When Irish eyes are smiling…
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Heck – this was one great way of delivering a serious development sermon laced with wit, entertainment and zany facial expressions. It indeed woke up the audience and the hour passed with everyone wide awake and glued to their seats. This is about a presentation at an recent ILO event in Colombo hotel this week. Like the song ‘If Irish eyes are smiling’, Irishman Joe Connolly, ILO Consultant and former, Chief Technical Advisor of the ILO’s LEED Project, kept the audience spellbound with a 60-minute journey on how an ILO post conflict empowerment project, four years later had helped communities, empowered war widows and fishermen, raised issues, provided lessons, solutions and results. Even over lunch, Joe was seen cracking jokes with others at the table.
Never boring, it was like listening to a cricket commentary by legendary, the late Tony Greig complete with wit, history and facts. Some ‘nuggets’ from Joe’s discourse on the project to economically empower communities in Vavuniya, Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu: · Dr. Upali Ranasinghe, Chairman of CR exports was a great help in providing markets for producers. Overnight ‘papaya was jumping out of a ground’. This guy (Upali) should be given a prize for believing in these conflict-affected men and women and their ability to deliver. · Who knows, one fine day a New York entrepreneur might find that palmyrah toddy is great to remove the wrinkles off your face and make you beautiful. If that happens the palymrah industry will soar to another level.
· In the many countries I have worked, the leadership says “it cannot be done” when suggestions (from outsiders) are made. I then ask for their guidelines or manuals on processes and 90 per cent of the time there are none. But I got to be careful in saying these things to a politician otherwise I’ll get my ‘head’ chopped off. (roaring laughter follows) Turn the page and here’s how not to do things. Among other matters, government politicians are seen speaking out of turn or ministers still talk about the wrongdoings of the former regime, 18 months after being elected – taking up valuable media space for unproductive reasons. Funny guys.
The other day, a local car importer asked, “Hey how is Eran (Deputy Minister Wickramaratne) talking about the Volkswagen project at Kurunegala being suspended when it comes under the purview of another ministry?” Good point but maybe the deputy minister was misunderstood or misquoted, I said. Eran is deputy minister of Public Enterprise Development; the Volkswagen project was signed by the Board of Investment which comes under the BOI, an agency under Minister Malik Samarawickrema’s Ministry of Development Strategies and International Trade, and it was the pet project of Harsha de Silva when he was earlier a deputy to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and is now deputy Foreign Minister. Trust Harsha won’t be offended. With me or Eran?
On to much bigger things, we wish the administration will take serious note of the regular Business Times – Research Consultancy Bureau (BT-RCB) polls which not only provide a lot of food for thought but a sense of what the people across all strata of society perceive about their government. These polls held over the past four to five years provide interesting data on the needs and aspirations of a society. The joint survey – one on the street- and the other by email targeting mostly professionals – sometimes comes up with diametrically opposite views between the working class and professionals. Yet, often the views are similar. Consider this week’s survey aimed at assessing the awareness levels of Sri Lankans on development issues.
While both professionals and those on the street for instance were aware of the Central Bank bond scam, the coal tender and the port city, however on a new highway and new railways they were not as enlightened. The results of the survey published elsewhere in the section reveals a lack of transparency in all three issues – Central Bank bond, coal tender and the port city. Surveys may not give the full story but they provide a sense of what the people feel, their perception and whether they are happy and contented with the present lot in government. Mismanagement and creeping levels of corruption are emerging from the many comments in these surveys, particularly from the street interviews conducted in Colombo and Galle.
However it must also be acknowledged that people are liberal with their views, far more than in the past probably due to one of this government’s biggest achievements – freedom to speak out without fear. Back to the 2011-2016 ILO project (and more on it through a report on the proceedings next week), war widows are producing fruits and vegetables for export and they have money in their pockets giving them an improved status in society, new-found respect and a voice. In the fisheries sector, northern fishermen are fighting their own battles vis-à-vis the intrusion of Indian fishing trawlers. Positive things are happening and this is the bright side of life in Sri Lanka where conflict-affected families are moving fast – with a little help and understanding – towards a better future.
On a final note, we have a story on the Central Bank planning to bail out six more finance companies. The government needs to be not only firm but expose those who have vanished with the people’s funds while at the same time running around in BMWs, eating from 5-star hotels or shopping for branded goods at the expense of poor depositors running to catch a bus, clinging onto a crowded train or gingerly opening their bare-as-bones ‘buth’ packet in the office lunchroom. There should be no mercy shown. Name and shame them for they have played with the lives of thousands of people some of who have committed suicide in desperation. So folks; bye till next week when we discuss more happenings from the Kussiya cupboard. … “Kussi amma Sera had a fight with one Perera, home people don’t know what to do”!
| The kitchen is not only the heart and soul of a home but also where many decisions – apart from food – are discussed and taken! This new series replaces the weekly commentary but deals with the same issues, concerns and developments, perhaps laced at times with wit and entertainment to invigorate our faithful and sometimes annoyed (if-the-cap-fits) – Sunday readers! | |