Glittering national flags and parades will salute the nation today at the Galle Face Green and elsewhere in the country as Sri Lanka celebrates her 71st Independence Day commemorating the country’s split from British rule on February 04, 1948.
The President will raise the national flag to commence the Independence Day celebrations and deliver the Independence Day Address to the Nation from the Galle Face Green. The event will be held under the patronage of President, Prime Minister in the presence of the people.
The prime objective of all Sri Lankans is to collectively commit to achieve the true meaning of the freedom obtained with a new vision and renewed vigour; but this has not been possible in a country that is still corrupted and with majority of the people in poverty.
The people as a nation expected at independence 71 years ago for a political socio-economic and cultural forward march with a unique national identify; but that never happened as rulers with a biased constitution that favoured the majority community kept out the minority communities, that prevented progress to be made among people with spirits invigorated by national customs values and culture.
To establish own national identity from the beginning, the rulers should have ruled the whole country as one nation for which the minorities were ready, to build the economy on the foundation of agriculture; instead the greedy rulers used it to divide communities. Thus the common enemies of the progress of national revival were poverty and corruption. If the country is to get out of its present mess, the rulers must first resolve to eradicate these evils completely.
The Sri Lanka flag was officially adopted on December 17, 1978, the gold lion with the sword is said to represent authority with the leaves are the Buddhist symbols, with the orange represents Hindus and the green represents Muslims, thus acknowledging the multi-ethnic and multi-religious composition of Sri Lanka.
All leaders of political parties must first learn and respect the multi-ethnic and multi-religious composition of Sri Lanka in it, before hoisting the Sri Lankan flag today and then together march forward with courage to eradicate corruption first that would then rid of poverty to move towards accomplishing the ultimate goals of independence a multi ethnic and multi-religious nation enjoying peace and prosperity.
Northern Breeze 