It was the Independence Day of Sri Lanka today and it was celebrated by the people in a happy state of mind without fear of violence. For many years, such anniversaries were celebrated with a lot of tension because of fear of possible attacks by Tamil Tiger Rebels. The rebellion was crushed completely a few months ago. President, Mahinda Rajapaksa has called for national unity and reconciliation.
President Mahinda Rajapakse said, "The freedom from colonial rule that we gained 62 years ago is now more meaningful because we have been liberated from the forces of separatist terror that marred our freedom for nearly half that period.
It is necessary that we give priority to the tasks of national reconciliation and the building of trust among all sections of our people.
We are entering into a new era of co-existence after finishing the period of some controversy. I would like to say that we are now entering the golden era of international relations."
I am not that much hopeful for two reasons. First of all, after the civil war ended, there has not been any major initiative from Sri Lankan government to improve the condition of the Tamil community. So, the grievance among the people belonging to Tamil community is not going to disappear.
Secondly, Mahinda Rajapaksa was elected in a way in the election that caused a lot of bitter feeling among the opposition parties. So, the president not only has to win the heart of the Tamil people but also he will have to find a way to make good relationship with the opposition supporters.
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