Our cricket team fronts up:”we are Sri Lankan”, that is very good — word for word from KP

“A basic structure is already in place and the Defence Secretary already has it planned out, focusing on the Sri Lankan identity and equal status for all people living in Sri Lanka. When I watched the cricket match the other day I saw the Sri Lankan cricket team say ‘we are Sri Lankan’, that is very good.”  

 …. extract from KP’s [Kumaran Pathmanathan] response to this question from Udeshi Amarasinghe |of Businesstoday.lk during Q and A session reproduced in http://www.lankanewsweb.com/

SEE www.thuppahi.wordpress.com for full interview

How can we build trust among the various communities?

This will take a little time. We should organise some projects and have a master plan. We have to build trust. For example in Thailand they had a problem in the South but they built the trust and they started working together in the community. The same thing happened in Malaysia and Singapore.

A basic structure is already in place and the Defence Secretary already has it planned out, focusing on the Sri Lankan identity and equal status for all people living in Sri Lanka. When I watched the cricket match the other day I saw the Sri Lankan cricket team say ‘we are Sri Lankan’ that is very good. I saw this same move in Malaysia and it is very good.

Rebuilding and unity, that is my dream as well. Every community should unite, be one – we are Sri Lanka. The Defence Secretary has already initiated the project and started work and we will continue that. That is why I have asked the third generation to come to Sri Lanka. That is why I want them to meet Sinhalese students and exchange their views. This is the way we can rebuild our lives.

I must say one thing, the media thinks only about the negative factor. We can write the positive aspect as well because that is also journalism. The media should tell the truth and positive things to the public. What is going on in the Wanni is a positive thing. When there is a problem then we can sit and discuss and solve whatever problems. No need to focus only on the negative aspects. You cannot have it 100 percent perfect everywhere. If we think of what is best for the country we can make up our mind. Everyone has a duty, political party and the media. They focus only on the small things. They do not think that the people are working very hard 24 hours a day, how they are helping the people and doing good for the country.

A basic structure is already in place and the Defence Secretary already has it planned out, focusing on the Sri Lankan identity and equal status for all people living in Sri Lanka. When I watched the cricket match the other day I saw the Sri Lankan cricket team say ‘we are Sri Lankan’, that is very good.

To build the economy we need stability. Foreign investment should come, because without foreign investment there would be no economic development. Foreign investment will come if the country is stable. The country is stable now because the war is over. Now every party needs to work for the people under the leadership of the President. I mean all communities are already living together in other parts of the country. It is for the country’s benefit. The people have been suffering for a long time. I feel everybody should work together. I am not involved in politics but I feel that the country and the people should be happy.