Book on economic war
A new book titled ‘Winning the Economic War’ authored by Divaina
Journalist Shyam Nuwan Ganewatta was launched on January 28 at the
Auditorium of the National Library and Documentation Services Board,
Colombo 7.
The Chief Guest of the launch was Economic Development Minister Basil
Rajapaksa while Telecommunication and Information Technology Minster
Ranjith Siyambalapitiya and the Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivad Cabral
were the Guest of Honour of the event.
 The following is the foreword written by Executive Director and
Fellow, Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka, Dr Saman Kelegama, on
Divaina Journalist Shyam Nuwan Ganewatta’s book ‘Winning the Economic
War’.
Sri Lanka came out of nearly three decades of war after the armed
separatists were defeated by the government military forces in mid-2009.
During the time of the war, successive governments were compelled to
allocate a large amount of resources for military operations, and also
had to shift their focus of attention to war-related matters over and
above all other activities, including economic development.
The economic dividend from the war victory was however, slow to
materialize due to the global economic crisis manifesting in 2009 and
the focus of the Government diverting to both Presidential and General
Elections in early 2010.
But now, with the complete control of the Northern and Eastern
provinces after the war victory, political consolidation after the
overwhelming Elections victory, and economic take-off on the horizon
with the global economic recovery, the time has come to put the economy
in forefront, catch up with the missed opportunities, and reap the
economic dividend. This is the starting point of this book titled
‘Winning the Economic War’.
The author has been associated with the Divaina newspapers for long
years and has been a keen follower of the economic events of the
country, with frequent interaction with key policy makers for media
reporting. He has accumulated a wealth of information during these
interactions to compile this book.
The outline of the book is interesting as it starts with the basics;
starting first, with the need for an overall economic development
strategy for the purpose of reviving the economy.
The author then shows the policies articulated in the government
policy framework: Mahinda Chintana Idiri Dakma, the formation of a
special Ministry of Economic Development with a dynamic Minister in
charge, and all other steps taken to gear Sri Lanka to become a ‘Wonder
of Asia’.
The role of various Ministries and the Parliamentary Opposition in
achieving the development goals, is elaborated in the subsequent
chapters.
Thereafter, the author highlights the need to reduce the regional
disparities – where the bulk of the national income is concentrated in
the Western Province, reforming and fine-tuning the governments safety
net programme – Samurdhi, the need to use modern technology to enhance
the living standards of the people, and the role of the media in
responsible reporting of the true development activities and their
shortcomings.
In this process, the author gives special emphasis on invigorating
and development of the tourism sector, highlighting the lessons that
could be learnt from Australia.
The last chapter documents interviews the author had conducted with
key policy makers of the country, including the Minister of Economic
Development, the Secretary to the Treasury, and the Governor of the
Central Bank. The book ends with a photo gallery depicting the author’s
interaction with some policy makers and other dignitaries.
Books of this nature in the Sinhalese language are rare and the
author should be congratulated for bringing out such a book, when
economic development after the war has captured centre stage in Sri
Lanka’s contemporary debates.
The book is very informative and readable. The book will be a
valuable source of reference for development practitioners and
journalists, and would provide the foundation for further work on the
subject matter in the near future. |
