President’s National New Year message - 2005
[April 13, 2005 - 8.00 GMT]

Today is our National New Year. It is a joyous festival and one that is steeped in tradition. This year we observe our National New Year in environs completely different from what we have been used to all these past years. A little over three months have gone by after the worst ever national disaster in our living memory.

Perhaps it is not a fitting time to celebrate, after around forty thousand of our countrymen lost their lives and several lost their livelihoods in the tidal waves. The catastrophe in December last year destroyed our national wealth and property worth billions.

We cannot however continue to lament and live in anguish. Let us resolve to make this New Year, one of determination to rebuild and to restore peace and prosperity.

The Sri Lankan New Year is common to both the Sinhalese and the Tamil people. In that sense it is not a Sinhala or a Hindu New Year but a National New Year. Our Sinhala and Tamil communities are trussed by a common cultural heritage. To forget and forgive and to ask for forgiveness is a noble New Year tradition nurtured by our forefathers.

Let us on this New Year day shed all differences and resolve to re-build the nation in unity. The tsunami perhaps was a silver lining in a dark cloud. It has given rise to a new situation where the Sinhala and Tamil people, followers of all religions Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam can unite and work together.

The proposed joint mechanism to provide aid to the people of the North and East would be a foundation to find a final solution to the protracted national conflict.

This New Year dawns just when the UPFA government has completed its first year of governance. The Alliance government assumed office in 2004 with great aspirations in every quarter for a better Sri Lanka. We have now laid the foundation for a new cultural and socio-economic pattern and to usher in social equality. Much remains to be done to take the country forward.

I wish you all strength, courage and enlightened thoughts, to achieve our cherished dreams during this New Year.

I wish you all a happy New Year!

Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga

 PRINT THIS STORY

Contact Information: Send mail to gosl@presidentsl.org with questions or comments about this web site. 
Last Updated Date: April 13, 2005 - 8.00 GMT