Chamber of Construction Industry writes to UN Secretary General

Saturday, 29 March 2014 00:23 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Letter expresses backing for Govt. and LLRC process

The Chamber of Construction Industry (CCI) in a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said it was backing the Government’s reconciliation measures via the LLRC process, which it said was the way forward.

Following is the full text of the CCI’s letter sent by its President Dr. Surath Wickramasinghe: The Chamber of Construction Industry (CCI), Sri Lanka, is the apex body of the construction industry comprising of allied institutes/associations, National Contractors Association, Sri Lanka, allied State agencies, and the manufacturers and suppliers of building materials. At its Council Meeting held recently, it noted that the Report prepared by Sri Lanka’s LLRC was undertaken to serve as the beacon for reconciliation between communities in an inclusive manner. Its multitude of recommendations have already been examined for implementation, while in parallel development is being undertaken to retrieve 30 years of lost opportunity. Consequently, the Council unanimously resolved to support the Sri Lanka Government in its efforts to bring peace and prosperity to the entire country and its people of all ages, income groups, races and religions. Sri Lanka has gone through a brutal civil conflict for almost 30 years, resulting in several thousands of innocent Sri Lankan lives being lost. We in Sri Lanka and the construction industry are in many ways supporting the Government to accelerate the development of the country’s post-conflict programs to enable all Sri Lankans to lead a quality life in a peaceful society. Against this backdrop, it is a fact that Sri Lanka is transiting from the war-ravaged nation. We are now on the threshold of a prosperous future for all Sri Lankans with social infrastructure taking place, together with progress in many sectors such as urban development, tourism, agriculture and industry to name a few, happening rapidly with local and foreign investment. In these circumstances, the Council of the CCI firmly believes that all issues encompassed within a genuine process of reconciliation require time and space. The key is to affirm the intent to undertake the process and not to derail its overall mission of nation building. Accordingly, external interventions through UN resolutions can undermine rather than complement Government’s thrust to lock into a timeframe of change for the betterment of all peoples of Sri Lanka. The Council of CCI is of the view that those nations sponsoring the Resolution at the UNHRC will take cognition of the ground reality and endeavour to make Sri Lanka a better and safer place for its citizens.