According to government media, President Mahinda said on the Independence Day “This is not a task confined to one individual or a party. Remember, the country would not benefit by trying to please selfish groups who receive foreign funds. Similarly, solutions cannot be obtained by implementing the proposals of extremist groups of whatever persuasion. What is required today is the formulation of policies based on a vision that is commonly applicable to the whole country. Ethnic communities have no separate regions. The entire country belongs to all ethnic communities. The Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission has stated that all are responsible for this problem. All those who act according to their conscience should take heed of this statement. Therefore, we have already started implementing what was in the Commission. The report was tabled in Parliament on December 17. Since then we have done a lot. Acting against public opinion using executive power is not democratic. We are committed to Parliamentary democracy as well as to the country’s law, independence of the judiciary and good governance. Sri Lanka is the Asian democratic state which has practiced universal suffrage without gender discrimination uninterrupted for the longest period. We are committed to defend the right to make and break governments through universal suffrage. We all know that Parliament representing people including
all parties, ethnic communities and religions is the supreme democratic institution. Therefore, we believe that the mechanism for solving the National Question is the Parliamentary Select Committee. It is the duty of all parties in the country to solve problems according to the people’s wishes by participating in this Parliamentary Select Committee rather than relying on imported solutions and utilizing foreign influences.”
