Financial Times

Sleeping giant of competitiveness
The Wise Old Owl begins its day at the time little children are told bedtime stories by their parents. In the West they relate the story of Gulliver the giant captured by the Lilliputians whilst asleep. In the East it is the story of sleeping Taro, getting up from his deep slumber to serve the famine stricken community.

When woken from their sleep both Gulliver and Taro served the Lilliputians and the community in an immeasurable way. There lives in Sri Lanka too a sleeping giant waiting to woken. During the British Raj it was a growth-contributing giant. In India it is yet an important working giant that requires a separate Union budget. The Railways, is a sleeping giant of future competitiveness.

Railways is certainly a sleeping giant for it has the capability in full development to facilitate competitiveness, growth and ease the lives of so many citizens, especially the poorer segments of society, whilst contributing in no small measure to the improvement of the environment.

Yet it is ignored by the leaders of the nation and the leaders of business, whilst civil society also sleeps along with the giant, allowing a few union bosses and power hungry gutless politicians to allow the sleeping giant to sleep on.

Why is there no huge cry from the chambers and business leaders that the way forward to competitiveness enhancement is by significantly reducing transport costs and delays via an effectively functioning railway? Why is it that the environmentalist and ecology promoting lobby groups are silent allowing vehicle emissions to pollute the air and slow down the movement of traffic, when the railways can eliminate both? Why is it that the professionals, academics and transport specialists silent without pointing in a loud voice that the way forward to competitiveness is through an efficient railway system? Why are the suffering commuters not protesting against the sleeping giant not effectively serving their needs?

The answer lies in the general attitude of Sri Lankans or their wrong belief in Karma, which allows a few power hungry union leaders and politicians to hold a nation to ransom and many to suffer in silence.

Competitiveness is a buzzword with business leaders. They have set up competitiveness clusters for tea, tourism, apparel and many other exports. Why are there no loud cries "the railways must support significant value gains in competitiveness".

The owl is old enough to remember how the railway linked tea exports through the Trincomalee Tea Administration and added competitiveness to that trade. Are they blind to the several options to improve competitiveness of the exports and imports by linking railways direct to a customs point in the port? Why do they prefer a system that oils the palms from the gate to F.O.B and ship to warehouse? Do they not see how traffic congestion will ease with containers off the busy roads? Are they blind to the air pollution and the damage to the roads caused by the heavy trucks on the roads? Tourists linked directly from the airport to seaside, hill country and cultural triangle hotels by a comfortable and efficient railway system is not a key demand of the tourism cluster.

Why do they support new highways instead of an efficient railway, knowing very well that it takes years to conceptualize a highway system, years more to have a financial package and an implementation plan in place, requiring uncompetitive heavy funding costs in acquiring land with the attendant long delays due to our legal system? Are they also blind folded not to realize that the costs of a highway system are likely to be burdened with a significant share of corruption and waste led investments and above all the burdens of future effective maintenance for which a functioning toll system cannot be put in place? Are they blind, uncaring for sector opportunities for competitiveness, uncaring for the environment and common users of roads or are they simply a part of the transport and clearing Mafia that benefits from the current uncompetitive situation? Are they simply sleeping in their cocoons of comfort?

Commuters to the city continue to suffer from the congested roads, uncomfortable travel and delays. Yet they allow the sleeping giant to sleep on. Why have we not seen sit-in protests across the rail tracks by commuters demanding an improved service?

Why are the professionals, academia and media silent on leveraging full value from the sunken investment in the track and stations, availability of freehold land on both sides of the track that can give effective returns on new investments much cheaper than highways and turn train travel to be more comfortable and pleasant with effective national economic returns?

Let us resolve together to awaken the sleeping giant of competitiveness.

(The writer, a respected business leader, could be reached at wo_owl@yahoo.co.uk)

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