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Dr. Pethiyagoda blames Lanka’s woes on rulers, bureaucrats not using common sense
By: M. A. Kaleel
Sri Lanka could go bankrupt again and again in the years to come like Argentina, Dr. Rohan Pethiyagoda, one of Sri Lanka’s foremost biodiversity experts said at the convocation of the Sri Jayewardenepura University.The engineer turned biodiversity expert told the students that they were graduating at the most difficult time in Sri Lanka’s post-Independence history.
“The fact is whichever government we get, whichever President we elect in the future, it won’t make a difference because coming out of this type of economic crisis is a slow, tedious and long process. It’s not going to be bad as people say that Sri Lanka is going to end up as Zimbabwe. I don’t think it will. We have people like you in Sri Lanka but Zimbabwe doesn’t. We might end up like Argentina. A hundred years ago Argentina was the 15th richest country in the world. On average Argentinians were richer than Italians, French and Irish. Today it’s one of the poorest countries in the world. All because of lack of common sense in political ideology. In 20 years, Argentina declared bankruptcy not once nine times. We can also expect that Sri Lanka can go bankrupt again and again in years to come. Unfortunately that’s how the world works. Recovery from the crisis we face is not easy. It’s not going to be over in a year or two. It might take ten or twenty years or a generation and you are the generation that can drive the recovery,” he said.
Excerpts of the speech: Today, Sri Lanka is in a crisis because people didn’t have something a mother has. Mothers are people, I think all will realise, who are rich in a thing called common sense. To think about it, our primary problem started with the inflation we are seeing in our economy as the result of the Central Bank two years ago printing 2.3 billion rupees in paper money. Money which is not supported by the growth in the economy always leads to inflation. If you look at other countries, every country that has done that has faced a financial collapse. Our Governor of CB, a highly qualified professional and academic with a PhD from the University of Oxford denied there was a link between money supply and inflation. He didn’t have common sense.
“Your mother couldn’t have done that. That’s why we have this problem. We saw what happened in organic agriculture. Overnight the government decided to change the agriculture policy. Agriculture expertise that has been taught by the universities for the last 50 years – scientific modern agriculture was put aside. We decided to take agriculture back by 100 years to the 19th century. If we look at any other countries in the world, has any country successfully done this? Then common sense says it is unlikely you will be the first successful one. That is your mother would have said. As we didn’t listen to our mother and we got it wrong and that caused our problem. Even people who are highly qualified and competent, if they don’t use common sense, may make serious mistakes. We made that with Dhammika Peniya. The government was telling Dhammika Peniya was a cure for Covid. If it’s a cure for Covid, how come Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca sold 100 b $ worth Covid vaccines last year. Sri Lanka could have got 100b $ for selling Dhammika Peniya but we didn’t. Common sense said we were wrong. When people reject science and when we people reject the learning you’ve received at universities, they can make huge mistakes. Science, as you have learned, is testing hypotheses. It is about evaluating evidence. It is not about listening to the most qualified persons. You have to learn to question everything.
“You have the advantage of graduating from one of the best universities in South Asia. University of Jayewardenepura, specifically your faculty, publishes on average one paper every day in influential indexed journals. It’s an astonishing record. You can be comfortable that you have earned a degree of international standards. If you want to do a further degree anywhere in the world, your degree will stand you in good stead.
Coming years are going to be tough. You’ll be looking for jobs. I feel sad about it. Unfortunately the mistakes have been made for no fault of you but because of corrupt, crooked, ignorant politicians. They have been the curse of our country since independence. But I don’t doubt for one moment that you have the skills, you have the intelligence and you have the knowledge to be a force to drive the change. This is your moment and this is your time for the shakeup of our country. I hope you’ll be equal to the challenge and for that reason I feel Sri Lankans deserve your skills, your talents and your dedication.”
The U.S. Embassy in Colombo welcomed the U.S. Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, former National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) players Stephen Howard and Astou Ndiaye, from June 8 through 14.
The Public Diplomacy section of the U.S. Embassy said that it would launch a weeklong basketball program intended to harness the unifying power of sports, made possible through collaboration with Foundation of Goodness and IImpact Hoop Lab.
While in Sri Lanka, Howard and Ndiaye, both retired professional basketball players, will conduct a weeklong program, Hoops for Hope: Bridging Borders through Basketball. The Sports Envoys will lead basketball clinics and exhibition matches and engage in leadership sessions in Colombo and Southern Province for youth aged 14-18 from Northern, Uva, Eastern and Western Provinces, offering skills and leadership training both on and off the court. The U.S. Envoys will also share their expertise with the Sri Lanka Basketball Federation, national coaches, and players, furthering the development of basketball in the country. Beyond the clinics, they will collaborate with Sri Lankan schoolchildren to take part in a community service project in the Colombo area.
“We are so proud to welcome Stephen and Astou as our Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, to build on the strong people-to-people connections between the United States and Sri Lanka,” said U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung. “The lessons that will be shared by our Sports Envoys – communication, teamwork, resilience, inclusion, and conflict resolution – are essential for leadership development, community building, equality, and peace. The U.S. Sports Envoy program is a testament to our belief that sports can be a powerful tool in promoting peace and unity.”
SJB Colombo District MP Mujibur Rahuman in parliament demanded to know from the government the reasons for CEB suspending the leave of all its employees until further notice from Thursday.
MP Rahuman said that the CEB has got an acting General Manager anew and the latter yesterday morning issued a circular suspending leave of all CEB employees with immediate effect until further notice.
“We demand that Minister Kanchana Wijesekera should explain this to the House. This circular was issued while this debate on the new Electricity Amendment Bill was pending. There are many who oppose this Bill. The Minister must tell parliament the reason for the urge to cancel the leave of CEB employees,” the MP said.However, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena prevented Minister Wijesekera responding to the query and said that the matter raised by MP Rahuman was not relevant.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) successfully concluded the 8th Annual CIPM Symposium, which took place on 31st May 2024. Themed “Nurturing the Human Element—Redefining HRM in a Rapidly Changing World,” the symposium underscored the pivotal role of human resource management (HRM) in today’s dynamic global landscape. Since its inception in 1959, CIPM has been dedicated to advancing the HR profession through education, professional development, and advocacy, solidifying its position as Sri Lanka’s leading professional body for HRM.
Ken Vijayakumar, the President of the CIPM, graced the occasion as the chief guest. The symposium commenced with the welcome address by the Chairperson, Prof. Arosha Adikaram, followed by the Web Launch of the Symposium Proceedings and Abstract Book by the CIPM President. The event featured distinguished addresses, including a speech by Chief Guest Ken Vijayakumar, President of CIPM, and an address by Guest of Honor Shakthi Ranatunga, Chief Operating Officer of MAS Holdings Pvt. Ltd., Sri Lanka.
The symposium also featured an inspiring keynote address by Prof. Mario Fernando, Professor of Management and Director of the Centre for Cross Cultural Management (CCCM) at the University of Wollongong, Australia.
Vote of Thanks of the inauguration session was delivered by Dr. Dillanjani Weeratunga, Symposium Co-chair.
The symposium served as a comprehensive platform for researchers to present their findings across a wide range of critical topics in HRM. These included Cultural Diversity and Inclusion, Talent Development and Retention, Ethical Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility, Adapting to Technological Advancements, Mental Health and Well-being at Work, Global Workforce Challenges, Employee Empowerment, and Reskilling and Upskilling.
The plenary session was led by Prof. Wasantha Rajapakse. Certificates were awarded to the best paper presenters during the valedictory session, followed by a vote of thanks delivered by Kamani Perera, Manager of Research and Development.
The annual symposium of CIPM was a truly inclusive event, attracting a diverse audience that spanned undergraduates, graduates, working professionals, research scholars and lecturers. This widespread interest highlights the symposium’s significance in the field of HRM, offering a unique opportunity for everyone to network and learn from scholarly brains.The CIPM International Research Symposium was sponsored by Hambantota International Port, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), E B Creasy & Co. PLC, and Print Xcel Company.
US sports envoys to Lanka to champion youth development
Rahuman questions sudden cancellation of leave of CEB employees
