When you see the way some of our
Countrymen talk about Sri Lanka in such exalted terms, they seem to forget that
it is easy and important to be unique and precious when you are so small, and
when a Country that is 60 times bigger in population like India, is growing at
8% our performance looks perceptibly disastrous.
After all just a coffee chain Starbucks
in the US has a Market Capitalization that is greater than the whole GNP of Sri
Lanka!
It is therefore all the more reason, why
we should be ashamed at ourselves for making every issue, insurmountable and
unsolvable, when they in the scheme of things are quite easily solvable.
All it needs is a visionary who is able
to articulate the way ahead and for an educated class, able to carry out this
vision. It is important that we therefore realize that we don’t have an
educated class capable of understanding what it is that is needed, and able to
carry out the basic tasks, or is it that we have NOT been able to identify
these people, select them and empower them with the task and reward them well
for their efforts. If we are able to do this, then I believe we will be able to
find our way, and go in the direction we should instead of always in reverse which
it seems to be!
I have already envisioned a dual growth strategy
that breaks the Country into the Megapolis for the Western Province, going ahead
with a Singapore type efficient and effective market oriented growth strategy in
keeping with the Country’s strategic location, and maximizing on core competencies.
The Rest of the Country, can concentrate
on Conservation, and Environment that allows those in the Megapolis to enjoy a rich
and rewarding life experience whilst at the same time being serviced by the populace
therein, who have forsaken fast pace and growth and high income for a better quality
of life with few material needs. This kind of duopoly would make Sri Lanka a unique
case in the world as a Country comfortable in their own skin in making choices,
that permit two distinctly different lifestyle choices that may have an equivalent
quality of life for those in the whole island, where their citizens can move freely
from one to the other seamlessly a very fortunate mix.
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