‘Get together to bring permanent peace’
Government should talk to all opposition groups in the near future in order to team up with them for the sake of the country, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said yesterday.
Mr. Wickremesinghe made this remark at the launch of his biography titled ‘Ranil Wickremesinghe a political biography’ authored by Dinesh Weerakody in Colombo last evening.
“Most of us in Parliament today had come to one stand. We have got together to bring permanent peace and development to this country, to regain the opportunities we lost as a result of the 30-year-old war. We need some kind of dialogue and cooperation among us. On this score we fielded Maithripala Sirisena as our common candidate. We fielded him and then formed a national government as the next step. If the two main parties could work together during the term of this government, it will be a great development for this country,” the Prime Minister said.
“We will be doing a great honour to our motherland if we talk to the Opposition leader and other parties in the opposition. Let us spend our time to perform this task,” he added.
He said Sri Lanka sees the opportunities in the Indian Ocean which is one of the richest regions. “Our region helped Europe to establish itself, all that is part of our history. It is now left for us in the present time to rebuild the Indian Ocean. There is much more scope for us to work with India to build in our present economic and technical cooperation agreement. There is nothing for Sri Lankans to fear. Our markets will not be taken over by India. It will be a win-win situation for both countries. Sri Lanka and other Bay of Bengal nations have a future,” he also said.
Minister of Health Dr. Rajitha Senaratne said Prime Minister Wickremesinghe is a person who is a mixture of both Royal College and the qualities of nationalism adopted by his father the late Esmond Wickremesinghe.
“Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is a person who never thought about nationalism by wearing the national costume like we the Anandians did but one who thought how to establish and maintain the Sri Lankan identity through the culture he learnt from Royal College,” Dr. Senaratne said.
Ven. Galboda Gnanissara Thera said Mr Wickremesinghe is a person who hails from eminent families. “The family of Wijewardenes and the family of Wickremesinghes who had played a pivotal role in building the nation,” he said.
Minister John Amaratunga who is the father-in-law of the author said the Prime Minister’s quality of patience is something which is less appreciated.