Power of Kerawalapitiya

Rohan MATHES

KERAWALAPITIYA: The power of Kerawalapitiya would illuminate the hearts of the people of Sri Lanka soon, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said yesterday.

He was addressing the function to mark the commissioning of the Yugadanavi Combined Cycle Thermal power plant in Kerawalapitiya, Wattala.

The President said he was happy and proud that the Kerawalapitiya power plant had been constructed relying on full indigenous technology and resources.

The power plant built at a cost of US $300 million was one of the Major projects initiated by the Ministry of Power and Energy for the provision of electricity and sustainable solutions to the energy crisis as envisioned in the Mahinda Chintanaya. It was built by Lakdhnavi (Pvt) Ltd.

“While eradicating terrorism in the land in all it’s manifestations, we have initiated mega multi-faceted development projects which have been stagnating for long.”

He said if the right decisions had been taken at the appropriate time,the crisis situations which had arisen in several spheres such as the energy crisis could have been long averted.

President Rajapaksa asserted that although certain parties are undermining the Government by resorting to Court action, the ultimate verdict would lie in the decision of the people who will either endorse or reject the policies of his Government after six years at an election.

He charged that various factions are attempting to topple or undermine the Government by adopting diverse tactics such as terrorism and also bring down the Government’s revenue to make it bankrupt. The other means is resorting to Court actions.

He however pointed out that his Government could not rely on ‘Pricing Formulae’ which may prove detrimental to the people on the long-term, as although prices would be low when the world prices have dipped, they would shoot up uncontrollably when they rise.

This would heap severe hardships on the people. He had a bounden duty and the responsibility to protect the people from such a dilemma, the President asserted.

He also pointed out that his Government could not think in terms of taxes alone as envisaged by certain political theories and parties. “We should think in terms of the entire economy of the country instead of segments”, he said.

He said that there could be embarrassing court decisions in the future, which would be respected and complied with anyway.

The President noted that he was elected to power by the people, to reject and abandon the old policies adopted by past regimes who developed the country least but nurtured the Tigers instead.

They had written-off and offered on a platter, a clearly demarcated area to the LTTE. Officials from the South including the Prime Minister, could not visit the North, even a religious shrine, sans prior permission of the LTTE.

He said past regimes had also sold our national assets instead of creating and expanding our own indigenous economy.

“Nevertheless he said, his Government has not sold any national asset to date and will never ever do so in the future too. His Government has gradually and systematically integrated more and more assets to develop the nation. All what had been promised in his Mahinda Chintanaya had been fulfilled to the very letter, as he could not betray his people and the nation.”

He recalled the liberation of the East which was followed by the ‘Negenahira Navodaya’ (Eastern Renaissance). He said that while liberating the North as well, they have already initiated the ‘Uthura Vasanthaya’ (Northern Spring) for the people in the North. He would not permit the CPC, the CEB among others to collapse under any circumstances. The living standards of the village community would be uplifted. Peace would dawn to the nation soon, to enable all communities to live in harmony sans fear nor suspicion.

He said that the Government required money for all this. The President categorically stated however, that any subsidies enjoyed by the people would not be cut in the process.

Despite the global recession which has caused thousands to loose their jobs in the developed world, Sri Lanka is on the path to prosperity and would soon be self-sufficient in food, due to the far-sighted policies adopted by the Government.. “We will not abandon our development due to any economic pressures”, he said.