In a stirring address to the Nation on Independence Day, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa set the course for the next three years of his tenure.
It can be described as an even more comprehensive speech than his January 18 Policy Statement to Parliament.
The speech no doubt gave hope to a nation battered by the pandemic and beset with myriad other problems that flow from the former.
One of the highlights of his speech was that the current difficulties faced by the country and its people are temporary, for which solutions are being evolved.
Among these problems are the foreign exchange crisis, the high cost of living, the power crisis, shortages of certain items and a general sense of hopelessness among some segments of the population.
Most, if not all, of these problems are consequences of the economic damage caused by the Covid pandemic.
While it will be somewhat churlish to think that some of the problems would automatically go away once the pandemic becomes history, the highly successful vaccination drive initiated by the President and the Government has kept thousands of people away from hospitals and eased the Covid burden to a great extent. In this context, it is especially important to get the booster dose to ward off the current Omicron wave.
Hence it is time to look beyond Covid and address the spate of current issues. The President rightly called for a positive attitude from the citizens at this juncture. The negative sentiments incessantly expressed by the Opposition and certain other elements will not get us anywhere.
As the President pointed out, these are not problems that one can run away from. Pessimism and destructive criticism are definitely not the proper solutions for the ills that plague the country.
In the President’s own words “the aim of the Government is to do the right thing for the country and not to please everyone.
Pessimists do not change the world and those who are accustomed to criticising without addressing a problem have no vision for the future. Hence, we cannot abandon the country’s progress because of those who don’t want to change”.
Instead of wallowing in despair, the Opposition and the public must support the Government in its endeavor to resolve the current issues. After all, Sri Lanka has been through even worse experiences including a debilitating terrorist battle and two Southern insurgencies and emerged mostly unscathed.
On its part, the Government is actively addressing problems such as the foreign exchange crisis using its many diplomatic connections. The surge in tourist arrivals and the increased inflow of expatriate remittances will also help ease the situation.
The President also noted that there are certain local as well as foreign elements working against the country, but assured that he is not afraid to stand up against adversity.
It is true that certain foreign elements in particular would like to see Sri Lanka in a state of poverty and under-development in perpetuity. We have to prove them wrong through a collective domestic effort that utilises our strengths and our resources.
Another pertinent point the President made is worth mentioning. He called on all politicians of this country to lead by example, and said, “As the President of the country, I am ready to set the necessary example for it. I am already doing this to the best of my ability. I ask all Ministers, Parliamentarians and other politicians to act in an exemplary manner for the country at all times. If you set this example to the people, then the majority of the people will follow you.”
This statement should be read in the context of the recent incident where a former State Minister’s son was involved in a scuffle between two groups of university students.
Not stopping at that, the ministerial progeny has had the audacity to use an official vehicle belonging to one of the institutions coming under his father’s ministry to bring in outsiders to the melee.
Politicians cannot occupy the moral high pedestal if they or their kith and kin are involved in such incidents. One cannot expect the public to follow the law if the politicians breach it all the time. Therefore, they must set a higher bar for themselves when it comes to their conduct.
President Rajapaksa also noted that Sri Lankan expatriates are a great asset to the country and they have stepped forward to assist the country in its time of need on many earlier occasions. Hence, he invited them to invest in the Motherland without being misled by certain unscrupulous elements.
Indeed, Sri Lankan expatriates and dual citizens must rise to the occasion and help their Motherland in whatever way they can at this critical moment. They should always remit funds through official channels, lest the country lose the benefit of foreign exchange.
At the heart of the President’s speech was his innate determination to protect the country from all threats, internal and external.
Reiterating the pledge to protect the country that he made on his ascension to the Presidency in 2019, the President assured that under no circumstances will he ever allow extremism to raise its head in this country again.
The Easter attack of 2019 was a stark and tragic reminder that extremist forces, perhaps aided by foreign elements, aim to destabilise Sri Lanka.
The answer to extremism of every kind lies in promoting and nurturing unity and coexistence among all communities living in the country.
This is not an impossible goal at all and is the key to achieving prosperity through the collective will of our diverse peoples.