Mar 19, Colombo: Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday wowed that the democracy given to the people in the Eastern Province will soon be given to the North as well.

Addressing the 101 newly elected local council members of Batticaloa District, the President noted that they have been given the people’s mandate to develop their areas under democratic rule. He made these comments as the local council members took their oaths before him at his office in Colombo.

“How many lives of our brethren have been sacrificed to fulfill someone else’s dream of Eelam? It is not like living under the gun point when you have the democracy; under democracy, the power is justice, but not the gun like under terrorism,” the President said.

“It is your greatest duty is to make the justice the might,” he added.

Also at the ceremony, 2.5 million rupees were handed over to each local council for development activities and 100,000 rupees were given to each member to purchase a motorbike.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa also spoke in the Tamil language during his speech. He said, “With great determination I assure you, the freedom of democracy and the right to development that have been given to you will be granted to the people in the North in the near future.

“Future is for democracy, not for guns,” he added.