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Standards
and double-standards What do Sri Lankans expect and hope for? To lead a long and healthy life, to be educated and to have access to resources needed for a decent standard of living. Additional choices include political freedom, guaranteed human rights and personal self-respect. School admissions, University output, the health services speak for themselves.Soaring prices of basic necessities is a story by itself. And what of political freedom, human rights and self-respect? In their joint message on World Standards Day, the three heads that spearhead the separate organisations viz., the ISO, the ITU and the IEC refer to the need for international standardization systems that transforms qualities like efficiency, effectiveness, economy, quality, ecology, safety, reliability, compatibility and interoperability into concrete characteristics of products and services. There is emphasis on "international standards" and reference is made to getting food from farm to kitchen table, raw materials for processing plants so and so forth, going into areas of telecom networks and computer systems. Poor economically developing countries, like Sri Lanka, face the brunt of disproportional distribution of the world's wealth and resources. Often, due to their sheer economic weakness, they get short-changed by the world's economic order. Take for example, the issue of GM (Genetically Modified) foods. Is there a uniform standard for GM foods, internationally? Or is the United States of America bulldozing its way in this area. In Sri Lanka, the Health Ministry was working out some guidelines on the import and sale of GM foods, when all of a sudden the campaign fizzled out owing to pressure, and there we are. The ISO, IEC and ITU refer to an international standardisation on ecology, for instance. Recently, the Weeramanthri Institute raised issue about the dumping of nuclear waste by the richer nations, off the seas of poor countries like Sri Lanka. According to figures, developing countries like Sri Lanka run the risk of being the dumping grounds of more than 30,000 cubic metres of radioactive waste discarded by the developed countries. There is sweet fanny adams that Sri Lanka can do about this gross violation to her ecology. In a whole host of areas, there is almost a chronic case of double-standards that dis-connect the world, rather than connect it as the ISO, IEC and ITU demand. Double-standards in global political issues range from the battle against terrorism to agricultural subsidies and the workings of the World Trade Organisation. The ISO, IEC and ITU and other like-minded international agencies cannot be divorced from these realities, though, indeed, their work towards standards needs to be commended. As for Sri Lanka's 'Quality Week', there is so much to be done. From the area of strengthening the Consumer Affairs Authority, to by-laws of municipalities to the elimination of bribery and corruption - at the highest level. It is almost a Herculean task, virtually an impossible task. Calling for worldwide or national standards cannot be de-linked with political standards in countries such as ours, where every conceivable function revolves around politics and politicians. Take for instance, the list of National Quality Award winners and the list of product certification mark holders and consider how many local food and drink manufacturers figure in it. This country is replete with cases of influential businessmen getting away after being nabbed by the authorities while selling sub-standard food stuffs, importing food that is either past the expiry date, or very close to it. From the highest levels of Government, Customs inquiries on food and beverage importers have been stopped. From the highest levels of Government persons from the Excise Department have been found fault with for raiding distilleries and catching adulterated arrack being sold to consumers. From the highest levels have inquiries - even of multi-national fast-food chains - been stopped in mid-stream. Why? Because these are the people who bank-roll powerful politicians, from all sides of the political divide, especially at election time and who cash their IOUs with all Governments, blue, green or red. While we would naturally support World Standards Day, and Sri Lanka's own initiative at Quality Week, we hate to sound so pessimistic but to say that all their well-meaning efforts are an exercise in futility, with corrupt politicians and administrators at the helm of this country's affairs. |
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