2012 declared as the Year for Trilingual Sri Lanka

President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Saturday declared 2012 as the Year for a Trilingual Sri Lanka.

Former Indian President Dr. Abdul Kalam was the chief guest at the launch of 10-year National Action Plan and the declaration of 2012 as the Year of Trilingual Sri Lanka held at Temple Trees.

Delivering the welcome speech Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga said as bridges link islands, it is the vision of President Rajapaksa to make use of the language to bring together different communities.

Speaking at the occasion, the former Indian President said removal of poverty, hunger and pain from diseases are some of the practical aspects of life which provide ground for nobility to arise in society and people and this will need a development agenda based on the core competence of the nation and its entire different people.

When different societies come together to build a cohesive social system and a nation, it is necessary to ensure that benefits of development encompass all sections of the society which comprise the nation, he said adding world over, poverty, illiteracy, unemployment and deprivation are participating into the forces of strife, anger and violence.

“These forces link themselves to some earlier real or perceived historical enmities, tyrannies, injustice inequities, ethnic issues and religious fundamentalism flowing into an outburst of extremism worldwide,” the former Indian President added.

Both India and Sri Lanka have witnesses and are witnessing such various acts. We have to address ourselves to the root causes of such phenomena for finding lasting solutions for promoting peace.

We also need to minimise damages from natural disaster and risks from manmade industry and activities. These give basic human security to enable people not to hate others and not be jealous of others. For this transformation to take place, we have to replace the urge of “What Can I Take” with the spirit of “What Can I Give,” Dr. Kalam further said.