Mahinda Rajapaksa: Want

“It is a revolution against a dictator [referring to Rajapaksa]. This should be a lesson for all South Asian countries. This verdict has opened up a free space through which the democratic values and reforms can be pushed in. People really wanted a change and wished to end the authoritarian rule of Rajapaksa.”

Mahinda Rajapaksa

Kushal Perera, a political analyst and writer on Mahinda Rajapaksa loosing to Maithripala Sirisena in 2015, quoted on The Indian Express (January 9, 2015), "Maithripala Sirisena sworn-in as Sri Lanka’s new President" http://indianexpress.com/article/world/neighbours/maithripala-sirisena-sworn-in-as-sri-lankas-new-president/
About

People , Change , Country

“My country has been influenced by the core Buddhist values of non-violence, loving kindness, compassion, equanimity and mindfulness. With this sense of direction, our Government has committed itself "Towards a new Sri Lanka", guided by a vision of peace, where every Sri Lankan citizen may live with dignity and self-respect, in freedom and without fear, free of want, and where every child may enjoy childhood and grow up with hope and expectation.”

Mahinda Rajapaksa

Mahinda Rajapaksa; Address to the United Nations General Assembly, September 20, 2006.

Love , Fear , Peace , Hope

“As for what I achieved in the first term, I have brought peace to this country. Eliminated terrorism and brought peace. Now my aim is to develop the country. After that, the priorities are the people whom we have to win over – the hearts and minds of the people. Now Sri Lanka is one country; it's not divided. So what we want is to see that the whole nation gets all the benefits, not only one area, not only one community. To develop the economy so that all the people benefit.”

Mahinda Rajapaksa

Interview with The Hindu http://www.thehindu.com/news/resources/n-ram-interviews-sri-lankas-president-mahinda-rajapaksa/article906009.ece, November 23, 2010.

People , Peace , Communication , Heart

“If anyone who wants to complain about human rights violations in Sri Lanka, whether it's torture, whether it is rape, we have a system.”

Mahinda Rajapaksa

Quoted in Independent.ie, "Sri Lanka defends rights record" http://www.independent.ie/world-news/sri-lanka-defends-rights-record-29754169.html, 14 November, 2013.

“The message to my people is that I am concentrating on development work. I want to make Sri Lanka a hub for the development of knowledge, energy, commerce, naval transportation, and aviation. To achieve that, our people must stay together, rally round the government and achieve it – for the people. To the international community, my message is they must understand our position. We defeated terrorists, not freedom fighters. The whole world is facing this problem. So they must realise what we have achieved and help to develop the country, develop the North-East. They must help us not to widen the gap between the communities but to bring them closer. The past is past; you don't dig into the wounds. We must think positively, not negatively.”

Mahinda Rajapaksa

Interview with The Hindu http://www.thehindu.com/news/resources/n-ram-interviews-sri-lankas-president-mahinda-rajapaksa/article906009.ece, November 23, 2010.

People , World , Communication , Understanding