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Celebrations to mark 8th anniversary of presidency PM and Ministers keep away by Dilanthi Jayamanne November 13 Island: Celebrations to mark the eighth anniversary of President Chandrika Kumaratunga took place at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday without Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, his ministers and government parliamentarians with the exception of CWC’s Housing and Plantation Infrastructure Minister Arumugam Thondaman and R. Yogarajan. However, Opposition MPs, members of the clergy and ambassadors were present at the ceremony which lasted for about two hours. The JVP which opposes the Executive Presidency was also not represented at yesterday’s ceremony. The President who arrived on time in a motorcade was given a red carpet welcome by the service personnel who then ushered her to the secretariat premises to hoist the national flag. With the Sri Lankan flag fluttering in the winds from the Indian Ocean, President Kumaratunga was ushered to a dais from where she was presented 21-gun salute and the guard of honour by the Army, Navy and the Air Force. She was escorted to the chambers by Army Chief Lionel Balagalle, Air Marshal Donald Perera, Navy Chief Vice Admiral Daya Sandagiri and Inspector General of Police Anandarajah. The President then addressed the nation during which she thanked the people for giving her massive mandates. "I presented a vision for governance and economic development to the country within a month of assuming office in 1994," she said. Kumaratunga said that the vision had consisted in enlightened government, which cared for all its people "giving leadership to a modern, rational, efficient and truly free market economy with a human face." The President proposed the "abolition of the Executive Presidency , together with democratisation and rationalisation of the electoral system. She pointed out that the new electoral system should be one that protected the interests of minority communities, one which reflected the mandate given by the people. "I propose a system which would be a mix of ‘first past the post’ model and the proportional system." She claimed that the details of such a system had already been drawn and that they were under discussion in a Committee of Parliament. Former PA Ministers, PA MP, the Ven. Baddegama Samitha and members of the medical profession were seated in the former press gallery. (12/11/02 go2lanka.com) |