The General Election to elect representatives to the 11th Parliament of Sri Lanka has been fixed for the 5th of December 2001.

This is not an election called for by the majority of the people. It is a result of attempts by certain political parties who have suffered successive electoral defeats over the past several years to wrest power without obtaining a mandate from the people.

In 1994, the people of Sri Lanka took a revolutionary step by defeating a government, which had ruled this country for seventeen years, and electing a government committed to democracy, human rights, peace and development within the framework of an open economy.

At every election, which followed, the voters of Sri Lanka reaffirmed their faith in the People's Alliance. They did so last, in October 2000.

The People's Alliance today, is one composed of political parties representing people who value peace, democracy, a people-friendly government, respect for each other and development that empowers the people.

We invite you to read our Manifesto and compare with other political parties. You can then consider how your life has changed over the past seven years.

The freedom to move freely; to express your opinion freely; the freedom to pursue your own chosen career; your own vocation; the freedom to have your own political opinion or read the newspaper of your choice; the freedom to live your life with your loved ones. In short, the freedom to live decently and with dignity. The People's Alliance has worked hard to ensure these freedoms for you.

As you go about your daily work, look around you. The improvements done to the country's road network which help you to get about much faster. The number of new shops and businesses that have opened closer to your own home. You no longer have to travel to Colombo or a major city to do your shopping; no matter what you want.

The forthcoming General Election will be a decisive one for the people of Sri Lanka. It will decide on the type of life that our children and grandchildren will live in the new millennium.

This reflection will help you decide which party to vote for. We have no doubts about it. The voters of Sri Lanka are quite literate and quite capable of making a wise decision.

This manifesto outlines some of the major policy initiatives that we in the People's Alliance are committed to. These are policies, which we have been consistently committed to since 1994.

The People's Alliance is an Alliance of the people for the people.

Our vision

A nation with freedom for all, one that empowers its people; has a stable society, guarantees democracy, fundamental rights and social justice. A caring, humane Government, that works on the basis of ethical and responsible politics. A country which is competitive yet friendly within the global community.

Our mission

The next People's Alliance government will work towards this vision of focusing on three district objectives:

1. To bring peace to the country through a constitutional framework which safeguards the rights and identities of all the people of Sri Lanka through equality for all and the absence of war.

2. To continue to nurture the growth of the political culture already embarked upon, towards safeguarding human freedom, democratic rights and social responsibility.

3. To ensure progress and prosperity for all the people of Sri Lanka through a people-based stable economy, which will eradicate poverty through the empowerment of people.

This Manifesto, which aims to ensure the fundamental freedoms and rights of the people, is presented to you with our firm commitment to ensure its implementation irrespective of whatever obstacles and challenges may lie ahead of us.

1. Ending the war and establishing peace

We believe that the ethnic conflict and the resultant war are the prime obstacles to progress in the country. The ethnic conflict should have been resolved as the country began to develop as an independent nation. It is unfortunate that petty politics transformed it into a war. The problem worsened after the July '83 riots.

The PA government, which came to power in 1994, was able to lay the foundation towards resolving this problem despite severe obstacles.

Accordingly, the PA embarked on a three-pronged programme of action towards arriving at a political solution and the establishment of permanent peace. These were, the eradication of terrorism; the introduction of constitutional amendments towards achieving a political solution and a programme of national reconciliation.

We remain committed towards continuing this integrated programme for peace.

In working towards a political solution, our main aim is to safeguard the territorial integrity of the country. At the same time, we aim to make the minority communities stakeholders in the democratic process.

For this, it is necessary to devolve power to ensure that all communities become partners in government. In doing so, we will obtain the participation of all sections of the population. Our endeavors is to seek the resolution of this conflict through a consensus arrived at through such participation.

2. Strengthening democracy

Our next priority is the strengthening of the democratic rights of the people. In 1994, we took steps to restore human rights, democratic rights and media freedom.

Towards this end we took the following measures:

Human Rights

It was after the PA came to power in 1994 that the public was able to derive the real benefits of the human rights, which had been suppressed during the UNP regime. One of the important steps taken by us in this regard was the establishment of the Human Rights Commission. As a result of the Amendment to the Parliamentary Commissioner Act, every citizen now has the opportunity to go before the Parliamentary Commissioner to safeguard his human rights. We will take steps to establish the legal framework to enshrine the freedoms and rights of all citizens including the civil, political, economic and social rights as basic human rights.

Many of the laws that have been used by the judicial system in this country, have been amended to reflect the needs of the current times. We will continue to further strengthen this process.

We reiterate our commitment to further strengthen human rights education, the various institutions which safeguard human rights and the common law of the land in such a manner that human rights are further safeguarded.

Media Freedom

It was the People's Alliance, restored the freedom of the media, which had been severely eroded under the UNP regime. Journalists can today report facts and express their opinions without fearing execution by death squads.

Several new Radio Stations, Television Channels, Newspapers and Magazines have commenced operations since 1994, as a result of the media freedom ensured by us.

We stand committed to media freedom and will continue to strengthen the framework in which this freedom can be fully harnessed for the benefit of all the people of Sri Lanka.

Independent Commissions

The People's Alliance Government has remained committed from its inception, to further strengthening the democratic rights of the people through the establishment of independent commissions for the judicial service, the public service and elections. However, we were unable to implement our policy in this regard due to the inability to muster the required two-thirds majority in Parliament.

However, the People's Alliance Government was able recently to obtain the co-operation of most other parties represented in Parliament and had the 17th Amendment to the Constitution passed in Parliament with a two-thirds majority.

These are broad democratic freedoms won by the people of this country. It is unfortunate that the establishment of these commissions could not be completed due to the conspiracies of those very same people who voted for this legislation in Parliament. We will however complete the process when the new Parliament is convened.

Abolition of the Executive Presidency and the introduction of a new electoral process

The next step in the process of strengthening democracy is the abolition of the Executive Presidency and the introduction of a new electoral process.

The people of this country have for long demanded that the Executive Presidency established under the 1978 Constitution be abolished. This will be done through a constitutional reform, which will be initiated by us. A Prime Minister and Cabinet of Ministers directly answerable to Parliament will exercise the Executive powers of the people.

The Executive Presidency and the Proportional Representation Electoral System are two integral components of the 1978 Constitution. If the Executive Presidency is to be abolished, the associated Proportional Representation system with the Preferential Voting must also be abolished.

Therefore, the salient features of the Electoral System to be introduced by us are as follows.

The integration of the principles of the proportional representation system, the first-past-the-post system and the need for special representation.

The building up of a responsible relationship between the elected representative and the constituents by abolishing the preferential voting system and having one representative per electorate.

A guarantee of equitable representation of minority interests through a district and national proportional representation.

To ensure a stable government which has a working majority thus ensuring that the governing party is able to continue with the day-to-day affairs of the country unhindered.

New Constitution

In order to fully guarantee the democratic freedoms of the people of Sri Lanka, it is necessary to abolish the 1978 Constitution.

We will introduce a new constitution, which has been subject to the widest possible discussion among the people and has the acceptance of the majority of the people of this country.

We seek your approval as the voters of this country, to use our victory at this election, as a legal mandate for the purpose of introducing a new constitution.

3. An economy that empowers the people

In 1994 we stated that we could put a human face to the open economy even as it competes in an increasingly competitive global market. What we meant was that the benefits of the open economy should not be restricted to only a privileged few, but opened to all. The benefits of the open economy should reach out to enrich the lives of the poorest sections of Sri Lankan society.

The objective is to empower the people. Empowerment would mean that an economic environment is created whereby the people would enjoy a higher standard of living. While improving the standard of living of all the people, we have also taken steps to reduce the prices of essential goods. We will continue our plan of action towards this objective.

In our earlier manifesto we have identified this as a planned open economy. One, which incorporates efficiency, management and technology, normally associated with capitalism while it maintains the features of socialism, essential for social justice.

As a result of this plan of ours, the per capita income has increased from Rs. 32, 404 in 1994 to 54,035 in 1998. Our aim is to increase it to Rs. 84,000 by 2005. We intend to increase to 8 per cent in the next five years, the economic growth rate of 5 per cent maintained during the past six years. The main aim or our economic plan is to ensure that these benefits would enrich the lives of the entire population of Sri Lanka.

4. Management of the economy

A sound economic management is the most essential feature for the development of a country. It is through sound economic management that the quality of the public service and of the economy as a whole can be developed. The policies followed by us towards sound economic management during the past seven years have borne fruit.

This is most evident in the financial discipline achieved in the government sector. We were able to reduce the Budget deficit to 8 per cent by 1999. We have formulated mid-term plans to reduce it to 4 per cent and to 3 per cent by 2010.

Inflation, which stood at 14 per cent reduced to 5 per cent. However, this again increased in recent times. Nevertheless, we have planned to reduce it to 3 per cent. While maintaining the national income at a steady level we will continue to reduce the burdens on the public through periodic revisions of the Goods and Services Tax.

National Savings have increased from 17 per cent to 23 per cent over the past five years. It is estimated to reach 35 per cent by 2002.

Trade Agreements negotiated to reflects the needs of globalization and new imperatives in international trade have proved beneficial. Controls on financial transactions have been greatly relaxed while the tax system has been simplified. We have also strengthened the supervision by and the autonomy of the Cental Bank of Sri Lanka. The financial policy of the PA government is the minimizing of expenditure.

We have put in place various mechanisms to ensure transparency at all levels of government and to prevent corruption and malpractices in procurement. The overall objective is a high standards of governance.

5. Poverty alleviation

The primary objective of such an economic plan is the eradication of poverty. The Samurdhi Programme which has been the mainstay of our poverty alleviation plan, would achieve the following targets by 2005.

* The poor would receive financial assistance for income generation directly from Samurdhi Banks instead of having to look for guarantors or having to pawn their few valuables.

* To completely eradicate malnutrition from children of poor families.

* Schooling to be compulsory for children of all poor families.

* A social security plan, which comprehensively covers emergencies and special circumstances of the poor.

* A comprehensive health insurance scheme for Samurdhi beneficiaries.

* An insurance scheme, which covers the higher education of the children of Samurdhi beneficiary families.

* To entrust to the youth the responsibilities of rural development through the Samurdhi programme.

In addition, steps will be taken to fully investigate the alleged malpractices in the implimentation of the Samurdhi programme over the past years and steps will be taken to prevent a recurrence. We have already taken steps to restore to Samurdhi beneficiaries the interest due to them, but which are not in the Samurdhi bank accounts.

6. Employment for all

The best indicator of the success of the economic policies implemented by the PA government over the past seven years is the reduction of the unemployment rate by 50 per cent. We will strive to reduce the unemployment rate to 5 per cent in next two years.

We plan to generate 400,000 new employment opportunities in the public and private sectors and by sourcing overseas employment. In addition, several thousand jobs would be created through the expansion of various sectors of the economy.

7. Agricultural development

A main feature of our people-based economy would be the improvement of the living standards of farmers. We will give priority to bettering the lot of farmers and to secure them against possible threats to the agricultural economy from globalisation.

In addition to the provision of lands, irrigation, subsidized fertilizer and agricultural machinery and equipment, we will expand the facilities for the provision of technical know-how and extension services. A key feature of our agricultural policy will be the modernization of agriculture in Sri Lanka through greater mechanization and the use of modern technology.

Several initiatives have already been put in place to increase agricultural capacity by the production of high quality seed and by reducing post-harvest losses.

Our farmers were successful in producing the country's total requirements of rice last year.

We will set up agricultural zones to encourage more youth to take to agriculture. It will also be component of our plan to eradicate unemployment.

Prior to 1994, the country witnessed the horrifying spectacle of farmers committing suicide due to their inability to repay the banks. As the People's Alliance took over the reins of government in 1994, we cancelled the outstanding loans of farmers as a measure of relief. In order to safeguard the farmer whose sweat and toil has resulted in Sri Lanka achieving self-sufficiency in rice in 2000, we have had to again grant them relief by cancelling their agricultural loans.

We introduced the Agricultural Insurance Scheme and the Farmers' Pension Scheme. The fertilizer subsidy was re-introduced.

Special emphasis has been laid on the development of the Mahaweli areas where around 25 per cent of the country's paddy is produced.

Two critical factors make it imperative that Sri Lanka gives priority to the protection of its farmers. One is the adverse effect of the market economy and globalization. The other is the projected scarcity of food the world over, by the year 2005. A special plan will be implemented to meet both challenges and increase our food production

8. Plantation sector

From 1977 to 1994 the United National Party government sold thousands of acres of state lands to relatives and friends of party leaders and members at ridiculously low prices.

We have taken the preliminary steps to redeeming these lands and vesting it back in the public. This process will be carried forward.

We will also strengthen the process of developing the plantation economy. A special programme will be implemented to attract more youth from the plantation sector into the plantation industry.

Programmes introduced by us such as 'They shakthi' designed to develop the plantation sector and the plantation products marketing sector, will be carried forward.

Tea production increased by 26% over the past six years. The income from tea exports increased by 65%.

Due to the introduction of new technologies since 1995, the extent of land under coconut cultivation has grown rapidly. The result was that the highest annual yield in ten years was recorded in the year 2000. Sri Lanka produced 3,065 million coconuts in 2000.

The socio-economic programmes implemented by us to improve the living standards of plantation workers will be strengthened. The scope of programes for increasing the income levels of plantation workers, their housing, health and education will be further widened. The daily wage of a worker in a Tea Smallholding has increased from Rs. 72 to Rs. 150, while the daily wage in the plantation sector has increased from Rs. 84 to Rs. 136.

9. The Fisheries sector

The People's Alliance identified the fisheries sector as an important sector in the economy of Sri Lanka. The improvement of the living standards of fishermen is therefore a priority for us. Our policy is not just an increase in the production of fish, but also a qualitative improvement in the socio-economic conditions of the fishermen. In our next five-year plan the target for the sea catch would be increased to 240,000 tons, while the target for inland fishery production would be increased to 100,000 tons.

As with agriculture we will concentrate on technological improvements to the fisheries sector. Our aim is to provide assistance to fishermen by way of bank loans and fishing boats and equipment at reasonable prices. We will continue to implement the "Diyawara Village Schemes" and "Visiri Housing Projects" to resolve the housing problem of fishermen. A special project will be initiated to provide alternative employment where necessary, to youth from fisher families. We reiterate that these policies regarding the fisheries sector would be continued by us.

10. The labour force

The People's Alliance continues to rest in the country's labour force. We believe that the human resources driving the economy is the mass of people who are economically employed in the public and private sectors.

We have succeeded in establishing an environment conducive to the qualitative development of the public sector and one in which the public servant can function with dignity.

The People's Alliance government was successful in increasing the salaries of state workers by over 80%. The salaries of teachers have been increased by over 100%. In addition to the interim monthly allowance of 10% granted to public sector employees in 2000, we have taken steps to grant a monthly interim allowance of Rs. 1,200 to enable them to cope with the rising cost of living. The salaries are expected to increase further when the Salaries Commission Report is implemented from January 2002 onwards.

We have implemented the 'Agrahara' Insurance Scheme under which benefits upto Rs. 50,000 are available annually. The interest rate of 7.2% on loans taken by public servants was reduced to 4.2%. Thus a public sector employee who has availed himself of a loan of Rs. 100,000 would save a sum of Rs. 250 monthly.

Salaries have also been increased in respect of all employees of the Armed forces and the Police. They have also been granted several concessions and incentives in addition.

Employees in lower grades in the public sector who had been recruited on a temporary, casual or contract basis have been made permanent.

More than 175 scholarships have been granted annually to public sector employees and their children to pursue post-graduate studies both locally and overseas.

We have also ensured the rights and privileges of private sector employees.

The People's Alliance has at the same time taken steps to ensure that cordial relations are maintained between employer and employee.

11. Industrial development

Sri Lanka's industrial sector has to play a lead role in taking the country forward through a people based economy. The industrial policy of the People's Alliance has taken into consideration several key factors including globalisation, international competition and the need to draw in more and more foreign direct investment.

The world has acknowledged that Asia would be the center of industrial development in the 21st century. China and India have already pioneered in the fields of knowledge-based technologies and in information technology. We in the People's Alliance have already taken steps to adjust Sri Lanka's industrial policy in step with these industrial and technological developments in Asia.

The PA policies since 1995 have resulted in a revitalization of the industrial sector. These policies are aimed at developing local industries; increasing exports of locally manufactured apparel and attracting more foreign direct investment.

The Total investment in the industrial sector, which stood at Rs. 154 Billion, increased to Rs. 311 Billion in 2000; an increase of 102%. We have established new export processing zones, industrial parks and regional industrial communities. Apparel exports increased three-fold to United States Dollars 3 Billion in the year 2000.

Plans have also been formulated for the development of rural industries and small industries. We stand committed to our policy of bringing to Sri Lanka, new knowledge, technology and new industries.

12. Information technology

We have been successful in the past seven years in raising the level of Information and communication Technology in Sri Lanka. We have taken steps to extend information technology to even some remote areas.

A decision has already been made to extend an IT based management system throughout the country by the year 2005. Accordingly we will give priority to a management system that maximized the use of IT and knowledge based industries. This system will integrate the following components:

1. e-governance

2. e-commerce

3. web technology

We have decided to include IT in the curriculum of universities and other educational institutions.

The Telecommunication industry in Sri Lanka has made unprecedented progress in the last six years. The use of telephones has increased by 400%. The mobile telephone, which was a luxury in 1994, has become a utility widely used by the people. The number of mobile telephones and residential telephones has increased rapidly. Internet and e-mail facilities have been introduced to local telephone subscribers. A sum of Rs. 1,136 Million has been spent over the past six years on modernizing the postal service and introducing new technology.

13. Infrastructure and social welfare

We are well aware that a sound infrastructure is necessary to implement the above policies successfully. Towards this end we have formulated mid and longterm plans. Energy takes priority in these plans.

The per capita consumption of electricity in the country that was 200 GWH in 1994 had increased to 280 GWH in 2000. We have initiated alternative electricity generation systems to meet the increased demand. With increased rural electrification, the consumption would go up by 75% in the next five years

Transport and Highways

We have taken several measures to develop and widen the road network in the country in order to minimize the time required both for travelling and the transport of goods. In the past seven years, we have taken steps to rehabilitate 7040 kms of the road network as well as 381 bridges. This reflects a 54% increase in road construction and a 80% increase in bridge construction.

For the first time in Sri Lanka flyovers were constructed. Work on the Colombo-Katunayake and Colombo-Matara Expressways had already commenced. In addition to these two expressways costing Rs. 38,806 billion, preliminary work is already under way for the construction of the outer Colombo Ring Road and the Colombo-Kandy Expressway.

Aviation

Several projects costing Rs. 10,500 million are currently under way to maintain Sri Lanka's air services to international standards. The Bandaranaike International Airport is being further developed.

Port Development

Several projects have been implemented to ensure the rapid development of the Port of Colombo which is a competitive shipping and trading hub in the South Asian Region. The Colombo Port which ranked 28th among the world's container handling ports, rose to 24th position by the year 2000. At the same time steps are being taken to provide improved facilities at the ports in Galle, Hambantota, Oluvil, Kankesanthurai and Point Pedro and to rehabilitate the lighthouses associated with these ports.

Supply of Potable Water

Several projects have been implemented in the past seven years to provide pure drinking water and an adequate primary health care service to all the people. Accordingly we have completed 72 new potable water supply projects and 350,000 water connections have been provided. In comparison with 1994 the production of potable water has increased by 101 million cubic metres by 2001. A sum of over 25.4 billion rupees has been spent in this regard. In order to meet the water shortage in Colombo, the 'Kalu Ganga Project' is being implemented at a cost of Rs. 6,200 million. Four hundred rural water supply projects have also been implemented. Additionally water supply and primary health care projects have been implemented in several districts at a cost of Rs. 7,019 million.

Several more projects are due to be completed by the year 2005.

14. Housing and Urban Development

The Presidential Task Force on Housing and Urban Development revealed in its report in 1998, that 65% of the total population of this country would be living in urban areas by 2030. Accordingly we have already identified 148 urban areas in Sri Lanka for planned development.

The city of Colombo will be developed to the level of an international city. It will be our Commercial Capital while the city of Sri Jayawardenepura will remain the Administrative Capital.

58% of all housing units in Sri Lanka are not planned or permanent. In the Greater Colombo area alone 150,000 families live in shanties and temporary structures. These occupy half of the city of Colombo. In order to adequately address the housing shortage in the country 73,000 houses would have to be constructed every year for the next five years.

The People's Alliance having identified the gravity of this problem has formulated plans to address it in a structured manner.

A sum of Rs. 54,624 has been allocated for Urban Development. 70,000 houses are being constructed in the areas of Wanathamulla, Thotalanga, Kolonnawa, Kochchikade, Kompannaveediya, Wellawatte and Narahenpita in Colombo. In addition houses are also being constructed for medium income earners and public sector employees.

The 'Thirasara Purawara' Housing Project is the first step towards uplifting the living standards of people with limited access to public utilities. Under this project 680 houses complete with all basic facilities are nearing completion in Wanathamulla. This will be extended in phases to benefit 66,000 low income earners in Colombo and the Greater Colombo areas.

15. The Health Sector

In order to establish an efficient, countrywide network of hospitals and health services, steps have already been taken to set up a fully equipped and staffed hospital in every district.

Following our effort to have the private sector participate fully in the health sector, several new hospitals with modern facilities are already under construction.

We have taken steps to strengthen the immunisation programme as well as expand the training of nurses.

In order to provide an improved health care service to children, we have taken steps to modernise Sri Lanka's only hospital for children. A ten-story building complex has been constructed at this hospital. This hospital with the most modern facilities is south Asia's best.

The facilities in rural hospitals have also been improved in order to provide a high level of health care to people living in remote areas.

16. Education

The People's Alliance remains committed to providing primary education and free education up to graduate level at state expense for every child.

Our next priority is to ensure the benefits of the educational reforms introduced by us are extended to every school in the country so that our children could receive a good education and face the 21st century with confidence.

We will create an environment conducive to the diversification of state sector educational and technological training institutions into new areas of specialised knowledge. These institutions will be equipped with the capacity to impart training to the private sector as well.

In 1994 the government spent a sum of Rs. 2,478 million on university education. By the year 2000 this had increased to Rs. 5,089 million. The admissions to universities had increased to 11,805 by the academic year 1999-2000. Four new universities have been established. These are the North-Central, North Western, South-Eastern and Sabaragamuwa Universities. Hostel facilities for undergraduates have been increased by 56%. The long delays experienced by students awaiting admission to universities has been reduced to one year by improving the facilities in the universities and by doubling the yearly intake.

17. A people-friendly government

The People's Alliance is firmly of the belief that government should be of the people and for the people. There are several factors, which need to be considered in such a people-friendly government.

Women and Children

Our primary focus will be on women and children. Women are the main contributors not only in society, but also in the country's revenue generation. We therefore renew our commitment to the protection of the rights of women and children. We will take steps to enshrine the women's charter in the statute book. We have laid special emphasis on taking steps to minimize the sexual harassment faced by women and the various problems unique to Sri Lankan women employed in Middle Eastern countries.

We will implement a programme to set up Day Care Centres for small children throughout the country in the next five years.

In 1997 we set up a special Ministry for Women's Affairs in order to encourage more women to participate in the economic, social, educational and legal sectors of Sri Lanka. We also increased in 1997, the special facility granted to working women to nurse their infants during working hours. The maternity leave granted in respect of the first child was increased to six months.

Senior Citizens

In the next ten years, 15% of the population of Sri Lanka will be over the age of 60 years. We are taking steps to ensure their social and economic security. We have from October 1, 2001 increased pensions by Rs. 750 per month.

We will intervene in resolving the specific problems faced by this social group. Steps are being taken to set up Elders' Homes in every district.

Professionals

Our policy of guaranteeing the rights of professionals in all sectors, of expanding opportunities for their professional advancement and of resolving the various problems faced by them, will continue unabated under the new PA administration.

Persons affected by the war

We are very concerned about the problems faced by the various sections of our society due to the ongoing war. Attention has to be focused on those residing in villages under terrorist threat as well as those residing in camps for displaced persons. We have also to give attention to the basic problems faced by those in the security forces and their families who continue to bravely face the challenges of the war and of an unstable political situation.

We have prepared a special plan of action to resolve their problems of housing, education and employment. We pledge our unwavering commitment to expediting the payment of compensation where due, and to care for those who have been disabled in operational duties.

A new Social Security System

In 1996 we introduced a new social security system in respect of those who are self-employed and in allied fields and who are not beneficiaries under a pension or other social security system. At present there are more than 51,000 members of this fund. We will continue to strengthen this programme.

18. Foreign Policy

As with the political, social and economic policies, our foreign policy was also in disarray before 1994. Not a single country was willing to come too our aid in an emergency because of the shortsighted foreign policy practised by the United National Party government. In fact, the then President of Sri Lanka was forced to publicly acknowledge that Sri Lanka did not have a single friendly country.

One of our first priorities after coming to power in 1994 was to rebuild the confidence of the international community and rebuild the tattered image of the country. We were able in a short time, to erase the image of a cannible state where human freedom and human rights were constantly violated. We succeeded in restoring a dignified image for our country and overcome the distorted image created by LTTE propaganda.

We pledge to nourish and carry forward the policy of non-alignment, which we have followed from 1956. Our aim is to have friendly relations with all countries.

We are conscious of the liberalization in the fields of trade, economy and finance consequent to the international environment adjusting to a globalized socioeconomic structure. While we recognize the dangers inherent in this situation, we are also aware of the need to adjust our foreign policy in accordance with the changes around the world. We support the efforts to restructure the United Nations Organization and make it more democratic so that developing countries will have greater representation and powers in the UN.

We also support the international effort to stamp out terrorism, which has become a major problem for the entire world.

The President of Sri Lanka addressing the General Assembly of the United Nations pointed out the need to stamp out terrorism. Her proposal that the Commonwealth of Nations should form a Coalition against Terrorism is now taking shape. As the Chairperson of SAARC she is an active force in the international effort to curb terrorism.

We pledge to continue with this policy of friendly relations with all countries.

19. Now, the freedom to choose

The People's Alliance is now even more representative of the social fabric of Sri Lanka than in 1994. We are committed to following a clear and unambiguous set of policies, which benefit all the people of this country. Our policies are geared towards the integration of the efficiency of the best management practices of the capitalist system, the social welfare and social justice of the socialist system and the human freedom made possible by ensuring the democratic rights of the people. Its vision and life spring from humaneness. Humanity is our resource and our strength.

You will have to make an important decision on December 5. Do you wish to have these policies continued or not? A decision, which will shape the direction of the future of Sri Lanka in the 21st century.

Make a choice for a stable government with progressive policies.