{"id":66373,"date":"2019-11-18T19:52:26","date_gmt":"2019-11-19T00:52:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=66373"},"modified":"2019-11-18T19:52:26","modified_gmt":"2019-11-19T00:52:26","slug":"sri-lankas-seventh-executive-president-gotabaya-rajapaksa-proclaims-in-his-inaugural-speech-after-being-sworn-in-at-historic-ruwanweliseya-that-he-represents-all-sri-lankans-and-pledges-to-create","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=66373","title":{"rendered":"Sri Lanka’s Seventh Executive President Gotabaya Rajapaksa Proclaims in his Inaugural Speech After Being Sworn in at Historic Ruwanweliseya that he represents all Sri Lankans and pledges to create an inclusive country where minorities could practice their faith and culture with dignity."},"content":{"rendered":"

Newly-sworn-in President Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday, in his first address to the nation, outlined his policies, which centred on efficiency to drive economic growth, a non-aligned foreign policy, priority for national security and minority inclusivity to build a prosperous Sri Lanka. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Speaking at the historic Ruwanwelisaya under the shadow of King Dutugamunu\u2019s statue, Rajapaksa yesterday held a brief swearing-in ceremony where he stressed the need for professionalism and efficiency. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe Government should always set an example to society. Professionalism and efficiency should be the cornerstones of Government administration,\u201d he said, pointing out that meritocracy and technocracy would be promoted. \u201cI promise you that I will re-establish a professional, law-abiding and efficient public service which is free of corruption,\u201d he added, pledging not to leave any room for corruption in his administration. Addressing the gathering, he reiterated the importance of national security. <\/p>\n

\u201cI consider national security to be our primary responsibility,\u201d he stated, noting that his administration would rebuild and strengthen the nation\u2019s security apparatus. <\/p>\n

Rajapaksa revealed that he expected to form a new Government in the coming days. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI will establish a new Government which can enact my manifesto and vision based on the public mandate we have received,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

Rajapaksa also said he would follow a non-aligned foreign policy and requested foreign powers to respect the unitary status and sovereignty of Sri Lanka. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe intend to be friendly with each and every country. We do not wish to be caught in geopolitical power plays between global powers,\u201d he explained. <\/p>\n

The President stated that he intended to completely implement his election manifesto during his term. \u201cThe mandate I received is to implement the manifesto we proposed to you,\u201d he asserted, elaborating that it would ensure that the country\u2019s unitary status, sovereignty and security were preserved. <\/p>\n

Acknowledging the Sinhalese vote base which primarily spurred his victory, Rajapaksa claimed that the blessings of the Buddhist Sangha enabled him to win the poll. Rajapaksa expressed disappointment at the Tamil and Muslim vote, claiming that he invited them to be part of the victory but the outcome was not what he anticipated. He stressed that as President, he represented all Sri Lankans and pledged to create an inclusive country where minorities could practice their faith and culture with dignity. He called on all Sri Lankans to rally together to build a better country. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe will always protect the rights of those communities who have coexisted peacefully with our culture, to exercise their religious and cultural freedoms,\u201d he stressed, pointing out that his administration was dedicated to protecting Buddhism and Sri Lankan culture. <\/p>\n

\u201cNow we are tasked with uniting as a Sri Lankan community and building our motherland,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n

Rajapaksa acknowledged the importance of preserving the environment for future generations and pledged to work towards it while aiming to fulfill the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals adopted in 2015. <\/p>\n

The President stressed that as a Head of State, he would not hesitate to take necessary action for the benefit of the country. <\/p>\n

\u201cAs President, it is my responsibility to serve all Sri Lankans. Therefore, I will protect the rights of all those who voted for me and those who didn\u2019t. I am the Executive President of this country and I will not hesitate to use my Executive powers for the benefit of Sri Lanka.\u201d<\/p>\n

Courtesy:Daily FT<\/em><\/p>\n

Tweet<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Newly-sworn-in President Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday, in his first address to the nation, outlined his policies, which centred on efficiency to drive economic growth, a non-aligned foreign policy, priority for national security and minority inclusivity to build a prosperous Sri Lanka. Speaking at the historic Ruwanwelisaya under the shadow of King Dutugamunu\u2019s statue, Rajapaksa yesterday held …<\/p>\n

Continue reading ‘Sri Lanka’s Seventh Executive President Gotabaya Rajapaksa Proclaims in his Inaugural Speech After Being Sworn in at Historic Ruwanweliseya that he represents all Sri Lankans and pledges to create an inclusive country where minorities could practice their faith and culture with dignity.’ »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[12],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66373"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=66373"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66373\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":66374,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66373\/revisions\/66374"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=66373"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=66373"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=66373"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}