Sri Lankan Myths and Obstacles for Development
Developing Sri Lanka is the theme of our politicians when it comes closer to elections. Other than the documented million dollar development plans and feasibility studies, nothing had turned in to reality. While driving around, listening to various ongoing discussions during last couple of weeks, I was thinking about the reasons for this. Why the things are not moving towards a direction similar to other developing countries like China, Brasil and India. We all talk about the problems and solutions. So let’s start to talk about the myths and bad habits..
Myths
1. War is slowing things down
What has happened during the last 2 years? In my opinion nothing has developed in our country during this period? I feel that we have completed more projects and more development work during the time of JR and Premadasa (one way or another) while funding a war.
Things have reversed after the war. Compare the defense budget then and now?
2. Politics and Politicians
This is another myth. Politics is not an issue for basic development. I agree that it’s an issue for a country to develop similar to Singapore with a long term vision. But for us, I am talking of basics such as garbage disposal, electricity, good roads, good schools, good hospitals and housing. No need to formulate a long term vision for this kind of short term, can do projects.
Politics is not the reason for where we are today.
3. Not enough funds
We have enough funds provided we adopt a system of “do it right first time” concept. No country will have money to redo the same road over and over again in every 2 years time. So the issue is utilization of funds and it has nothing to do with not having enough funds.
4. Economic Growth = Economic Development
I know many people know the difference. Too bad that we are keep on talking of an Economic Growth each quarter without having measures to report the economic development in each quarter.
5. Unemployment
This is not an issue to make good roads, have good schools, hospitals etc. These projects have a chain effect and when projects gets started things will improve across all sectors.
Bad habits
Laziness
In my opinion the biggest obstacle for development in my country is “Laziness” of people. Many people go behind finding quick money instead of working. From the Passport checking counter at the Airport to government departments you can see at least 1:10 of Worker : Supervisor ratio. For example, it’s a very common sign to see many officers standing behind passport counters talking with each other, without trying to clear the lines at the airport. Similarly, you will see so many people wearing sarongs, talking near markets, spitting around and wasting time. Try to find a housemaid, driver or a person to fix some small thing at your house. It’s impossible. Unless it’s a big contract, no one is interested in Rs 100-300 jobs. Instead they prefer to kill time, hang around roads or now even to rob someone elses money.
Waste
I have noticed the huge amount of waste from households to companies in Sri Lanka. Everything we build and then break or purchased and not used is a waste. No one seems to realize this fact. Count the number of electrical/electronic items at your house that no one uses or occasional use. Count the number of lights, fans switched on. Observe the amount of roads they dig to re-do pipe lines, telephone lines. All this is money that could have shifted for productive development. Forgot.. go and open the fridge and see the amount of expired food in it and the excess food throw away everyday.
More on this. What about the public property destroyed by people. Sit on a private bus and see the state of its seats. Observe the bus stands. Estimate the cost of repairing the damage done by people instead of pointing fingers at someone else for not keeping things clean and tidy.
No need to read 7 Habits.
Practicing the above 2 habits and getting rid of the above 5 Myths at all levels will put our country on the right track.
3 Comments:
Well said!
Very analytical view.
I think in the bad habit list we should add ‘Excuses’ too. We are so good at it. All the myths you have listed not really myths – those are some of our common excuses. A biggest excuse of all the time is ‘Europeans destroyed the good country’. Bullsh*t!
Couple of hundreds Spanish adventures fight with 80,000 Mayas in South America and destroy one of the world oldest and one of the powerful civilizations in the world in couple of month. How? Maya’s had Gold but they didn’t have sophisticate writing system like Europians. They didn’t had houses, cattle or sheep. No guns. Poor guys.
But when Europians come to Sri Lanka we had guns – we had good writing system. We had fairly good scientific knowledge. We had developed Steel making technology some what, even it is not as good as European sword making. We didn’t have fighting horses – but we really didn’t need them – we are an island with mountains. We were masters of farming – may be more than Europeans. We had almost all the advantages Africans or Incas didn’t had. Then why Europeans able to occupied Sri Lanka? Why it is not other way around? Sri Lanka had to face a fairly big war every 500 years or so all the way in the history – still why we didn’t had sophisticated army like Europeans? Why we are poor? Why Europeans Rich?
For sure the reason is not that were an innocent good people and bad while people robed us. (We were mean people even then just like now). I think the main reason is we were a divided country – we had couple of kings ruling their own ways in deferent locations and fighting with each other. – And we were poor even when Europeans pay us a visit. We wear already under attach by Arabs - matter of fact Arabs control West cost. We just sold our natural stocks (elephants, gems, cinnamons. Etc..) We didn’t manufacture anything even back then.
I agree. We were rich all the way back in Anuradapura/Polonnaruwa era. But by the time westerns master the ship building technology we spend our time pretty much fighting with our own people – moving our capital place to place. We didn’t have good road system until British build one. No road system = no local economy (same as now). But have a look at China, Japan even back then.
If western didn’t occupy Sri Lanka how Sri Lanka can be now? I keep that for you imagination.
Why I talk about history? Because feeling of rich person turning poor and poor person stay poor is deferent. So I know we were born poor.
That is alright. Why we still poor?
Because we fail the ‘Industrial Age’ exam. Bam! That is the time drop out form the school. We got a big F at the end.
This is something every country try get in to. Every country tries that totally deferent ways. Russian becomes Socialist. Chinese went crazy. Japanese become ruthless killers. Americans… just become Americans. Germans become nationalists. The bottom line is any one who had fair literacy rate was able to get their fair share in the industrial age at the end.
But what we did? We try to become socialists without any meaning and we destroy own baby steps in the industrial age in that process. Then we went to capitalism with out any industry.
Who did that? Our old generation – same people who control the most of the politics even now. If you talk to an old Korean person – he will tell how you they fight with Japanese. If you talk to old japans they may tell you how hard they work to build the industry they have. If you talk to old Chinese person they may tell you how they melt down cooking pots to make iron. If you talk to an old American farmer he may tell you how they build the John Deer Tractor. What our old generation can tell us?
Do we learn anything form our past? No. History is Pop Culture in Sri Lanka. We don’t learn anything form it. We are still divided. Just like 500 years ago. Any divided country in the world does not have a strong economy. So that is why we are still poor.
The War. Politics. Unemployment. British colonization. They all Bullsh*t. We have to accept we are just lazy nation who live on foreign aids (and sending our woman to work in Arab).
Very analytical view.
I think in the bad habit list we should add ‘Excuses’ too. We are so good at it. All the myths you have listed not really myths – those are some of our common excuses. A biggest excuse of all the time is ‘Europeans destroyed the good country’. Bullsh*t!
Couple of hundreds Spanish adventures fight with 80,000 Mayas in South America and destroy one of the world oldest and one of the powerful civilizations in the world in couple of month. How? Maya’s had Gold but they didn’t have sophisticate writing system like Europians. They didn’t had houses, cattle or sheep. No guns. Poor guys.
But when Europians come to Sri Lanka we had guns – we had good writing system. We had fairly good scientific knowledge. We had developed Steel making technology some what, even it is not as good as European sword making. We didn’t have fighting horses – but we really didn’t need them – we are an island with mountains. We were masters of farming – may be more than Europeans. We had almost all the advantages Africans or Incas didn’t had. Then why Europeans able to occupied Sri Lanka? Why it is not other way around? Sri Lanka had to face a fairly big war every 500 years or so all the way in the history – still why we didn’t had sophisticated army like Europeans? Why we are poor? Why Europeans Rich?
For sure the reason is not that were an innocent good people and bad while people robed us. (We were mean people even then just like now). I think the main reason is we were a divided country – we had couple of kings ruling their own ways in deferent locations and fighting with each other. – And we were poor even when Europeans pay us a visit. Arabs already controled West cost. We just sold our natural stocks (elephants, gems, cinnamons. Etc..) We didn’t manufacture anything even back then.
I agree. We were rich all the way back in Anuradapura/Polonnaruwa era. But by the time westerns master the ship building technology we spend our time pretty much fighting with our own people – moving our capital place to place. We didn’t have good road system until British build one. No road system = no local economy (same as now). But have a look at China, Japan even back then.
If western didn’t occupy Sri Lanka how Sri Lanka look like now? I keep that for you imagination.
Why I talk about history? Because feeling of rich person turning poor and poor person stay poor is deferent. So I know we were born poor. We were poor then - we are poor now. So i'm not upset like before.
That is alright. Why we still poor?
Because we fail the ‘Industrial Age’ exam. Bam! That is the time we drop out the school. We got a big F at the year end.
This is something every country try get in to. Every country tries that totally deferent ways. Russian becomes Socialist. Chinese went crazy. Japanese become ruthless killers. Americans… just become Americans. Germans become nationalists. The bottom line is any one who had fair literacy rate was able to get their fair share in the industrial age at the end.
But what we did? We try to become socialists without any meaning and we destroy own baby steps in the industrial age in that process. Then we went to capitalism with out any industry.
Who did that? Our old generation – same people who control the most of the politics even now. If you talk to an old Korean person – he will tell how you they fight with Japanese. If you talk to old japans they may tell you how hard they work to build the industry they have. If you talk to old Chinese person they may tell you how they melt down cooking pots to make iron. If you talk to an old American farmer he may tell you how they build the John Deer Tractor. What our old generation can tell us?
Do we learn anything form our past? No. History is Pop Culture in Sri Lanka. We don’t learn anything form it. We are still divided. Just like 500 years ago. Any divided country in the world does not have a strong economy. So that is why we are still poor.
The War. Politics. Unemployment. British colonization. They all Bullsh*t. We have to accept we are just lazy nation who live on foreign aids (and sending our woman to work in Arab).
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home