Sri Lanka celebrates its 72nd Independence Day

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has asserted that he has the vision to serve the country looking after all citizens rather than serve as a political leader concerned only about a particular community.

Addressing the main function in Colombo to mark 72nd Independence day celebrations this morning, Rajapaksa said when the leader is elected following a legitimate process, he becomes the President of all and is not bound to serve only the interests of the people who voted for him. He added that as the President, he represents the entire Sri Lankan nation irrespective of ethnicity, religion, party affiliation or other differences.

President comments came as national anthem at the main ceremony was sung only in Sinhala and not in Tamil, as has been the tradition since 2016. Tamil political parties had demanded to keep both versions of national anthem. Mano Ganesan, a Tamil politician and former minister of national integration said the national anthem in Tamil is not just another song but the Sri Lankan identity of the Tamil speaking community.