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President laughs at ‘Mattala joke’

10 Apr 2013 - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

President Mahinda Rajapaksa commenting on opposition criticism about the government’s development drive said in lighter vein said that one opposition member had even remarked that three pilots were needed for a plane to take off from MRIA.

“One pilot to drive away the birds, the other to drive away the elephants and the third to pilot the plane,” President Rajapaksa said amid loud laughter from the audience.

The president said these remarks were being made out of jealousy towards the government.
Delivering the keynote address at the releasing of the 2012 Central Bank Annual Report held at the Central Bank auditorium, he said the world had not recovered from the global economic meltdown which was worsened by the embargo on Iran. The embargo was still in place and it was a heavy burden on smaller nations.

“The trade embargo on Iran has severely stunted the economic progress of smaller countries like Sri Lanka and they have no concern whatsoever about the violation of human rights of millions people of these countries,” the President said. “It is sad and peculiar to note that the global community that talks about human rights has no concern at all about the human rights violations of the people in smaller countries like Sri Lanka as a direct result of the trade restrictions imposed by them on Iran.”

He said he was happy that Sri Lanka had achieved a 6.4% progress while maintaining a single digit inflation level despite various economic, political and financial calamities locally and globally.
The President said Sri Lanka has been able to achieve a steady economic progress despite many social, trade and financial constraints last year thanks to the Government’s correct economic fundamentals and financial management.

“It is common for governments to give many promises during an election. But this government has fulfilled all pledges given to the people including the eradication of terrorism and making Sri Lanka a trade, education, tourism, aviation and IT hub of Asia.

The government after the war was ended has spent a mammoth Rs.214 billion to develop the North-East. The ex-LTTE cadres who have surrendered have been rehabilitated and re-integrated with their families. Some of them even serve in the Sri Lanka Army. The North-East now contributes 10% to the economy as a result of the Government’s development drive in that part of the country.

“The government is working on a plan with long term objectives. Some 94% of the country has been provided with electricity and while all other countries in the region impose an 8 to10-hour power cuts.

The government implemented the Lakvijaya Coal Power Plant which provides 300 MWs to the national grid when the project had been abandoned by successive governments. The Upper Kotmale Project, Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport and Hambantota Sea Port were also commissioned under severe criticism of the opposition but today they are national assets with the prospect of huge dividends to the country,” the President said.

Justifying the government’s action to obtain foreign loans for local projects, the President said the loans were not to purchase food stuff but for capital expenditure from which the value of the country goes up when the projects are implemented.

“We obtain foreign loans today for tomorrow as the government revenue is not sufficient for development programme. It is as simple as that. If we were not able to raise funds from foreign loans, the expressways, airports and sea ports, power plants and new roads would have been only on the drawing board,” the president said.

When he asked the children at the Upatissagama, a clean and scenic village with much green homestead and incidentally the oldest planned human habitat in Sri Lanka whether they would like to have gravel roads, they said in one voice: ‘No Sir, we want our roads to be carpeted”.

“They are aware that all city roads have been carpeted. So they do not want less,” the President said.(Sandun A. Jayasekera)

Pix by Samantha Perera

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President laughs at ‘Mattala joke’

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