Let’s make a firm determination not to allow racism – Anura Dissanayake
“They created a big divide between the Muslims and the Sinhalese. Even school children were indoctrinated, asking them not to go to Muslim shops. We must not allow any such trap set by the reactionaries to gain power. We want a beautiful environment of Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim children studying together in school and clapping their hands together. Even a few centuries later, a black man became the President of America. A Sikh became the President of India. A person of Indian origin became the Prime Minister of England. In developed countries, they think about the country without being racist or religious. We must make a firm determination that our generation will not allow racism, whether in the North or the South. These rulers can never build the economy, democracy, establish the rule of law, and develop education. As such, they are trying to arouse the people by tickling people’s inner conscience and calling to save the Sinhalese and Buddhism. Ranil is trying to revive this destructive politics. In the past, Ranil continued to follow the related measures. Against it, the NPP is working with firm determination for national and religious harmony. Also, a major role has been assigned to the retired tri-army collective.” NPP and JVP leader Anura Dissanayake said yesterday (18th) while addressing the Anuradhapura District Conference of the Retired Tri-Forces Forum held in Anuradhapura.
Retired Rear Admiral Fred Seneviratne, retired Air Vice Marshal Sampath Tuiyakontha, National Executive Member of the NPP Wasantha Samarasinghe and retired Major General Aruna Jayasekara addressed the conference.
Anura Dissanayake addressing the conference, said, “We have to end the period we went behind an individual but make a collective effort to save this country and the people from the destruction that has been thrown at them. For that purpose, a large number of retired tri-services personnel representing the Retired Tri-Forces Forum participated in this event. They have proved that even if they retire from their profession, they will not retire from the work they have to do for this Motherland and the people of this country.
When a major general retires, he does not join the army as an ordinary soldier. However, Presidents in our country retire and come back to sit as a member of parliament. It is done so because of power and corruption based on power. Deserters do not get pensions. But, the ugliness of our country’s politics is that a President who deserts his term is given a pension because he is involved in politics. Our country has become ugly and dirty with politics that will not build this country as a good place. The NPP was built to free our country from ugly, dirty, destructive politics. We shall certainly do the task.
We have lost many people who should have been living among us today. The corrupt politics of this country dragged them into war, resulting in tragedies of maiming and death. We have a responsibility today; we must build a respectable country with trust and mutual understanding, where Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim unity is free from war conflicts. The NPP will build that respectable country. The rulers of this country were born from several mansions, and the local politicians were born from another group. For the first time in Sri Lanka, the power concentrated among a few small and corrupt families has come to be transferred to the ordinary people. That is why the election has been postponed.
Today, our country is not governed by representatives elected by the people. When our movement got a few votes in the recent elections, none of them thought we would become a big movement that would be a challenge to them. Today they have the power of the constitution, the cabinet and the parliament, but the power of the people belongs to the NPP. Retired Armed Forces Collective is a special group rallying with it.
There is respect and recognition for you in the society. Therefore, the people have great hope for you, who represent the NPP in various villages and towns. Fearing this situation, the government is trying to maintain their power by adopting various ordinances. They are trying to bring things like ‘Anti-Terrorism Act’ and ‘Broadcasting Authority Act’. But, for the first time in Sri Lanka, a clear division in politics in this country has now emerged. The society was divided according to Buddhists, Hindus, Catholic and Islam and also as Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims. Racism was used for power in the North, South and East. However, everyone in society is suffering from a lack of medicines, a lack of education for children and a loss of jobs.
For the first time in Sri Lanka, the ordinary people collectively rose up against the ruling class. The Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims at the bottom looked suspiciously at the rulers at the top. People who are oppressed and do not tolerate injustice have stood up against the ruling class that destroyed this country for seventy-five years, so a scary picture has been drawn before the ruling class. Because of this, they are trying to take this society into a racist and religious conflict again. It is now clear how the old channels act as whip crackers. When we were young, the Tambuttegama station master, the hospital doctor, and the surveying department engineers were Tamils. However, in nineteen eighty-three, some were terrorized by racist riots. Some people were killed. The rulers wanted racism to gain power and maintain their power. Prabhakaran was able to create suicide bombers because of that racism. The burning of the library in Jaffna, the loss of parliamentary seats to the TULF and the July riots created the womb for Prabhakaran to create suicide bombers. Even before the Easter attack, we saw various Islamic extremist activities as well as activities that claim to be against it. But, later, it was revealed that both of these groups received money from the same account. What is the guarantee that it is not so now?
The rulers created a big divide between Muslims and Sinhalese. Even schoolchildren were indoctrinated not to go to Muslim shops. We want a beautiful environment of Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim children studying together in school and clapping their hands together. Even a few centuries later, a black man became the President of America. A Sikh became the President of India. A person of Indian origin became the Prime Minister of England. In developed countries, they think about the country without being racist or religious. We must make a firm determination that our generation will not allow racism, whether in the North or the South. These rulers can never build the economy, democracy, establish the rule of law, and develop education. As such, they are trying to arouse the people by tickling people’s inner conscience and calling to save the Sinhalese and Buddhism. Ranil is trying to revive this destructive politics. In the past, Ranil continued to follow the related measures. Against it, the NPP is working with firm determination for national and religious harmony. Also, a significant role has been assigned to the retired tri-army collective.
Our country’s economy is in great danger. According to a recently released report, ninety-three per cent of the population of our country lives by mortgaging their belongings or otherwise, taking a loan from someone or selling a property or taking back money saved. It is not possible to live on a daily income. The ruling clique and their stooges are the remaining seven per cent who live without debt in this way. According to the Central Bank report, 68 per cent of the population is facing a food crisis. Similarly, forty per cent of people have cut their education expenses. Health expenses have been cut by another forty per cent. 500,000 who were active in the Employees’ Provident Fund have lost their jobs. It has come to the stage that small and medium enterprises have to auction their properties.
The ordinary people who do not need to be responsible for this disaster have become victims, and the creators of the disaster are getting away with it. When we see how gold thieves like Ali Sabri go free, we should be happy that this country has been spared to this extent. D. S. Senanayake’s son Dudley Senanayake contested for the Dadigama seat for the first time in 1936. There had been voter rigging even then. Their elitism is built on fraud and corruption that destroyed this country. Against that, the best group for building this country is gathered around the NPP.
In this country, not only the economy, security, shipping industry, and agriculture should be developed, but the people also need to be allowed to bring up their disposition. We need people with a sense of humour who will enjoy a work of art. Building a country means people’s collective spirit, respect for each other, and people who trust each other. There is a country where there is no protection for a child or a woman. A survey has revealed that seventy per cent of women who use public transport have been sexually assaulted once. Do you want a country like this where there is no protection for your daughter or sister? this situation cannot be changed by deploying police. Society should be virtuous. There was a safe situation in history where a virgin with gold jewellery could travel from Point Dendro to Point Pedro alone in a night.
. That protection was provided by society. It is the present-day politics that has brought the country to a situation where there is no law and no protection. To go ahead in the world, a society should have collective discipline. We should build a country with such a spirit and discipline. Without that, no matter how much economic growth there is, no matter how much higher education there is, it will not work. The NPP will build a country with such discipline.
The country that has fallen to the bottom of destruction can be recovered. This is a group of people who faced many dangers and overcame many challenges. Let us all come together and make sacrifices for a few years and build this country into one of the most developed countries in the world. We invite everyone to work with the beautiful thought that when we die, we have dedicated ourselves to build a beautiful country for our children.”
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