More money for LG reps than for ministers, MPs – President
Local Government representatives play a key role in the country’s development. They receive a large amount of money, even more than ministers and Parliamentarians, for development activities, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said.
The President was speaking as the chief guest at the ‘Swarna Purawara’ Awards ceremony and Local Government National Symposium at Temple Trees yesterday. President Rajapaksa said that past leaders of Gam Sabhas were responsible for the village.
”But unfortunately today, though the government allocates money for development of villages, some Local Government representatives don’t use them in a proper way. This should be changed,” he said.
“Local Government representatives only try to save their position and votes due to the preferential vote system.
“The preferential vote system will be changed in the near future. When I was appointed President, the government failed even to elect a Speaker to the Parliament.
“But now we have a two thirds majority in Parliament. Therefore I don’t worry about power, but work hard for the country’s betterment,” he said.
President Rajapaksa said the time has come for all Sri Lankans to live together as children of one mother, after 30 years of conflict.
“Although we represent different political parties, we should not spread hatred and anger among our brethren,” he said.
“Sri Lanka is a country with a long history and a civilization.
“Local Government also has a long history, extending to the period of Sinhala kings, dating back to the fourth century.
“Village level organizations called Gam Sabhas functioned under village leaders.
“These things are clearly mentioned in our ancient stone inscriptions,” the President said.
Local Government and Provincial Council Minister A.L.M. Athaullah, Deputy Minister Indika Bandaranayake, secretary Nihal Jayathilake, governors, mayors and Local Government Commissioners participated.
Courtesy: Daily News
Latest Headlines in Sri Lanka
- Sri Lanka Government unveils interim budget for early 2025 December 5, 2024
- Lohan Ratwatte and wife granted bail over illegal vehicle charges December 5, 2024
- Renuka Perera arrested over false social media claims December 5, 2024
- Vote on Account presented to Sri Lanka Parliament December 5, 2024
- Severe rice shortage hits Sri Lanka: Prices soar beyond control December 5, 2024
This speech demonstrates democratic immaturity. The President of the country must work in harmony with the Parliament. It so happens the President belongs to a political party which commands a 2/3rds majority in Parliament. The President should work with Parliament even if a poltical party to which he does not belong commands a majority in Parliament. Former presidents DB Wijetunge and Chandrika Bandaranaike-Kumaranatunge managed the country well with opposition political parties that held a majority in Parliament. I recommend Plato’s “Republic” as a good book on the workings of Parliamentary governance.
Excellent comment Frederick.
We had high calibre leadership in William Gopallawa, JRJ, DBW and CBK as Presidents of our land.
Unfortunately we have to live under rubbish in present times.
Hey Frederick,
There’s a name missing form your list of ex-Presidents. Does that mean we lived under “rubbish” in the 80’s as well?
Hi Julian,
I believe we did, mate. “Rubbish” in the 80’s too.
The rubbish started in late seventies when an elected leader declared a week’s holiday for all Police personnel so that his goons could carry out his agenda of eleminating his political rivals with no follow ups.I think FM wilfully dropped the name of PR from his list.
MR is the best leader we have had in ages. I say this because he alone, of all the leaders, did not succumb to imperial West and local political pressures, to stop the war of Humanitarian Operation against the evil LTTE to save their own Tamil civilian hostages from their brutal clutches. He persevered dauntlessly in his task of total elimination of the terrorist LTTE for good. The grateful nation in recognition of this immense heroic task re-elected him as President for another term by a huge majority, beating his rival SF, who did not even get as many votes as RW, in the previous Presidential election. MR and his coalition UPFA then went on to win the General Election by 2/3rd majority. The people then continued to express their total confidence in MR and his coalition government by granting him a huge majority in the Local Elections also. No other leader had ever won elections on this scale. This is because the nation had absolute faith in him as a man who, “Kiyana de karana, karana de kiyana minihek”. He delivered the goods, unlike other leaders who only gave false promises during election times. MR had fulfilled his policies in Phase 1 of Mahinda Chintanya.
MR has now embarked on Phase 2, Mahinda Chintanaya Idiri Dekma. There is no stopping him. The work of infra structure building along with agricultural and industrial development is going at full steam ahead. This is to fulfill his promise to the nation to develop SL to be shining star of Asia on fast track. All these are being carried out at the same time as re-settling the 300,000+ Tamil hostages he rescued from the brutal LTTE terrorists, de-mining, building houses, schools, hospitals, supermarkets, restoring tanks and agricultural lands to the Tamils in the North and East to develop and farm, restoring electricity and drinking water supply and telecommunication systems to them, developing their fishing industry etc etc. New businesses are created for unemployed Tamil youths who are trained in new skills. No one in the world can accuse him of neglecting the North and East and discrimination of the Tamil race.
MR has not neglected the South at the same time. Massive developments are taking place in the South, to take the country forward. Subsidies for farmers and support in dairy farming and animal husbandry as well, to make SL self-sufficient in food and even export food one day, when the world will be facing massive famine due to climate changes.
Surely, those few who knock MR are blind ungrateful fools, who can never be pleased! We have no time for them. They fail to see SL is developing at a fast pace, acknowledged by the West also. While the countries in the West are struggling with massive economic failures due to recession and failure of the capitalist system, massive unemployment, poverty and austerity measures, blind fools in SL fail to appreciate the mammoth accomplishments of MR and his UPFA coalition govt.
Ofcourse, MR has made some mistakes in the recent past. We have pointed them out and we hope he will correct himself and set out on the right course from now on. Afterall, no leader in the world is perfect. We should be grateful we have a great leader in MR, who we hope will in future be free of corruption, unlike Obama who is a murderer and evil man, morally destitute. He is a destroyer who continues in the path of destruction in his greed to grab other countries’ resources.
hello all,
whatever we share not a single political leader will take as positively. They do what they wants to do untill they are in power and if opposition in power also do the same. We public on the road yesterday today and tomorrow too, therefore we must wake & select the right leader we wants to do the best always.