Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya has emphasized that cultivating culturally sensitive citizens is essential to address harmful social media comments targeting vulnerable groups, speaking at the Gampaha Literary Festival.
Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya addressed the Gampaha Literary Festival on September 6, stating that social media comments targeting children, vulnerable persons, and women demonstrate the urgent need for cultural development in society. She defined a cultured person not as someone with academic knowledge alone, but as an individual transformed through literature and artistic expression who brings humanity and sensitivity to their interactions with others. According to the Prime Minister's Media Division, she stressed that such transformed individuals would not cause humiliation, hurt, or disrespect to others.
During the event at the Gampaha Municipal Council Auditorium, the Prime Minister visited exhibition stalls featuring schoolchildren's work in art, literature, and technology. She engaged with students presenting on emerging trends and later distributed gifts and certificates to participating students and schools. The festival's theme, "In Search of a Cultured Citizen," aligns with the government's policy objectives, according to the Prime Minister.
Amarasuriya framed cultural development as a government priority alongside economic rebuilding, infrastructure development, and institutional strengthening. She noted that the municipal council's initiative to organize the festival sets an example for the country and emphasized that the festival's impact extends beyond its scheduled days through ongoing discussion, training, and dialogue. The Prime Minister called on students to integrate literature and the arts into their lives and expressed confidence the initiative could expand into a national-level programme.
Deputy Minister of Labour Mahinda Jayasinghe addressed the gathering, noting that councillors from different political parties collaborated to support the festival and emphasized that both material and cultural nation-building represent shared responsibilities. The event was attended by government officials, municipal leadership, and residents.