Basis of selection - letter

In any country, one important objective of recognizing and rewarding a leading individual or a company should be to give publicity to its qualities, achievements and traits enabling others to emulate and achieve similar heights.

The fundamental purpose of this Nobel Prize is just that; motivate and encourage others to achieve greatness in the likeness of winners.

But sadly in Sri Lanka, as in most happenings here, things happen in the reverse. A classic example is the recent nominations of Business Today’s Top Ten winners.

What is significant here is that, of the Top 10, three are involved in the business of alcohol and tobacco whose products have actually become major social problems in our country, creating the root cause of many suicides, family breakups and anti-social behaviour in people.

On the one hand the government is bringing in legislation to control smoking and alcoholism because of the extremely harmful effects and on the other hand leading business magazines are heralding them as corporate leaders to be followed by others.

In addition to the harmful and anti social side, two of the companies are accused of having defrauded this country billions through exercise duty scans, fraudulent and corrupt activities involving transfer of government-owned lands.

The inquiries are proceeding with the companies involved not uttering a word, nor denying anything. If rankings are done totally disregarding the ethics of carrying out the business, it is only a matter of time before these awards lose its respectability.

D.N.L. Philips, Mount Lavinia