Bright prospects for 2011

As we see off another year today there is much optimism in the air for a bright and prosperous 2011 especial given the giant strides made in the post war rebuilding and reconstruction and a solid foundation laid for the take off of the economy.

The signs are already evident with a booming tourist industry and the opening up of the entire country for trade and investment. There is economic activity all round and what is more the people are walking about with an air of freedom as demonstrated by the unprecedented number of shoppers this festive season.

There are also a number of development projects set for commissioning in 2011. Chief among these are the Norachcholai coal power plant and the second phase of the Hambantota Port. Work is also being expedited on the country's second International Airport in the South.

The country also witnessed large-scale foreign investment this year with the return to peace with several global entrepreneurs expressing their interest to bring their business to Sri Lanka which no doubt is going to provide a huge boon to the economy.

The last day of any year is always a time for sober reflection. It is customary for one to look back and ponder on the events that had a direct bearing on one's personal life. There may be cause for joy and happiness at the way certain things turned out. There is also bound to be misgivings and regret on things that did not work out to one's expectations. As a rule it is customary to accept both positives and negatives with equanimity and resolve to pursue one's goals in the New Year with that much more resolve and determination.

This also applies to us as a nation. It is appropriate to go over the events of past 12 months to reflect on where we have succeeded as a nation and also tot up the failures so that we could collectively address all the lapses and negatives to take Sri Lanka that much more forward and prosperous in the New Year than it was in the year gone by.

It was certainly an eventful year for Sri Lanka. We had a Presidential election at the beginning of the year and a Parliamentary poll four months later where for the first time under the PR system a political party obtained a two-thirds majority in Parliament. The SLFP led Government which had been in power since 1994 except for brief two-year hiatus effected its first constitutional amendment which did away with Presidential term limits. In that sense 2010 could be termed as a year that saw a transformation of the country's political landscape giving an absolute majority to a single party since 1977. There were also several progressive pieces of legislation passed vesting more power in the hands of people and other measures to involve the ordinary masses in governance. All this no doubt was a demonstration that Sri Lanka was a vibrant democracy with the sovereignty of the people preserved and protected.

Of course Sri Lanka continued to be bombarded by the same unsubstantiated allegations that was levelled against it at the conclusion of the humanitarian operation and a panel set up by the UN to investigate accountability issues. A Government Minister no less went on a fast unto death against the establishment of this investigative panel. The Western club of Sri Lanka bashers also went about their usual business raising the tempo of their charges. For all that the Government could not be intimidated and diverted from its primary task of rebuilding a war battered country although the false allegations were convincingly rebutted.

In the development sphere there were many large-scale projects that were commissioned bringing much relief to the people. Chief among them were the power projects and irrigation schemes. But the piece de resistance was the Hambantota port the country's second international port that was commissioned in November to coincide with the swearing into office of the President for a second term. The country also received the honour of being short listed to host the 2018 Commonwealth Games. 2010 also saw Sri Lanka achieve an unique milestone in the sporting arena when legendary bowler Muththaiah Muralidaran scaled the heights of Everest by capturing his 800th test scalp - a record that is bound to stand the test of time.

The country also successfully dealt with the fall out of the war with nearly all those displaced during the final stage of the humanitarian operation being resettled in their original dwellings. In addition all terrorist suspects who were undergoing rehabilitation have been released with only a few hardcore members still in detention until legal charges are framed against them. The Government also set up a mechanism to facilitate the reconciliation process through the appointment of a Lessons Learnt and Rehabilitation Commission with the aim of going into the root causes of the conflict and to guarantee no repetition takes place.

All in all, 2010 witnessed the groundwork being laid for a resurgent Sri Lanka to build on in the coming years to achieve the ambition of the President to make the country the Wonder of Asia.