Those who raise productivity too are heroes - President

Shirley WIJESINGHE

COLOMBO: The three Armed Forces and the Police who are mainly engaged to combat terrorism and maintain law and order are referred to as war heroes today. Those who win awards for national productivity and quality are equally heroes because they all have contributed in large measure to win the economic war in our country.

This was the tribute President Mahinda Rajapaksa paid to the winners of the National Productivity and Quality Awards for the year 2005 held at BMICH, Colombo, yesterday. The President delivered his address via satellite.

The President said that he does not confine himself to the concept of productivity alone, but in short, the term includes maximum out put out of minimum application of resources.

In countries like Japan, Malaysia and Singapore they have attained a high degree of productivity with minimum application of resources and when we consider our own position in this regard we are far behind them.

The Japanese people were the worst economically affected as a result of the second world war, but they surmounted the challenges mainly by inculcating in the minds of schoolchildren, the concept of national productivity.

Accordingly Japan was able to produce a population who were disciplined, intelligent and dedicated to service, the President said.

"In view of the recent development of labour unrest in a number of fields, as I observed, I thought that a proper salary structure centering productivity has to be evolved and a process giving priority to productivity development must be resorted soon. I wish to declare my total dedication in that process, the President said.

The President further drew the attention of the audience to a certain feature embodied in the budget proposals. There, he has proposed to set up a Presidential Task Force to develop the productivity of the entire country.

That is intended to make each citizen of the country aware of the importance of productivity development in order to pave the way for our economic uplift, he pointed out.