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“Let’s show the world we can rise united through any disaster,” President
Alladin Hussein in Colombo,
January 1, 2005, 7.33 p.m..
President Chandrika Kumaratunga in her New Year message today called upon all Sri Lankans to sink all man-made barriers of ethnicity, religion, class and caste and unite to rebuild a single nation and show the outside world that Sri Lanka is capable of rising united to face any calamity and emerge victorious.
“The year 2005 dawns at a time when our nation is experiencing the aftermath of a tremendous disaster, unprecedented in the annals of our history. The year 2004 ends proving to us all one prime truth, we are at the mercy of the mighty forces of nature,” she pointed out. .
However we should understand the message cloaked in this cruel act of Nature. The loud message is that man should not be confined to boundaries of race, religion, class and caste. Nature metes out even treatment to all. At this moment we are humbled by this natural calamity. The determination of every Sri Lankan to raise their heads through tears and sorrow is laudable. Let the dawn of 2005 give us strength and courage to face the challenges posed by this natural disaster, she said.
She also said, “Let us give serious thought to creating a new environment suitable for all communities and religious groups to live in a united Sri Lanka, as one nation, with equal rights, while preserving our individual identities. If wisdom prevails and all political parties grasp this reality, we Sri Lankans could live in a united Sri Lanka. Let us learn from this disastrous experience and unite to build a new nation.”
Published: Sat Jan 1 08:34:34 EST 2005
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