The challenge of an inclusive consensus - President Rajapaksa to Asian Mayors
[Sunday, November 26, 2006 - 12.00 GMT] 

"Urban Good Governance also calls for an 'inclusive' approach to the solving of urban problems. Most towns consist of a diversity of persons and groups. To most towns, people have migrated in the past from different parts of the local region, bringing with them their own traditions and cultural practices. Many towns are multi - ethnic, multi - religious and multi - cultural in nature. They are also invariably stratified according to economic grade and class. Urban populations are also known to belong to different political persuasions," said President Mahinda Rajapaksa, in his keynote address as Chief Guest of the First Asian Mayors" Conference at Dehradun, India, today (Sunday, November 26, 2006).
 
President Rajapaksa said: "The challenge before you is to craft an 'inclusive' approach through which all these diverse groups can join together, work together, trust each other with a policy of 'give and take', and evolve a positive consensus on the vital issues faced by their cities and towns. I admit this is not easy. I admit the process is slow and it takes time and great effort to achieve. But if the solutions to your urban problems are to be sustainable in the long run, such an inclusive process of consensus building is absolutely essential. "
 
"This is exactly what my government has been doing in Sri Lanka in the last 12 months, not with regard to urban problems as such but with regard to our national problem. The basic principles of Good Governance are the same, whether it concerned towns and cities or whether it concerns entire nations. In our country we are crafting an all-party approach to our national problem with great success. We have an All Party Conference, an All Party Representative Committee and finally a Memorandum of Understanding between the Government and the Main Opposition Party to work towards a consensus on the solution to our ethnic problem: A solution that will sustain itself with all political groups including all the Tamil groups in the country. As you know we have several democratic Tamil parties representing the Tamil people, and also one terrorist group called the LTTE."
 
Full text of President Rajapaksa's address to the First Asian Mayors' Conference, organized by the All India Council of Mayors.
 
 

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Last Updated Date: November 26, 2006 -12.00 GMT