Sri Lanka celebrates the 63rd anniversary of her independence on 4th February 2011 with high expectations of a bright future for the country. After defeating terrorism that disrupted the lives of the people and slowed down the pace of development of the country for nearly three decades, we have now brought peace and stability to the country.
The Government has established normalcy in the North and East of the country by resettling almost all the displaced persons; rebuilding their houses, rehabilitating their villages and restoring their livelihood.
Many infrastructure projects in these districts have been completed and there are many projects which are underway. These efforts would bring speedy growth and development to these areas. The South of the country too witnesses unprecedented economic growth and development through implementation of many mega projects. Some are already completed and some are underway.
The country could now boast of annual average GDP growth rate of 8% and per capita income of US $2053 which are higher indicators of growth as compared to those of some of our neighbours. We are hopeful that the country would progress further with the full implementation of the pragmatic policies spelt out in Mahinda Chintanaya.
The temporary set-backs the country may face on account of natural disasters such as floods, landslides and drought etc could be easily overcome through co-operative effort, unity and resilience of our people. The peace and stability which is now well established in the country should be further strengthened to achieve speedy social and economic advancement of our people.
For full realisation of this objective, the people of our different communities should be united and work together as one nation. On this happy occasion of the Independence Day, may we all Sri Lankans firmly resolve to work together with unity, peace and harmony to build a happy and prosperous Nation.