Nawaz Rajabdeen, former President of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka, said last week that while over 70% of the people have endorsed the President's development programme – through the commanding parliamentary polls victory – ‘this is a good lesson for ‘petty political groups who are power hungry to destroy Sri Lanka’.

In a statement, he said the business community is happy that the President’s vision for development has been accepted after the liberation of the country from terrorism. “The opposition should join hands with the government for development and make this country a model in South East Asia. It is sad that the opposition always sabotage the development programmes for political gains and as a result the people and the country suffer,” he said.

He urged all MPs to address the shortcomings in their respective electorates and have a future plan for regional development without wasting much time.