The Hon. (Snr. Prof.) Sena Nanayakkara

¶ 01 Madam Deputy Chairperson of Committees, at the outset, I express my happiness that the people of the historic Anuradhapura district have elected seven of us as their Representatives to this Parliament. I offer my gratitude to those people. I also extend my respects to the 6,863,186 people of this country who endorsed the National People’s Power (NPP) with a resounding majority of 61.56 percent — a truly remarkable victory.

¶ 02 This is a very special victory. For decades our politics oscillated every five years between blue and green, trapped in a conventional, traditional, ossified political cycle. The people aspired to a new economic, social, cultural and political freshness — and that is why this victory is significant. For 76 years, indeed through three quarters of a century, our people understood the precipice into which this country had fallen, and won this victory. Therefore it is not a trivial win. While some dear colleagues in the Opposition appear keen to belittle the weight of this victory — as we saw yesterday and again this morning with the behaviour of certain new Members who entered this Chamber — we are saddened by such displays.

¶ 03 In truth, what is before us for debate is the national policy statement presented by our President of the NPP on the 21st. Yet, some did not focus on that statement. A national policy statement — the charter that guides a country’s economic, social, cultural and political direction — is crucial. Instead of discussing it, certain persons dredged up their habitual, long-clutched animosities. I believe such tendencies have been at the root of our national decline. This is a truth political leaders must accept and understand.

¶ 04 The NPP achieved this great victory because we proposed to forget the past and, for the future, to formulate policies anew — to bury the old refuse. That is why the public responded with such affection.

¶ 05 Dear friends, I am reminded of Victor Jara who, even while brutally tortured and with his fingers wounded, prepared to strum his guitar and sing songs of liberation. He said, “Listen, comrades, do not say this is over; this is the time to throw the trash into the dustbin of history.” Let us indeed forget and let go of that past. Government and Opposition are not two opposing peoples. Let us all come together to rebuild our country and its future. As the NPP in Government, we invite you to join us.

¶ 06 Madam Deputy Chairperson, let me turn to our policy statement. A key element emphasized by our President Anura Dissanayake is ending poverty and creating a fulfilled human being in this country. Our people are in deep hardship. For centuries, they have been unable to achieve their aspirations, leading lives akin to the four great hells, deprived even of cultural life and rights as cultural beings.

¶ 07 In Anuradhapura and the Rajarata, as we travel beyond the urban areas to distant villages, we see houses roofed with straw or tin sheets, and people leading lives crushed by sorrow. Farmers who have poured their sweat into fields are themselves worn down. Do these people not deserve life? Comrade Anura Dissanayake has brought these realities to the fore in his presidential policy statement. We must uplift fundamental rights and dignity for ordinary people. Political leaders and state policy must show love and humanity to them — a quality absent for 76 years, during which politicians, once elected, trampled their promises and tended to their own dynasties. We must discard that traditional politics, halt it, and create a truly cultured human being.

¶ 08 Speaking of cultural affairs, there is a saying: “Without literature, music and art, man is but a beast with horns.” A person devoid of music, literature, art and drama becomes diminished. Our people’s inheritance must be to become cultured and humane. In our national policy, we have set out the tasks for the Ministry and Department of Cultural Affairs and related institutions to build such a person.

¶ 09 We propose multi-functional cultural centres across the country — at Divisional Secretariat, electorate and district levels — to elevate people’s aesthetic appreciation and shape a truly humane citizen.

¶ 10 Our President also stated that under this national policy we will not retreat until these tasks are fulfilled. I emphasize that.

¶ 11 Thank you, Madam Deputy Chairperson.