While quoting the President’s National Policy speech which was delivered in Parliament yesterday (18) over the Government’s “prime responsibility towards reconciliation and providing such facilities to these people without discrimination” Illankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK) MP M A Sumanthiran stated that the people of the North and East have been struggling and fighting for self-dignity and such a speech does not deserve more time in Parliament. He made this statement while speaking in Parliament today (19). Sumanthiran added that such a statement is an insult to the people who have been struggling to be treated as equals in Sri Lanka. "What is more important is what the President identifies as "facilities". They have not been fighting for facilities, but fighting for equal citizenship, their rights for self-determination, the right for self-rule, for shared powers of governance and for the President to reduce all of that to a level of saying that there are basic facilities that are necessary, and that is what we bring about in reconciliation. This also says much about the President’s understanding of this national problem," he added. Furthermore, the MP yet again quoted from the President's speech, where President Rajapaksa urged the Members of Parliament representing the people of the North and East to set aside various political ideologies, even temporarily, and to support the Government's effort to improve the living conditions of those in the North and East. "What does the President mean by ideology? I read the Sinhala and the Tamil translations, and it should have been translated as 'Policies'. Our party policy is a mandate we have received from our people itself, and that is a consistent mandate that we have received and for which we serve our people. We do not listen to others who tell us how to serve our people. So, it does not lie in even the mouth of H.E the President to tell us to lay aside the mandate that our people have given us, and to join him in providing basic facilities," said Sumanthiran. He also touched upon the fallen economy of Sri Lanka, to which President Rajapaksa blamed numerous Governments before the present Government. "The finances in the country have fallen so low that people have now reached a level where they have to stand with a bowl and hope that someone would give them something to eat. In his speech, the President says that Sri Lanka is facing the climax of a problem that numerous Governments have failed to provide a lasting solution for," Sumanthiran mentioned. In conclusion, MP Sumanthiran said that there was nothing for the Parliament to discuss further about the President's National Policy speech. "There is nothing for the Parliament to be excited about and debate for another 2 days," he concluded.