COLOMBO: Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has minced no words in his policy statement to the parliament at its inaugural opening for the 2020 year. One key point stated by him is that Sri Lanka will never allow other countries to take the island nation’s “economically significant geographic regions or physical resources.”

The other is declaring a categorical no to the Lankan Tamil expectation of a federal type system in place of the present unitary system of the constitution.

Delivering his first-ever address to parliament on Friday after winning the presidential election on Nov 16, the president’s remarks are extremely significant in the context of world and regional powers wanting parts of Sri Lanka’s strategic assets, and in the domestic front — the unsolved issue of Lankan Tamils still clamouring for a federal type power devolving solution as a means of post war long ethnic reconciliation.

What President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has promised instead in his policy statement is economic equality, urging all people of Sri Lanka to unite and contribute to the development of the country.

“In accordance with our Constitution, I pledge that during my term of office, I will always defend the unitary status of our country, and protect and nurture the Buddha Sasana whilst safeguarding the right of all citizens to practice a religion of their choice,” President Gotabaya Rajapaksa asserted.

Explaining his vision for a united country President Gotabaya Rajapaksa further said: “It is my aspiration to ensure that the Sri Lankan people will become a proud people with a global standing. We can overcome all the obstacles in our path to reaching that goal if we unite as a nation.”

“Our country’s unique position has resulted in considerable attention being given towards Sri Lanka in global geopolitics in recent times. We follow a neutral foreign policy. We must strive to maintain friendly relations with every country. However, we can never give up our independence.

We must establish an honorable governance that will allow this country to maintain its sovereignty, security, national pride, and deal with all nations on equal terms, without demonstrating weakness in our diplomatic or trading relationships,” the president said.

Published in Dawn, January 5th, 2020