Plea
to Business Leaders
Play a new game for Sri Lanka
By the time you wake up on Sunday, November 20 and turn the pages
of your favourite weekend business newspaper – The Sunday
FT, the waiting game, the predictions, the rumours, taking sides
openly or covertly, risk mitigation with networks to both sides
along with the big match itself, are all over.
The umpires have lifted the stump, declared the winner and closed
the game. The cheers and tears, the triumphant march of supporters,
the victory speech and even presumably the bashing of the losers
are finished.
The
people have elected the new executive President of Sri Lanka. Whether
he will work for the welfare of the nation and the long-term benefit
of the people who elected him, only history will tell! Whether the
voters who were the kings and queens before the elections will so
remain in the future or whether the new kingmakers will be the new
set of power house politicians, with their cronies, network partners,
“Komis Kakkas”, big businesses, the underworld and torch
bearers will of course be evident much sooner. What these guys and
dolls will do is established like the first grade copybook.
How the Religious, Chamber and Civil Society leaders will behave
cannot be predicted. There in lies the only hope of salvation or
sure way towards a nation with the majority embedded in poverty
and without a bright and prosperous future.
The hopes and prayers of the Wise Old Owl this day are “ May
our Religious, Business, Chamber, Media and Civil Society Leaders
guide the new Executive President to commit himself and his new
team to the long term future growth and prosperity of the nation
and its people always placing Sri Lanka and its people first”
and “ May these leaders be independent, ethical, fair, compassionate,
have integrity, be unselfish and professional in their approach
to national issues, being always guided by an unwavering commitment
to law and order, seeking collective opportunities for the benefit
of society at large, upholding meritocracy and best practices of
governance, and never fearing to speak, act and organize the civil
society to assure liberty, human rights and fair play in delivering
a dawn of peace and prosperity” and “May none of these
leaders run behind the new team to get personal favours and benefits
and misguide them and shower praise where critique and agitation
are the required civil society action”.
The Wise Old Owl has identified 14 key deliverables of governance,
in resources, structures and soft skills that business leaders must
commit to assure delivery by the new President and his team and
hopes these will be the new order that will be the driving commitment
heralded by the new leaders of the nation Sri Lanka.
These
key deliverables are;
-
Security and stability free of internal and external conflict
-
Poverty alleviation across the island thus ensuring that urbanization
in pursuit of job opportunities will not lead to increased levels
of slum dwellers
-
Economic growth and full engagement of the people through fair
trade and value adding investments that assures competitiveness
of Sri Lankan products and services, led by enhanced economy,
efficiency and effectiveness
-
Technology and best practices transfer facilitated by extensive
shared services facilitations
- Improved
infrastructure especially in port, airport, rail and road transportation,
power, electricity and water and housing for the poor
-
Education and health infrastructure that will assure healthy and
capable (knowledge, skills and attitudes) population to contribute
to the nation’s prosperity will be available
-
Installing a structure that assures the environment and ecology
are preserved for the future generations and national value enhancement
-
Capable and stable leadership structure at national, government,
administration, private sector and village level being established
and effectively in place
-
Equity, justice and fair play with equal opportunity to access
resources and leverage knowledge and information within a framework
of meritocracy prevails
-
Required human resource skills and capability development is supported
by the education and training and development framework with emphasis
on English, ICT, Science and Technology
-
Good governance, law and order are upheld within a structure that
focuses on anti corruption, with transparent mechanisms that drive
accountability
-
Ease of market access locally and overseas for movement of goods
and services including human and financial capital are facilitated
by the governance and regulatory structures in place
-
Effectively functioning dispute resolution structures and mechanisms
are available for national conflicts, human rights, trade and
investments and societal rights of citizens to be assured
-
Long term binding policy regimes agreed to collectively by all
political and government leaders apply and prevail
May these not be unfulfilled dreams of Chamber Leaders but a set
of values to which they will always commit to, placing the nation
and its people first! (The writer could be reached at - wo_owl@yahoo.co.uk). |
