(UTV|COLOMBO) – Being a Cabinet Minister in the Government enables one to render services to the public in a much bigger way.
This morning:
I was honoured to meet Most Reverend Dr. Fidelis Lionel Emmanuel Fernando, Bishop of the Diocese of Mannar -He received
my & #ACMC ‘s condolences on #EasterSundayAttacksLK -We also discussed on rebuilding inter-community relationships in #Mannar#SriLanka #lka pic.twitter.com/kGuoP0x6pA— Rishad Bathiudeen (@rbathiudeen) August 1, 2019
“I commend your decision to return to your Ministerial portfolio. This shall sustain your capacity to serve the public better,” said the Bishop of Mannar Right Reverend Dr. Fidelis Lionel Emmanuel Fernando yesterday (01).
Bishop of Mannar Right Reverend Dr. Fernando was meeting the Minister of Industry, Commerce, Resettlement of Protracted Displaced Persons, Cooperative Development, Skills Development and Vocational Training, and Vanni District Parliamentarian Rishad Bathiudeen at Bishop’s House in Mannar Town.
Minister Bathiudeen was paying a courtesy call on Right Reverend Dr. Fernando during his visit to the electorate. “Vigorous inter-community and inter-faith relations are a must if the Mannar Region is to prosper to next stage of development. The Catholic Church shall support your positive efforts to develop the region and enhance living standards of its people,” observed Mannar Bishop Right Reverend Dr. Fernando.
Responding to Bishop Right Reverend Dr. Fernando, Minister Bathiudeen readily extended his condolences on the Easter Sunday attacks to the Church, saying that the terrorists involved were not at all considered as followers of Islam, but as savages by all Sri Lankan Muslims. “This is the united stand of all Muslim leaders and Muslim people of Sri Lanka. Since some Sri Lankans still do not think as Sri Lankans but think as Sinhalese, Tamils, and Muslims, we have not achieved the expected development even 70-years after independence. The 3-decades of war destroyed much of Northern Province including Mannar and even though infrastructure has been rebuilt, reconciliation needs some more work. I readily agree with Most Reverend Your Excellency that without inter-community relations, reconciliation will be lost in Mannar and everywhere. As a Parliamentarian from Vanni District, I am always committed to strong inter-community relations in Mannar. My resumption of Cabinet portfolio came to be due to the collective final decision of all Muslim Parliamentarians and now I intend to resume my services to the public at national level,” responded Minister Bathiudeen.
Both Bishop Right Reverend Dr. Fernando and Minister Bathiudeen also discussed many other aspects of inter-community relations of Mannar during their meeting.
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