Let us get together, put Sri Lanka first and pray that there would be no further violence, said Ceylon Chamber of Commerce Chairman Chandra Jayaratne when asked what message he had for the public and the politicians in the aftermath of Wednesday’s elections.

World recession is expected to end next year and if we are to reduce our country specific investment risk rating by half, we can benefit by this upswing by being able to attract greater inflows of foreign direct investment (FDI), he said. Asked whether he had any message to the UNF in particular, when all indications pointed out that it would be them who would be invited to form the new government, on the basis of the outcome of the election results, he said he had no message to one single political party in particular. ‘But my message, which is directed to all the leaders of political parties, including president Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga and the two main political parties in particular, which has the support of at least two thirds of the country’s electorate, is to put an end to divisive politics,’ he said. The need of the hour is for the government ‘with parliamentary ‘stability’ to develop the country by networking partnerships, said Jayaratne. By getting the peace process in top gear and forming a government of national reconciliation, the economy would then be back on track, and it would be possible to realize the private sector’s goals as set forth in the Vision 2020 document, he said. (PA)