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Development challenges-III

Over the past three decades we were told that salvation lies in an export oriented economy. Consequently the economy was geared for the purpose with more emphasis placed on export oriented industry and agriculture.

Export Promotion Zones with restrictive labour rights were established and the investors were given incessant concessions in the form of reduced or minimal custom duties, tax holidays etc.

While enhanced export brought enhanced income over the years their per capita returns dropped due to constant reduction in export prices and restricted access to foreign markets, especially in the West. The global financial crisis has made matters worse due to reduced demand and threats to withhold concessions granted earlier.

The capitalist market is not a level playing field. It is operated not only under the law of demand and supply but is basically driven by profit. What prevails is the law of the jungle where the stronger wins.

Since powerful countries subsidise their products, especially those of agriculture commodities from developing nations such as ours are always at a disadvantage in international trading. The Doha Trade Round which has been formed to address this issue is yet to deliver due to varied obstacle placed by the developed countries.

The only way to secure sales is to lower the prices which could be done with advantage if and only if we could produce the goods cheaper. How could this be done? In the answer to this question lies the key to success as well as development. The only way to reduce prices is to lower the cost of production. This could be done only with harnessing of superior technology.

No development strategy would succeed if adequate investments are not made for human resource development, and research and development (R & D). Unfortunately our investments in this sphere are among the lowest in the region.

It is useless boasting about literacy rates and health indices if we do not invest more on social infrastructure and R & D. The United States dominates in the number of patents registered per year.

Moreover there is also piracy where the developed countries stealthily patent age old technologies preserved by people, especially the indigenous populations, in the Third World.

If Sri Lanka is to make headway we must lavishly invest on technology enhancement. Experience has shown that development of indigenous technology with the use of modern as well as traditional knowledge is a must. Here the benefits of the digital revolution come very handy for it is a means of leapfrogging to the future wiping out traditional backwardness.

Each country has to choose some specialized sectors to which such technology should be productively applied so as to guarantee the cheapest production cost and a monopoly profit in the international market. Value addition through the application of higher technology is a must in many fields, especially in the case of the production of traditional crops such as tea, rubber and coconut as well as in more recent fields like manufactured gems and jewellery products.

Japan, China and the Asian Tigers have spent continuously for a considerable number of years substantial outlays for human resource development prior to their industrial take off. Our education system needs to be focused on this national need and even methods of teaching and curricula of educational institutions should be so decided to achieve a higher technological level for the country. It is not quantity that matters but quality.

Finally, the most important missing link to get all these developments to take place is a new man, a new worker, a new technician and a new technologist. In other words, we need more commitment, more dedication and more honesty from the working people.

It is not possible to attain developed country status if everyone from the boss down to the lowest ranker in a work place robs or wastes its assets. Robbing includes theft of man hours too. The public sector has to be disciplined in this sense more than the private sector.

Also ways and means should be found to remove alienation of the worker from the work. In such an alienated work environment employees do not own their work or take pleasure in the work they perform.

Motivation of the employee is lost and the production is doomed. Thus modern, people-friendly and efficient management techniques have to be developed as another sine qua non to leapfrog to development.

These were few of our random thoughts on development and we hope there were sufficient digestive material among them.

The man who tamed the Tigers

Sri Lanka’s 26-year civil war between the Government and the LTTE came to a dramatic end in May with a decisive military victory and the killing of Velupillai Prabhakaran, the Tiger leader. President Mahinda Rajapaksa is the man who tamed the Tigers. President Mahinda Rajapaksa categorically rejected allegations about the violation of human rights in civil war between the Government and the LTTE.

Full Story

Millvina Dean, last passenger of the Titanic dies at 97:

Swept away by time

She liked to say that she never saw James Cameron’s movie or the countless articles about the Titanic for she considered them morbid. However, in her last years she used to put up for auction objects related to the Titanic on a regular basis, in order to pay the senior citizens’ home where she lived.

Full Story

Collaborative efforts for peace and development

Speech delivered by Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama at the Preparatory Ministerial Meeting of XV NAM Summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, from July 13 and 14 at the Interactive Debate on “International Solidarity for Peace and Development”.

Full Story

 

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