Inagurating the second session of the 9th parliament this morning (18), he assured the government has not supported rights violations.
"We will also not leave room for any such act in the future. We do not condone such actions in any manner."
Citing history, he said for almost three decades, nearly all sections of the community suffered due to terrorism. and in 2009, terrorism was defeated and peace was restored.
"What we need now, however, is to set aside the dark memories of the past and build a secure country where all sections of the community can co-exist in peace. We must all unite for this purpose, irrespective of ethnic, religious or political differences."
The government rejects racism and wants to safeguard the dignity and rights of every citizen in a uniform manner, president Rajapaksa said.
He urged politicians who continue to incite people against each other for narrow political gains to stop doing so.
"I took action recently to pardon and release a group of LTTE members who have been in detention over a long period of time. We are also preparing to make relevant amendments to the Prevention of Terrorism Act that had been in force since 1978."
No change to green agriculture policy
President Rajapaksa went onto say that no change has been made to the government’s policy towards green agriculture.
He said there were a few issues when implementing the policy for non-toxic green agriculture due to a misunderstanding in the government's objective and plan as it was not properly communicated.
Further, some practical issues in introducing the programme were politicized.
He said the broad concept of green agriculture which was sometimes narrowed down to organic fertilizers even by responsible authorities led to the spread of misconceptions.
The head of state admitted that as some decisions led to public hardships, the government had to make some changes to them.
"Therefore, we hope to rectify the shortcomings and take forward these policies in a more productive manner," he said, asserting that his ultimate goal is to introduce modern technology to achieve higher productivity in agriculture, and to promote the use of bio-fertilizers in order to create an international market for non-toxic agricultural produce.
Through this, the economy of the people who are engaged in agriculture and who provide subsidiary services can be strengthened.
"In this manner, we hope to make a strong contribution to the future economic development process in Sri Lanka," he added.(ceylontoday)
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