Ceylon Today Editorial

Achieving objectives properly

01 April 2017

One of the objectives of the Sports Ministry in their programme for sports is making sports an essential and integral part of the Sri Lankan culture and society. These days getting close to the biggest event in the country, the Sinhala and Tamil New Year, in the village areas you can see youngsters on early morning runs training for the Avurudu (New Year) festivities of which cross country running is part. And it has been a feature nearing the Avurudu times for a long period in the modern times of marathons and half marathons.

In most of these cross country runs it mostly encourages school children below the age of 18 and prompted by their parents and other family members get encouraged to take part in them. These events throughout the country are done in the most haphazard way. Children have ended their lives due to not getting proper information about training for long distance running, and dos and don'ts to adhere to during taking part or having the proper strength to carry out such tasks.

Now, part of the Sports Ministry objectives No. 1) is to make 'Sports' an essential integral part of Sri Lankan culture and society;

No. 2) to make use of sports to improve the physical health of every Sri Lankan in order to improve their living conditions; No. 3) to provide the requisite knowledge and opportunity so that everybody can engage in sports. Can you think of a better place and time for them to get involved in their preachings.

But the Sports Ministry is ever ready to spend through their nose to organize the annual sports festival or other such programmes undertaken by them involving school children and their higher ups. It is said in No. 4), to make necessary resources and infrastructure facilities available to improve sports as a whole. The pageantry is necessary, there is quite a difference in spending for resources and infrastructure facilities available, and getting political yardage through these shows. There is no way the show will do any good for sports which resources and infrastructure will do for sports. No. 5) talks about improving Sri Lanka's international image as a country full of talents in sports; yes, we have achieved it with cricket. There is an Olympics programme to have indigenous sports to be included in the Olympic Games. By improving local games played at the Avurudu time to international standards we might stand a chance of getting the Sri Lankan image forward faster.No. 6) talks of job opportunities and promoting the economy with the improving of the sports industry; it is something that most leaders of this country have never given enough thought towards, except to use it for their own purposes. The sports industry is a sure way of getting people into jobs. At present it is used to black market tickets during cricket matches; of course it is a way to earn but is not providing jobs that go in hand with sports. That the sports industry is a money earner can be seen from the way China is involving themselves in promoting football, basketball following the American and European system of running leagues. We can also do it getting sponsors ready as do India for their sports.

Promoting professional sports in the country on the above mentioned system is definitely going to help with. No. 7) to use sports as a main source of foreign exchange earnings. Treating all sportsmen and women as one while respecting their cultures and ways of life we can achieve No. 8) that is to make use of sports as a means of peace and integration among ethnicities. In sports there is no colour or creed that can get involved, not for the betterment of sports but as a thing that will not give the chance for the nation to make use of good sports people of other ethnic groups for the uplifting of sports in the country.

The Sports Ministry and its personnel can serve better purposes getting organized and involved in sports in such a manner as shown above and not looking at the personal gains; there is a way to improve sports and doing something as a starter will give more ideas of how to take the other step forward. Along with the proposed programmes for schools, it is definitely going to move sports forward which will give more than enough reason to celebrate with all the pomp and glory. For all this to take place the huge wheel of government must be made to move faster.

Daily News Editorial

An impetus for the economy

01 April 2017

Managing the economy is a challenging task especially in a volatile global environment. When the Yahapalana Government came to power in January 2015, the local economy was in dire straits with a huge foreign debt component. Debt servicing has become a huge burden, with some economists predicting that we would be paying off the debt for hundreds more years.

But that is just one of the challenges facing the economy. A coherent and swift response is needed to counter the threats that affect the economy. The Government has realised the need for such a mechanism and proposed to establish a Central Programme Management Unit (CPMU) to deliver ‘big, fast economic results for the country’ in the next three years. This was approved by Cabinet this week as concerns over the economy not growing ‘fast enough’ looms over the government. Given the current trend in economic growth however, the Central Bank is hopeful of a 5-5.5 percent GDP growth by the end of 2017.

The Cabinet had earlier approved the proposal to launch a programme to enable “Accelerated Economic Transformation in Sri Lanka and the setting up of a Central Programme Management Unit”. Thereafter, the Minister of National Policies and Economic Management and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe engaged the services of the US Consultancy group McKinsey and Company to prepare a plan for the implementation of such a programme.

McKinsey consultants have met with government agencies and private sector stakeholders to review government and sector plans and conducted analyses to help define a three year Economic Delivery Programme (EDP) for Sri Lanka. The EDP will only focus on delivering economic outcomes.

The EDP will mainly focus on increasing median income, private sector jobs, investment (both foreign and domestic) exports and government revenue. These are all vital to rejuvenate the economy. The latter three are especially significant – Sri Lanka cannot become a key Asian player without enough investments and a rise in exports and Government revenue. The Prime Minister will be closely involved in the implementation of the economic revitalization programme.

The McKinsey consultants, who have experience in over 20 countries, have identified the three main areas - tourism, agriculture and manufacturing to be accelerated. Their assessment tallies broadly with the sentiments of most local economists and development planners. The Tourism plan calls for marketing and international connectivity efforts on Tier 1 countries like India, China, UK, Germany Russia and France and capturing the luxury segment in Tier 2 markets and hubs such as Middle East- Dubai, USA-New York, Singapore, Australia and Japan. This ties in with the proposed new marketing campaign of Sri Lanka Tourism and plans to increase aircraft movements at the Bandaranaike International Airport after April 6 following the successful completion of the runway overlay. SriLankan will fly to three more Indian cities this year and new airlines such as Silk Air will come in.

Manufacturing is another very important sector that must be given more attention. Plans for this sector will focus on textiles and apparel, electronics and food and beverage. Agriculture, on which much of the local population depends, will see improvements in end to end tea processing, coconut processing and rice cultivation. Both sectors are intimately linked to the export sector. The consultants have also identified the “digital economy” as a key driver of growth.

The consultants have proposed that the programmes be led by relevant ministers closely supported by an identified private sector ‘Czar’. This idea has been around for some time. Now that it has gained traction, the Government should explore the possibility of making an appointment.

The consultants have touched on several other aspects of the economy. One problem that both local and foreign investors face is the incessant red tape. Many have been driven to the point of abandoning their planned investments due to this factor. ‘De-bureaucratising’ the economy is therefore essential. Fast tracking investments should be a priority for the government as there has been a drop of foreign and domestic investments in recent times. However, local politics has come into play in certain projects, threatening their early implementation. One such project is the Hambantota Port project, where certain opposition politicians tried to sabotage the agreement to be signed with China. That sent a negative signal to investors worldwide who were planning to come to Sri Lanka. Investors look for national policies on investment that will not change when a new Government comes to power, but such protests can make investors jittery. In fact, we need national policies on the economy, education, agriculture and health to move forward.

It is also vital to address the notion of inequality in development. The Western Province is growing at a pace similar to that of China while other provinces are lagging behind. This is not a good omen and the authorities should encourage new investors to move inland. The concerns of all stakeholders must be taken into account in going forward with development plans so that future generations will inherit a more prosperous country.

The Island Editorial

‘Puppygate’ and ‘Bondgate’

01 April 2017

 

Governments go to the dogs as we have seen in this country. That may also be true of the rest of the Global South. But, can a dog, much less a puppy, be the cause of the downfall of a head of state? The recently ousted South Korean President Park Geun-hye (65) has been thrown behind bars following her arrest on charges of bribery and corruption. She will be held in detention while prosecutors are busy preparing criminal charges she is to be arraigned on. Perhaps, the alleged acts of bribery and corruption she is said to have committed would not have come to light but for a cute puppy.

The circumstances that led to Park’s fall and subsequent arrest and detention were very dramatic. She got into trouble owing to her association with a wealthy businesswoman, Choi Soon-sil, who is also in custody and on trial. Park stands accused of having benefited from Choi’s largess and her fate was sealed the day the latter had a fight with a male friend over a puppy. Piqued, the man went public with what he knew about the questionable deals between Park and Choi. The Park affair has since been dubbed ‘puppygate’.

Park is alleged to have solicited companies, through Choi, for money and infringed upon the freedom of corporate management in her position as president. If these charges can be proved in courts, she will be jailed for ten years according to prosecutors.

Park’s supporters are up in arms, condemning her arrest while others have welcomed legal action against her. Whether she has run afoul of the law or not remains to be seen with the prosecutors having twenty days to build their case according to media reports. But, South Korea has set an example which is worthy of emulation. It has demonstrated that no one is above the law and anyone who commits an infraction has to face the consequences of his or her action. It has done so, creating political uncertainty in the process, in spite of threats from North Korea.

Earlier, it was the western nations which set such examples. US President Richard Nixon had to resign following the Watergate scandal. But, the western role models, too, have shown signs of going the same way as the developing countries, where leaders are too big to be caught. US President Bill Clinton stayed put having admitted to committing perjury. It may be recalled that in 2000, when the then British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s wife, Cherie, was fined for travelling in a train without a ticket, media paid a glowing tribute to her for obeying the law and asked the leaders and their family members in the developing world to emulate the Blairs. However, the railway company, subsequently, sacked the ticket inspector who had fined Cherie though it initially praised him and used the incident to boost its image. For, it knew the renewal of its contract was coming up for negotiation! Later, Cherie got exposed for having benefited from her association with a fraudster. There was a grand cover-up and she got away with it. Sounds familiar?

Blessed is a country where the law of the land applies equally to one and all including its political leaders whether they are in power or not. Statespersons are a rarity in the modern world and politicians are greedy by nature and their integrity is only lack of opportunity to line their pockets. They never hesitate to avail themselves of opportunities to amass wealth.

This country has been experimenting with various foreign models in a bid to solve its problems. The incumbent administration tells us it has enlisted the support of the UK etc., to deal with financial crimes here. With their help the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) was set up, but the stolen wealth stashed away in the offshore accounts of the former leaders has not yet been traced. The FCID’s dog and pony shows, as it were, have lost their magic. If the yahapalana administration is genuinely desirous of tackling bribery and corruption effectively it ought to look to South Korea for guidance. But, we bet our bottom dollar or rupee that it will never do so because if it ever did, first of all, some of its leaders would have to be thrown behind bars for the biggest ever financial crime in the country—the Treasury bond scam. Fraudsters responsible for the Central Bank heist are moving about freely and seen in the exalted company of the powers that be. It is the fervent hope of all law-abiding Sri Lankans that the big-time rogues who are currently above the law thanks to their political connections will be brought to justice over the ‘Bondgate’ like the disgraced South Korean leader.