Govt’s policy is home-grown - Export Development Minister

“The most prominent feature of the Government’s policy in respect of the economy, military action and social initiatives in all sectors is the central importance accorded to cultural values and traditions.

All policy, therefore, is home-grown and emerges spontaneously from the aspirations of the people, Minister of Export Development and International Trade Professor G.L. Peiris said in Ratnapura recently.

He was addressing a large gathering of the Maha Sangha on National Pirivena Day in the auditorium of the Sabaragamuwa Provincial Council in Ratnapura.

“A solution to problems will be viable and practical only if it is rooted in national priorities and reflects deep understanding of local circumstances, he continued. Although the burning issues today have a global character, especially with regard to escalating fuel and commodity prices, it is a mistake to assume that there are universal solutions and that one size fits all.

The social and cultural context is of overriding importance, and the Government believes that sensitivity to the nuances of the local, situation is a necessary ingredient of successful policy formulation, the Minister observed.

“While deriving benefit from a study of positive experiences elsewhere, it is the constant aim of the Government to adapt these experience and solutions to suit the local environment. In this regard, patterns of thought and behaviour which are entrenched in our culture, provide the ultimate source of inspiration, and the guidance of the Maha Sangha is of crucial value to the Government in this regard,” the Minister said.

Prof. Peiris earlier addressed the Ratnapura Sri Lanka Nidahas Guru Sangamaya at the Dharmapala Vidyalaya, Ratnapura.

He said that teachers, who command a high degree of respect and acceptance on the part of the public today, have a special responsibility to mould public opinion on vital social issues. Members of the teaching profession have a significant role in defining the issues which are before the people of Sabaragamuwa in the upcoming Provincial Council elections and elucidating these matters.

“The Government has every confidence that it would receive an overwhelming mandate for continuation of the policies which benefit the vast mass of our people under exceptionally difficult circumstances,” Minister Peiris said.

Problems of the present are being addressed, while adequate attention is paid to medium and long-term challenges.

“Welfare and relief measures, to the maximum extent possible, take the form of subsidies for fertiliser, kerosene and other essential commodities, but there is at the same time a sharp focus on infrastructure development, with major projects like Umma Oya, Hambantota Port, Upper Kotmale, Norochcholai and Kerawalapitiya getting under way after a long period of inactivity.

Prof. Peiris made special mention of the large expenditure currently being incurred by the Government to take computer technology to schools in rural areas as a means of enhancing employment opportunities available to the less privileged segments of the community.

“All this was being done, he said, while allocating the resources required for effective military action.”

“The failure of the recent strike clearly demonstrated that the public understands the gravity of challenges posed by factors beyond the Government’s control and shows goodwill and support for the Government’s response to these challenges,” he said.