'Governments should be able to control companies'

The 13th Business for Peace Forum of the Business for Peace Initiative of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka was held at JAIC Hilton with Chief Executive Director Dr. Karl Jurgen Wilbert from Handwerkskammer, Koblenz, Germany as the Guest Speaker.

He spoke on the theme "Contribution of Business Organizations to Peace and Reconstruction; Experience of a German Chamber on the Balkans".

Dr. Wilbert was the Chief Executive Director of Handwerkskammer Koblenz - Germany's Chamber of Crafts since 1978 while Consul of Republic of Bulgaria in the German State of Pheinland-Pfalz.

Secretary General/CEO, FCCISL Samantha Abeywickrama, said that FCCISL has a close relationship with the German Chamber of Crafts and are involved in a project partnership. They have started this project partnership in 2002 and during this five years Sri Lanka's business community specially, the SME sector has much benefited.

He said that they have been extremely helpful in FCCISL post tsunami activities in the Back to Business project which was a great success even winning highest international accolades. He said that they also currently support the Business for Peace Initiative.

Dr. Wilbert said that craftsmen play a very important role in the economy, here in Germany and other countries and technology too is playing a vital role and also the important role played by the SME sector in the society.

He said democracy is very important to develop business and it would also facilitate achieving peace and looking back to the history of Western Europe for the last 100 years people have come together and started self-governance.

One cannot have self governance without democracy. People can come together when there is freedom. He said that democracy should be there with human dignity and values.

The very basics have been that the government at every level should talk to the business community and there should be freedom to access the economy. He said that in Germany the Economic Minister is a very good friend of his but on various issues there have been law suits against the Minister and he has won all the cases.

Markets have to be found for products and bringing companies to the markets and to find more access for enterprises. The Eastern European countries are on a policy of privatization of government companies. He also said that the governments should have the right to control the companies to see whether these private institutions run according to law.