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Home grown budget par excellence

As expected, the UPFA Government's maiden budget has turned out to be both home-grown and pro-people.

We wish to extend our congratulations and good wishes to the Government on this refreshing change of course from the run-of-the-mill budget proposals of the past which were retualistic re-endorsements of the open economic policy of 1977, which took Sri Lanka on a disastrous journey - economically, politically and socially speaking.

The pro-people nature of the budget could be gauged from not only the proposals per se but by also the fact that it is the product of a wide consultative process involving every segment of the public which matters in this context.

Dwelling on this aspect Finance Minister Sarath Amunugama said that the budget "is the product of a wide consultative process, which attracted inputs from almost all stakeholders".

From the point of view of origin too the budget, therefore, blazes a new trail and measures-up to President Kumaratunga's vision for the country.

While the 40 percent increase in public sector salaries and the reduction of VAT on essentials are bound to have a positive impact on the cost of living, what is equally praiseworthy are the increased budgetary allocations for vital areas, such as, the Samurdhi program, agriculture, health and education, which impact the life of the masses, directly and palpably.

That the so-called "small man" is the cynosure of the budget is further proved by the initiative to set up the Bank for Small and Medium Enterprises, which will encourage entrepreneurship among those who could only afford small capital. Small is indeed beautiful, particularly when it fosters human dignity and independence.

By the same token we welcome moves by the Government to increase taxation on some non-essentials and luxury goods which ensured a steady draining out of our foreign reserves, over the years.

Why do we, for instance, need foreign chocolates, when our very own Kandos chocolates are world class? How is a profusion of grapes and fruits from overseas going to help in national development? Don't we have an indigenous base for essential fruits and vegetables?

The floodgates of the open economy which were opened in 1977 have helped inundate the local economy with a heap of non-essentials and luxuries which have spelt economic ruin. We need to be selective in our imports while every encouragement should be given to the development and strengthening of our indigenous productive sectors.

While export development must continue apace we need to give import substitution industrialization another try and we are glad it is happening now. Lest we forget, it must be remembered that the Third World is a dumping ground for very many products which are banned in the First World.

For instance, when our very own coconut industry needs to be developed we fall for the lure of foreign oils some of which prove bogus and are positively harmful from a health point of view.

It is our hope that truly home-grown products would flow form this home-grown budget. For what do we lack as a people? Aren't we capable of industriousness, drive and vision? We are not going to be xenophobic and obsessively fearful of everything foreign.

But we are not going to be mired in a dependent mentality either. Let us hope that this budget would be the springboard to vibrant, national progress. As the old saying goes, it is time to cut our coat according to our cloth.

Sound mind, sound body

The latest revelation that the Vanniyela Aththo community was bereft of all ailments - both mind and body - bedeviling the rest of the population would come as no surprise to many.

These are the aborigines who live by their wits with nary a care for the morrow. They do not see life beyond the vista of their bow and arrow and as such have no cravings beyond their everyday existence.

Cut off from the hustle and bustle of modern living, they are well isolated from the rat race and the cut throat competition, the daily staple of the city life.

Neither are they exposed to the selfishness and greed, the desire to amass more riches - all deemed to end in heartburn and frustration that would unhinge even the toughest mind, never mind the unspoilt serene mental make of the Vanniyela Aththo.

The newspaper article explains that the simple and uncomplicated life led by this community was a key factor for their robust health.

The 'Vanniyela Aththa' is a creature of nature and lives on the bounties of nature. His life is simple and uncomplicated. The game he hunts is partaken on the slightly done side on a bonfire.

Primitive though it may be, he is safe from the ailments and afflictions associated with those in the brick and mortar world used to a ham bacon and champagne life.

Being constantly on the move either picking honey and pursuing a hoard of deer he does not need exercises prescribed by the doctors for the city elites.

The leaves he eats are fresh and lush, not infused with chemical fertilisers. He is always away from instant junk food that has been the bane of city folk. Being in constant contact with nature he would also expect to have a mind that is serene and unspoilt and most of all pollutant free.

There would be no room in his mind for the thoughts entertained by a majority of his countrymen exposed to a world that worships mammon. Breathing fresh air, he would be expected to have internal organs throbbing with health, untouched by contamination from noxious emissions in the concrete asphalt of the city.

That said, some of us might view with reservations a recent development where the Vanniyela Aththo chiefs are being paraded in the city for publicity ruses. Whether they will be lured by the bright lights is too early to say.

The rapidly changing world has witnessed change in demographic patterns, the disintegration of tribal communities as well as transformation of entrenched lifestyles. Every step should be taken to preserve the Vanniyela Aththo community, an integral part of our heritage.

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