to economic development that benefited all, he said at one level Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was taking the lead in market-oriented initiatives.
Simultaneously, he said, the government was evolving policies directed at the socioeconomic welfare of all Sri Lankans, reiterating his commitment to working towards sustainable development goals.
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Protests against port
On the controversial Hambantota port, a $1.5-billion Chinese-funded project in the Southern Province, he said no legal agreement had been reached. Alluding to recent protests against the project, he said: “If they don’t want an industrial zone in Hambantota, I will take it to Polonnaruwa.”
He was referring to the ancient town in Sri Lanka’s North-Central Province, from where he hails.
Speaking earlier, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the government was stepping into an era of development. Countries such as India, China and Japan were bringing in investment worth billions. ‘Some forces are disrupting our initiatives…but we will not let this this government fall,” he said.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, who was the guest of honour, spoke of his government’s technology-backed initiatives aimed at addressing poverty. Sri Lanka has declared 2017 as the year of poverty alleviation. Andhra Pradesh and Sri Lanka share many things in common, in addition to the geographic proximity, he said.
“Sri Lanka is very strong in education, health and tourism, while Andhra Pradesh is strong in using information technology,” he said, adding that his government would work with Sri Lanka towards mutual development. “We are neighbours and we will always be,” he said.