Archives

by Lorna Wright

Arrogant and ignorant. A TV advertisement. A salesman moves ceramic tiles "this is good, this is good" as he hopscotch's "this is rubbish send to Sri Lanka, good, good this is Sh---send to Sri Lanka". His crude, rude, unpardonable style, pared back to its essence, means in simple language Sri Lanka is a first class dumping ground - for goods, the result of overproduction in the globalisation free trade open economy - for personnel - consultants, with ideas alien to poverty alleviation in the Third World.

Why accept with open arms a nauseating buffet of dysfunctions which comes via aid - money loans swivelling around workshops, seminars, conferences, meetings, meetings, meetings - documentation no one reads - reports monitoring, evaluating, validating, profiling, mapping, feasibility studies, situation analysis, midterm review glossy annual reports money - money paid out at exorbitant rates to foreign consultants in Pajeros, with drivers paid more than the Sri Lankan counterpart travelling by bus. They come with a blend of UN connections and self-confidence and to quote Dr. Gamani Corea, "everybody is writing, nobody reads."

The First World today and every shopping mall has a 'one dollar one' shop carrying 'seconds' discards seconds, overproduction from countries using cheap labour. With indigenous values decreasing, bland middle class normality pimp the idea that life has to be lived for the day thereof and around money - around extremes of ostentations wealth of robber barons and dire poverty - a messy mix of 'haves' and have not's.

Prof. Hettige - sociology, University of Colombo; "there is need to look very seriously at this leap frogging. To me the information on solid ground, is fraught with danger. There is a dire need for promoting innovative sustainable livelihood among youth in Sri Lanka. That they do not look for conventional sources of income, such as pavement hawking, drug pushing threewheeler driving and working in kade's.

"The indigenous food consumption patterns need to be restored. Junk sugary foods and the convenience food bread displaced. This years Yala paddy crop has necessitated plans to export rice, because white flour has replaced rice consumption. There should not be a surplus of rice and farmers going distraught on collapsing prices. Simple arithmetic and populationwise the quantum of rice produced is needed." Continuing Prof. Hettige with a half laugh; "Nutrition and you have only got to look at today's lower income group Sri Lankan - looks like pygmy where is the broad shouldered 6 ft. Sinhala youth? The Randoli Perahera and the arms of the youth doing the 'Lee-Kelli' dance were no different in size to the Lee-Kelli stick they used.

The demands on a poor family - rural or urban, is relentless - education free is a myth - the tuition racket with leech-like bleeding, drains the poor family, together with ' in fashion clothes and haircut', transport and health in over crowded hospitals. Lives have lost their meaning - no longer exists the secure two parent family.

The mid day school meal may be restored in certain schools. The bumper Yala paddy crop and indigenous food consumption should be restored and encouraged. The concentration on the convenience food break removed. There will be administration costs but a start should be made, and must be made.

A research report to be out shortly states nutrition has deteriorated. It must have if this country is dumping babies in garbage bins.

Dumping as related to food. For Rev. Fr. Tissa Balasuriya there has been unparallel respect as he rails - on the PL 480 Wheat Prima Agreement. "The nutritious wheat - germ goes back to USA for cattle food - globalisation - the triumph of the free - market ideology. Rich helping poor. In reality the rich countries loans and donor aid force poor countries to accept their excess production."

The EU, Canada, USA, subsidize their farmers and flood the 'starving' millions of poor with their overproduction. In Sri Lanka white flour, replaced (red) country rice at lower prices, as bread was also a convenience food.

Vast international NGOO handling food aid were World Food Program (WFP) and CARE International. A CARE Pack for those below certain income levels was valued at Rs. 200. It had wheat, flour, milk powder, sugar. In Anuradhapura accompanied by a DRO and visiting a list of recipients, the pack had been sold by the husband for Rs. 56 the figure of 56 kept recurring. It was the price of a bottle of arrack at the time.

Similarly Triposha, an urban solution to malnourished children. These communities are skilled in long-term unemployment, homelessness, drug dependence, alcoholism and family violence - a judicial wasteland.

The supplementary milk food, Triposha and the administration costs were double that of the product. A Triposha clinic bringing this product to an institute every month was a 'Carrot in the donkey race', for women. They got Triposha. At the time the women learnt to cut and saw. They cooked rice and Hathmalu, on a fuel conserving hearth. Learnt about waste control using left-over coconut refuse, and the green refuse squeezed from Kola Kanda, in sambols.

Recycling left-over food. Correct use of cleaning agents practised on the slum clinic, visited once a week by the doctor. Instruction boards, on the walls helped in three languages. Often heard the Triposha packet was sold - or consumed by the men - they pleaded roadwork or Natahamy work was heavy, manual work, needed strength.

A construction worker - "what did you eat this morning?" "3 slices of bread and 'Hodi'. Lunch? Packet from the 'kade'. Examined, not more than 600 calories. What do you eat for dinner? Half loaf of bread and 'hodi' from five kade's examined, was a wishy-washy dhal, wattakka, brinjal, beans. That man was on a hospital diet, around 1,500 calories; in between cups of tea laced with sugar. He certainly needed extra-nutrition to earn for his family, his children, his wife thought so too.

Computers - millions in aid as computers are dumped in this island. ADB (Asian Development Bank to provide CLCs Computer Leasing Centers from grades 10 - 13 to 800 schools. World Bank provide ICT (Information Communication Technology). Centers from grades 6 - 9 to 400 schools. One centre will cost 2 - 3 million. Entire cost in billions.

The ADB focus on 800, but there are 2,000 schools in GCE Advance Level and another 6,000 in grade 10. The World Bank focus on grades 6 - 9 on 400 but the number is 6,000.

It will become an impossible social problem. Small sets of students will have good education and pass out well. Not others. These programmes politically designed to bring in attitudes of inclusiveness and acceptance of the rural boys and girls will bring big problems and confusion and alienate parents. Turning out unemployable youth.

The quality of the equipment at present is very poor and bad.

NIE purchased computers in 2002 under ADB funds. UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) was out of order within a month's time as they did not comply with required tender specifications. The supply continues.

The dumping in the car trade has reached 'undetachable' proportions. Established, car firms with a committed concern for the future motor industry are very much with governments demand for tough decisive controls in importing 2nd hand cars.

Obviously, as always it is a losing line with slick business magnates who import second-hand parts of any age car and reassemble them. One can only whimper that it gives the unemployable youth a useful skills training with 'thathweya' prestige. But it could also be viewed as a procedure that funnels money indiscriminately which could genuinely affect car importing firms, alleges the Motor Traders Association.

Dumping there is in leather goods ceramics - textiles, nursing homes using outdated cheap drugs from India. Anybody can set up a pharmacy, there is no quality control and it goes on and on and on.....

www.crescat.com

News | Business | Features | Editorial | Security
Politics | World | Letters | Sports | Obituaries

Produced by Lake House
Copyright © 2003 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
Comments and suggestions to :Web Manager