SL President vows to unite major political parties

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 November 2003, 18:06 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge Saturday said she would try her best to unite the two major political parties, Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the United National Party (UNP) despite challenges. "I have set aside my personal objective and undertaken the task of uniting the two major political parties for national well-being," said Ms.Kumaratunge addressing a meeting at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) Saturday.

The meeting was held to honour the teachers rendered immense service to the educational development, sources said.

She said she would work for a united Sri Lanka amid allegations leveled against her by opponents. She appealed to all to extend wholehearted support for her endeavor. Responsible persons should not think in terms of collecting votes in the future. Instead they must extend their co-operation to build a nation free of corruption, violence and other malpractices, she said.

She alleged that the current government has halved the financial allocation for educational development of the country. Hence the standard of education in the country has gone down badly. The government should take immediate steps arrest this trend, she said.