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President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday praised Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera, for his defence of democratic ideals and work for three decades to enhance freedoms and promote reconciliation.
The event to mark Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera’s three decades in Parliament was held at the BMICH. Titled “Daring to Dream,” the ceremony saw the attendance of politicians from both sides of the divide, and recapped pivotal moments in Samaraweera’s political career.
President Maithripala Sirisena recalled entering Parliament for the first time with Samaraweera into the Opposition. He noted that it was a time of close camaraderie that had lasted for decades.
“I always think that a Parliamentarian should be elected to the Opposition as Samaraweera and I were, because that is when one really learns the business of being a politician, and becomes versed in political survival. It is the best way to forge a resilient politician, and that is what Mr Mangala Samaraweera has proved to be,” he said.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, speaking in his turn, praised Samaraweera for always standing for patriotism, reconciliation, inclusion, and equality. “He always championed these ideals within the UNP. This is why I welcomed him into the party all those years ago. This was often a difficult task. In 2015, when he was appointed as the Foreign Minister, he worked extremely hard to regain the lost respect for Sri Lanka. He worked to protect the sovereignty of this country, and now he is engaged in developing the country as Finance Minister.”
Wickremesinghe humorously noted that it was timely for Samaraweera to hold his celebrations before the Budget, when most people still entertained sentiments of goodwill towards him.
“I don’t know what people will say about him after 5 March,” he said, to laughter from the audience. Wickremesinghe wished Samaraweera well, and expressed hope for him to continue a successful political career.
“Most of us have the same dream: that of making Sri Lanka a prosperous and peaceful nation. That is what we are unified in achieving,” he added.
Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera, speaking of his experiences, spoke extensively of how he was invited to join politics by the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), and how becoming the organizer for Matara kicked off his political career. Minister Samaraweera also thanked this constituents for standing by him for three decades, and having confidence in him to consistently be their representative. He recalled that during the start of his political career, many people supported him simply because of his mother, and many still refer to him as “Khema’s boy,” which he said he was proud to be.
“The game changer in my political life was of course Chandrika Kumaratunga, who brought hope and change to a moribund political party. Chandrika Kumaratunga perhaps was the first politician to dare talk about a “federal solution” to the ongoing conflict, and win a landslide in exclusively Sinhala electorates of the Deep South in Provincial Elections. She embraced a market economy, and revived the reformist agenda that slowed down after the war started. The privatization of Sri Lanka Telecom in 1997 is still considered a textbook example of privatization in a developing country. I was also happy to have been given the opportunity to beautify and re-develop Colombo. Those projects have now paved the way for Colombo to transform itself into one of the most beautiful and liveable cities in Asia.”
“In 1997, a Sudu Nelum movement was launched as a grassroots campaign, about the need for a negotiated settlement if a lasting and durable peace was to be achieved. The highlight of the campaign was the book and brick campaign to rebuild the Jaffna library, and it still remains a source of personal pride to me that the library was completely restored by a committee co-chaired by the late Lakshman Kadirgamar and myself.”
Samaraweera touched lightly upon the series of events that led him to leave the SLFP, but noted that he still considered Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa as a “political friend.”
“After a period of not daring to dream, it was in 2010 that I entered the UNP and entered the premises of Sirikotha for the first time in my life. Despite having said some pretty rude things about its leader over the years, Ranil Wickremesinghe welcomed me graciously and warmly to the Grand Old Party. This made me feel that I have come home at last. In the UNP today, I have found an inspiring leader, and a team who share many of my political beliefs and values. In the UNP, I have also found a party where I could dare to dream. With the ascendency of President Sirisena in 2015, after what I call the rainbow revolution, the country got an unprecedented chance to fulfil our dreams that have eluded us for decades. It is to President Sirisena’s credit that he trimmed many of his Executive powers down himself, and during the last four years, Sri Lanka has restored its democratic credentials, established the rule of law, and elevated the reconciliation process to become a top most priority.”
Even though Sri Lanka has had its ups and downs, Samaraweera insisted that he remained committed to fighting for democracy, as well as the liberal ideals he has believed in through the years. He expressed hope that Sri Lanka could continue to work on reaching its potential.
“Despite setbacks from time to time, Sri Lanka continues to build a new future for her people, based on the fundamentals of democracy, reconciliation and development. The recent 51-day constitutional crisis also demonstrated to the country and the world the independence of our Legislature and Judiciary, and that Sri Lanka has now become a mature, stable democracy. After 30 years in Parliament, I would be lying if I said I have no regrets and disappointments. It is natural to feel disappointed, but also important not to lose hope, not to become cynical, not to stop dreaming of a better, brighter future, and always remain resolute in achieving progress. All of us politicians and non-politicians alike have a responsibility to make our nation a better place to live in, and keep working with determination to ensure the realization of our dream for our nation; a peaceful, stable, reconciled and prosperous Sri Lanka for all, where the dignity of each and every individual is upheld.”
