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‘We wouldn’t have spent 30 years of our lives fighting a war if we had right leaders and intellectuals’

Published

6 years ago

2020/10/4

Sahan Weerasooriya

‘Then the war would never have even started’

– Ex Army Commander Gen. Daya Ratnayake

Former Army Commander and incumbent Chairman of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority, General Daya Ratnayake, said that, in his experience, it is easy to get an education, it is easy to be educated, but what’s hard is to become a person, a human being with the capacity to work hard, to innovate, to choose right over wrong regardless of the consequences, to do the right thing, to do something simply because it has to be done and no one else is willing to take it on.

Speaking as the chief guest at the Pearson BTEC Convocation 2020 of the Esoft Metro Campus at the BMICH, he told the students: “You are educated. You will remain educated until the day you die. You will have that label and you deserve it. The question I put to you is this: are you satisfied with just that label or do you want to become someone special, someone exceptional, someone about whom others will speak of long after you are gone? Do you want to become a legend? If so, let this moment mark a beginning”.

Continuing, General Ratnayake said: “I see you, young men and women, about to close one chapter in your lives and ready to start a new one. In every single one of you, in your eyes, there’s joy and there’s hope. The future holds promise. Tomorrow will be better. Success will be yours. And let there be no doubt in your minds — that is exactly what I wish for each and every one of you. I want all of you to succeed because your success and the success of all students like you could add up to benefit the country of our birth, the nation we love and the people, our fellow citizens, among whom we grew up and must live.

“I want you to succeed and I will tell you why. I have been a soldier and not an academic. I spent 35 years in the Army and I was engaged in combat in 30 of those 35 years. I, like my fellow officers and every single member of the security forces, was ready to lay down my life for my country, for our people”, the former army chief stressed, while adding, “believe me, ready to die though we all were, there were times when I asked myself a simple question: ‘why did it come to this?’ I asked myself ‘what is it that forced me to spend 30 years of my life in uniform, carrying weapons, fighting a war?”.

Gen. Ratnayake added: “I am a Buddhist and Buddhism taught me the doctrine of cause and effect theory, Patichchasamupada. So when I was confronted by a question, I investigated. And my investigation revealed to me that not just the war but almost every major issue that we grapple with are effects of something else, some underlying cause which we have not confronted and resolved. Just the other day, some 60,000 graduates were given jobs in the state sector. A significant number of them, I found out, had been waiting for years for the various governments in power to offer them employment. During all those years, didn’t they look for jobs elsewhere? Didn’t they take the trouble to make a CV? And if they had a CV, didn’t they try to improve it by engaging in something, even voluntary work? If not, why not?

Most of them are beneficiaries of free education. It’s not only that. Most of them were born in government hospitals, when they were sick, they went to see doctors and got medicine from government hospitals. Not only did they enjoy free education until their A/ Levels, they benefited from free education in the universities as well. They got Mahapola Scholarship or bursaries. Who paid for all this? The people. And after all this, they want to sit at home until someone offers them a job!, he observed.

“It pains me to know this reality. It pains me that we have become a nation and a citizenry that has lost all sense of dignity and self-respect. It pained me. because, I remembered how hard I strove to become who I was. I did not become an Army officer, a General and the Army Commander by doing nothing. I wanted to join the Army when I was very young. It was a dream. And I worked hard to make it a reality”, Gen. Ratnayake further said.

He continued: “I found out what qualifications, skills, character and attitudes were necessary to become an Officer Cadet. I needed to be fit, I needed to be strong. So I took up sports. I need to have basic academic qualifications, so I studied hard. I needed to have a particular kind of personality, so I cultivated it. I would have to fight, so I learned how to fight. By the time I was a senior student in my school, I was a leader. I was a problem-solver. Whenever there was a problem, whenever there was injustice, I stepped in. After a while people came to me, asking me to resolve their problems.

“And when I joined the Army I had to learn new skills. I had to be a hundred times more fit. I had to work harder that I ever had in my life. I did all that. Dear students, you are young. You are excited about going out into the wide world. Out there, there is no one who will take care of you as though you were a baby. You can blame the government, you can blame society, you can blame the international political order, but at some level, you will have to stop complaining about things out of your control, look within yourself and fix the problems that you have the power to fix.

“Sadly, we have become a nation of complainers. We like to point fingers at others. We blame someone else for our misery. We don’t stop and ask ourselves if there’s something lacking in us. We don’t admit that we could be flawed/wrong. We have had hundreds of thousands of young people graduating from our universities. They are all educated. I am convinced that each and everyone of you can become extraordinary citizens, extraordinary human beings. I am convinced that you can leave behind a legacy which will make people speak your names with awe and respect. You can become legends.

“So far you’ve gone through the paces. You’ve done the work, passed exams and today you leave with a certificate. Ask yourself if your time here has been exceptional. Did you set yourself extraordinary targets? If you didn’t know much English when you entered, could you say today that you speak and write fluently and beyond what you yourself, your parents, fellow students and lecturers expected?

“My father was a farmer. When I was interviewed for the Army I was asked what my father did. I didn’t say he was a landed proprietor. I said ‘farmer’. I am proud of my father. I am proud that he was a farmer. I am proud that he was not a burden to anyone. He didn’t beg anyone for a job. He didn’t ask for handouts. He didn’t take out his frustrations by ragging someone. He worked hard. He wanted his children to get the kind of education he never had. He wanted us to be useful citizens. He wanted us to have strong values. He wanted us to be the best we can be and try to be even better.

Don’t settle for an ordinary future. Don’t settle for a job, a salary, marriage, home and children. Aim higher. And always remember that there are no shortcuts. There’s no substitute for hard work. Our nation needs you to be exceptional human beings. If all of you do in fact become exceptional human beings, then people like me will not have to spend 30 years of our lives fighting a war that would never have even started had we had the right leaders, right intellectuals and exceptional citizens.

“Remember, that tomorrow doesn’t belong to you. TODAY belongs to you. Be exceptional. Lead amazing lives. Conduct yourself with integrity, self respect, right characters and attitudes. You will no doubt end up as legends”.

The pinnacle Pearson BTEC in Business Management ‘Most Outstanding Performance’ and ‘High Achiever 2019/20’ awards at the Convocation were clinched by Ahinsa Udayani Perera, the winner of The Cambridge World Prize for Business Studies in 2016.

Dr. Dayan Rajapakse, Group Managing Director, ESOFT Group of Companies, Nishan Sembacuttiaratchy, Chief Executive Officer, ESOFT Metro Campus, Mrs. Premila Paulraj, Regional Director – Asia – Pearson Education and Suriya Bibile, Territory Manager – Sri Lanka & Maldives, Pearson Education were also present.

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Bambalapitiya Railway Station renovated under the “Dream Destination” project opened to the public

Published

4 hours ago

2026/09/11

Priyan

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that Sri Lanka is now creating a common dream as a nation and that the Government’s objective is to make public transport the convenient choice for the people. The Prime Minister made these remarks while participating in the ceremony held to open the renovated Bambalapitiya Railway Station under the “Dream Destination” project.

The renovated Bambalapitiya Railway Station was opened to the public on 10 September under the “Dream Destination” project, jointly implemented by the Ministry of Transport, Highways and Urban Development and the Sri Lanka Railways Department in line with the Clean Sri Lanka national programme. Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya participated in the occasion.

The Prime Minister also inspected the renovated railway station, as well as the new pedestrian overpass providing access to the railway station, constructed by the Road Development Authority for which the Dawoodi Bohra community in Sri Lanka contributed Rs. 60 million.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister expressed her special appreciation to the Bohra community for taking the initiative to renovate and provide the people with improved facilities at the Bambalapitiya Railway Station, a busy and well-known location in the Colombo District.

She stated that the renovation of public spaces and the provision of improved facilities have contributed to generating greater interest and a more positive perception of public transport among the people.

The Prime Minister also expressed her appreciation to the Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development, the Deputy Ministers and the staff for their contribution towards improving public transport services and attracting greater public interest towards these services.

The development of a country is not determined by the number of private vehicles it has. It is determined by the manner in which people use public transport. The Government’s objective is to improve the public transport service, which has disappointed the people for many years, and create a situation where people feel that public transport is more convenient and safer than using a private vehicle. The Government’s commitment to public transport is clearly demonstrated by the increased allocation of funds for the sector. The ’Dream Destination’ programme is another significant initiative under this effort, bringing together State institutions and the private sector to contribute to national development,” the Prime Minister stated.

“A country does not belong only to the Government. A country is the home for everyone who lives in it. It is the responsibility of all of us to contribute to that home through our knowledge, labour or resources. For a long time, we did not have a common dream as a country. Today, we feel that such a dream is beginning to emerge.

“We have a collective dream. The journey towards that dream is the collective journey we have begun together to build our country, which is our common home.

“What we witness here today is the active participation of our people, our diverse communities and the private sector in this journey. Such collective participation is essential to moving a country forward. Therefore, we deeply appreciate this contribution.

“The Bohra community reminds us today of the importance of this collective spirit. We have now embarked on a collective journey. We share a common dream of what our country should be, what the future of our country should look like and what kind of experience life in our country should offer. The Clean Sri Lanka national programme further strengthens these objectives,” the Prime Minister further stated.

Addressing the gathering, Deputy Minister of Urban Development Eranga Gunasekara stated that increased funding would be allocated to the Sri Lanka Railways Department for development activities next year. He noted that public transport and railway services had not previously received sufficient attention from the Government, but that this would change moving forward.

“Our transport services are progressing step by step, and the railway system is a key component of this development. Accordingly, on the instructions of the President, we will commence the electric railway system, which has long been a dream for our country, next year. We expect to introduce electric railway services from Maradana to Makumbura, from Maradana to Panadura and from Maradana to Ragama. We will also commence work to extend the Kelani Valley railway line from Avissawella to Ratnapura.

He also appreciated the contribution made by private institutions towards the “Dream Destination” project without seeking any promotional benefits in return.

Speaking on behalf of the Dawoodi Bohra community, Khuzaimah Jefferjee stated that the Dawoodi Bohra community, which has been part of Sri Lanka’s social, cultural and economic landscape for more than 150 years, believes that being a citizen of the country means more than simply living in the country. It means contributing to the country, caring for it and leaving behind a better country for future generations.

He said that, as part of this responsibility, the community had taken steps to renovate, modernise and beautify the Bambalapitiya Railway Station. He added that the community hopes these efforts will make the daily journeys of passengers a cleaner, safer, more convenient and dignified experience.

The occasion was attended by the Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka Dr. Rizvie Sally, Deputy Minister of Religious and Cultural Affairs Muneer Mulaffer, Mayor of the Colombo Municipal Council Vraie Cally Balthazar, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Prime Minister Pradeep Saputhanthri, General Manager of Sri Lanka Railways Padmapriya, Janab Amil Saheb Ibrahim and representatives of the Dawoodi Bohra community, officials of the Clean Sri Lanka programme and several others.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]

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Steps being taken to reduce paper usage in parliament and the public sector through digitalisation – PM

Published

4 hours ago

2026/09/11

Priyan

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that steps are being taken to reduce the use of paper in Parliament and the public sector through digitalisation.

The Prime Minister made these remarks in Parliament on Thursday (10 September) in response to a question raised regarding digitalisation and the use of paper.

The Prime Minister further stated:

“The total expenditure incurred in 2023, 2024 and 2025 for the provision of Hansard reports, Order Books, Agendas and other parliamentary printed materials provided to Members of Parliament and Ministers for use within the Chamber is Rs. 45.3 million in 2023, Rs. 58.7 million in 2024 and Rs. 73.1 million in 2025.

All these printed materials have been produced based on requests made by Parliament. At the same time, a programme is currently being developed to reduce the use of paper.

In accordance with a request made by the Secretary to the Treasury to the Secretary-General of Parliament, the Committee on Parliamentary Business considered the possibility of submitting reports to Parliament solely in digital format in the future. It was decided to conduct a survey to ascertain the preference of each Member of Parliament. Based on the results of the survey, arrangements will be made to provide relevant documents digitally to Members who prefer digital copies, while printed copies will be provided to those who prefer printed versions.

Following the completion of this survey, arrangements will be made to implement the programme on a date to be determined by the Committee on Parliamentary Business.

Similarly, all ministries and government institutions are currently taking steps towards digitalisation while reducing their use of paper. However, this process will take some time. In this manner, particularly the exchange of files and many other such processes can be facilitated through digital systems in the future.

For example, in the Ministry of Education, applications for leave submitted by university lecturers for overseas travel were previously submitted to the Ministry in printed form. The entire process has now been digitalised. The Ministry, through the University Grants Commission, provides approval for such leave applications through a digital process. Ministries across the government are taking similar measures. We believe that once digital systems are fully established, we will be able to significantly reduce the use of paper.

Responding to a question regarding measures to reduce the weight of schoolchildren’s bags, the Prime Minister stated:

The weight of students’ books will be reduced through the activity-based learning process introduced under the new education reforms. Since the books will be kept in the classroom, students will no longer need to carry them back and forth. They will only need to take the books home at the end of the term after completing their work.

From 2027, a module-based learning process will be introduced for Grade 6. Modules will not consist of large textbooks; instead, students will be provided with modules relevant to each subject for the particular term. Therefore, this system will significantly reduce the weight of schoolchildren’s bags.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]

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INS Udaygiri departs Colombo concluding formal visit

Published

7 hours ago

2026/09/11

Priyan

The Indian Naval Ship (INS) Udaygiri departed the Port of Colombo today, 11 September 2026, following the successful completion of a four day official visit.

On her departure, the Sri Lanka Navy bade farewell to the ship in accordance with time-honoured naval traditions.

During the visit, naval personnel from both navies engaged in joint initiatives to strengthen bilateral ties. These included a friendly volleyball match, a beach cleanup along the Galle Face
promenade, and a training exercise on Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure (VBSS) conducted by the Sri Lanka Navy Special Boat Squadron (SBS).

As part of the visit, the Indian Navy handed over a consignment of spares and supplies to the Sri Lanka Navy. Visiting crew members also toured key tourist attractions in and around Colombo.

Official interactions of this nature aim to enhance cooperation and knowledge-sharing between the two maritime forces, supporting joint responses to evolving regional maritime challenges.