Lankan chambers, professionals urge political parties to foster racial and religious harmony during Aug 17 poll

  A group of powerful Sri Lankan business chambers and professional organizations on Thursday urged political party leaders and candidates to ensure racial, communal and religious harmony during Monday's parliamentary poll. The joint statement was issued by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC), National Chamber of Exporters (NCE), Joint Apparel Associations Forum ( JAAF), Ceylon National Chamber of Industries (CNCI), International Chamber of Commerce – Sri Lanka (ICC) and the Organization of Professional Associations (OPA). “We strongly believe that the country has undergone many calamities and socio-political upheavals, resulting in instability in the past few decades, thus preventing the nation realizing its dreams,” the statement said adding: “Such an environment ultimately brought about the current economic setbacks and therefore it is immensely important for all concerned parties to appreciate the imminent need for stability, the social cohesion and the communal, racial and religious harmony to build a prosperous nation”. The group appealed to all the constituents to be conscious of the above and cast their votes with utmost responsibility, and elect a stable government that can truly carry forward a national agenda enabling and guaranteeing all Sri Lankan to live in harmony”. “On our part we are committed towards a nation of communal, inter-racial and inter-religious harmony,” it said.