We propose a centre for building a modern Sri Lanka –Anura Dissanayake
“Some people ask us who will be appointed to the cabinet. In the old days, the appointed minister had to tie everything up and carry on. But, what we want is to establish collective decision-making units consisting of a board having experience and knowledge in all fields of that subject, which conducts research collectively, even if the minister is appointed according to the constitution. It is the same in all subjects, including security. We are not national security experts. However, there are experts on this platform. They are the ones who make decisions about it.
On the other hand, national security is not about placing a soldier with a bayonet at a junction. The whole surrounding has to reflect the lives of the citizens. Therefore, instead of keeping the old system in mind and asking us questions, we ask the journalists to imagine a picture of a new transformation and ask questions.
We propose a centre for building a modern Sri Lanka. We propose not only an economic journey. It is also about a new transformation of human thinking. The National People’s Power leader Anura Dissanayake emphasizes.
He emphasized this while addressing the ‘Aditana’ Kandy District Conference of the National People’s Power Tri-Forces Collective held in Kandy on 24th February.
He said, “We work in different professions. School teachers, university professors, people in business, lawyers, etc., and here is a group of people who have chosen a unique profession despite the brutal war. Therefore, you are a special group of people. Even if you did perform your professional role properly, what remains today is a state in which everything has collapsed. Therefore, what is in front of us is not a case of bringing Kiriella’s daughter instead of Kiriella. It’s not like replacing Rajapakse with Rajapaksa’s brother or son. There is a need for the action of a group of people who intervene with sincerity to build this country. As a country, we have gone wrong in many places. When India gained independence, their national movement had a progressive vision for building the country. There was a grand vision of bringing a people divided by religion, race, and language under one Indian flag. Where is our country when compared with India? It was built according to that visio and now has been able to land a craft on the moon. They have built a great literary and cultural awakening. Even with China, it is. From the creation of toys to the production of large technical equipment, it acquired great power in the world market. Vietnam, which was subject to France and suffered the American invasion, has recently become the fastest developing country in Asia. But our country is like a shameful, bankrupt state in front of the world. Even though the twentieth century brought great revolutions through technology and education, what has our country gained?
There must have been a great feeling among our people when they got freedom after the British, who brought the nation under one flag like India, declared independence. However, our rulers did not have the big vision that Nehru had about the direction of India, or Mao Zedong about the direction of China or Ho Chi Ming about the direction of Vietnam, and Lincoln about the direction of the United States. As soon as independence was declared in 1948, the citizenship of the plantation Tamils was abolished.
Chelvanayagam in the north intervened and established the Tamil State Party only after this Citizenship Act was implemented. Our leaders had the vision of dividing the people and not uniting them under one flag. In 1956, a language issue was raised. In 1958, a Tamil-Sinhalese riot broke out. By 1965, ‘Dudlige Bade Masala Vade’ parade was unleashed. In 1976, a separatist movement began to build in the north.
In 1981, the Jaffna library was set on fire. In 1983, racial conflicts started all over the country and led to a brutal war. The war ended in 2009. But, by 2015, sterile garments, sterile pillows and sterile koththu surfaced and ended in the Easter attack in 2019. However, there have been various groups that were having broad discussions about the direction to take our country, literature, art and culture. In 1919, Mr Wimalasurendra presented facts with a vision about the electrification of the country, on which Sri Lanka’s progress depended. In 1918, a journalist asked Lenin when Socialism would be completed. Lenin replied that it would be on the day the Soviet Union was fully electrified. Mr Wimalasurendra’s paper about the Lakshapana power plant in 1919 stated that excess electricity should be used to run electric trains. He had an idea about the direction our future should take. Mr Wimalasurendra, Mr Martin Wickramasinghe, Mr Sarachchandra, Dr. Senaka Bibile had visions about the direction to take our country. According to the vision of Dr Senaka Bibile, who was the chairman of the Pharmaceutical Corporation, countries like Australia prepared their national pharmaceutical standards. But, in our country, Mr. Senaka Bibile was thrown out of the pharmaceutical corporation. The rulers who had put aside the new thought that had been created were reminiscing about the past.
Our entire society and thinking were trapped in the past. The rulers started to measure the development criteria of the country based on the past. But the world moved on by leaps and bounds. In 2005, Ranil Wickremasinghe said that our country would be taken back to an era of Parakrimabahu. As the world progressed in leaps and bounds towards the future, the leaders of our country were repeating the grandeur of the past.
Korea has opened up to the world by providing cosmetics and entertainment. Some of the songs of the BTS have been viewed eighteen hundred million times. The country has a population of fifty million. In the past, our folk songs did not go beyond the limit to reach commercial limits. While those guys made music for the world, we were stuck in the past and the rulers who missed the 20th century locked up the country.
That is why we need a new Renaissance era. Therefore, replacing Kiriella with a daughter, Premadasa with a son, and Rajapakse with a brother or a son cannot bring a change. Those guys climb to the bullock cart. We are creating a new era in which we will bring this country and the people of this country to the electric train. Human relations have been broken in Japan’s economy-oriented development. The percentage of marriage is decreasing, and the rate of suicide is increasing. Even if the economy takes a leap, there is no point if social relations deteriorate. We want to get rid of the old yoke, the failed economic path and transform society in a new direction.
Some people ask us who will be appointed to the cabinet. In the old days, the appointing minister had to tie everything up and take it. But, we want to establish collective decision-making units consisting of a board on all fields related to agriculture, which conduct research collectively, even if a minister is appointed according to the constitution. Security is the same. We are not national security experts. However, there are experts on this platform. They are the ones who make decisions about it. On the other hand, national security is not about placing a soldier with a bayonet at a junction. The whole surrounding is to reflect the lives of the citizens. Therefore, instead of asking us questions by keeping the old story in mind, we ask the journalists to imagine a film about a new transformation and ask questions. We propose a center for building a modern Sri Lanka. We propose not only an economic journey. It is also about a new transformation of human thinking. In relation to the existing public service, we propose a public service that has been transformed in thought. How many somersaults did the leaders in the old place make? Instead of that failure, we propose a new awakening! That new place is not a place where the politician hides in fear of the people but a place where there is a close relationship between the politician and the people. The rulers of the past thought that they were created from the forehead of the great Brahma and citizens from the soles of his feet.
What we propose is a new politics that feels the pain of the citizens as their own pain. We propose a new economic path of a human society with collectivity, human bonds, spiritual bonds, compassion for others. A society with protection for our daughters and women. Our Comrade Amarakirti said, our females are afraid of the uniform. But are our daughters and sisters only afraid of uniforms? No,. They are scared of the society as well. We need a friendly police and armed forces as well as a compassionate society. Do we want a country where the Minister of Health steals medicine and the Prime Minister robs the Central Bank? We need a new Renaissance era instead of this destruction.
How happy our elders must have been when the British left? When this ruling regime is overthrown, the same feeling will create a great awakening and hope for the people. The British were here for 133 years. These rulers have been ruling for 76 years. We did not feel the pressure of the white man. However, we experienced the pressure of these rulers. By the month of October, we will enjoy the joy of being free from them. By driving out these rulers and overthrowing the regime, the people will come forward to build the country with a great awakening. Although we have not been able to get the knowledge and expertise of scientists and researchers born on this land, there are a large number of our people who are important to the world. They are ready to come back. Dr. Gomika, who conducts research on finding a new drug for cancer, is based in Houston, America. He is the organizer of our party for that area. He is a member of the main board for research in the United States. They are ready to return and struggle to build this country. Our primary responsibility as politicians is to act in such a way that the trust of all those people will not be harmed. We will transform the groups that did not trust us during the election to trust us afterwards. You who have gathered here are determined to work, overcome the challenges and take up the flag to win the Kandy district. It took more than thirty years to end the war. There are only six months left to end this war. It is time you come to the front with a firm determination to win. We invite you to perform this task.”
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