Ethnic harmony vital for country’s progress: Basil
Thursday, 26 June 2014 00:00
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All communities should act with patience and responsibility at a time when the country is marching towards development after a ending a 30 year war against terrorism, stressed Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa, yesterday.
He said this in the presence of a large gathering when he laid the foundation stone for the building of a Mahindodaya Technology Faculty at the Al-Mubarak National School, Malwana, Biyagama.
If peace and harmony among communities are not achieved it would result in economic collapse, giving certain countries the opportunity to destabilise Sri Lanka by creating ethnic and religious divisions, he added. Therefore it is necessary for everyone to ensure that peace and harmony among communities is not threatened, he emphasised.
The Government is spending Rs. 65 million each for the construction of 250 Mahindodaya technology faculties throughout the island. Parallel to the foundation stone laying at the Al-Mubarak National School, Minister Rajapaksa also laid foundation stones for the building of technology faculties at the madhya maha vidyalayas of Biyagama, Kirindiwela, Henegama and Kirllawala and the maha vidyalayas of Batuwatte Ja-ela and Divulapitiya and Ratnawali of Gampaha, Gnanodaya of Divulapitiya and D.S. Senanayake of Mirigama on 23 and 24 June.
Speaking further, the Minister said that every community – Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim – suffered in the 30 year brutal war during which 300,000 Muslims were chased away from the Northern and Eastern Provinces. He recalled that LTTE terrorists had killed in cold blood Muslim devotees who were praying at the Kaththankudi mosque. The war had pushed the country towards a precipice and education had been crippled. Today peace has dawned and many problems have been resolved.
The Minister pointed out that the Government aimed at building Mahindodaya faculties in 1,000 schools in the country to impart new knowledge gained through the advancement of science and technology in the world.
Among the others who spoke were Disaster Management Deputy Minister Dulip Wijesekera and Al-Mubarak National School Principal M.T.M. Hamza. Those who attended the ceremony included Negombo High Court Judge M.M.A. Gafoor and Deputy Director of Information Hassan Ali.
