When taking political decisions we always took a very long-term view of issues, and did not focus merely the immediate and short-term time horizon, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said.

“When we developed the infrastructure of our country we were not thinking of the next 5 years or the next election, but about the next one hundred years and beyond”, President Rajapaksa said addressing the ceremony of the 175th anniversary of Ceylon Chamber of Commerce yesterday.

When we built ports, airports, highways, roads, and power plants, we were not thinking only about you and your children, but also about the unborn generations of all Sri Lankans.

When we made massive investments in education and health, we were not only thinking of our present generation of young persons, but also about the future work-force, that is needed to face the challenging 21st century.

When we rescued our country from terrorism through the supreme sacrifices of thousands of our people and billions of rupees worth of resources, we were not only thinking of the need to protect our people at present but also about providing our future generations with the political and economic stability that is needed to lead safe and happy lives.

When we took firm measures, to steer our economic macro-fundamentals to healthy levels, we were not only thinking of making it easier for you to do business now, but also about making our economic growth sustainable, inclusive and long lasting, President added. (One World South Asia)