Lanka facing a crisis of confidence, business leader says
View(s):“Businesses playing a role in regaining and sustaining Sri Lanka’s economic resurgence is of great relevance, especially as the country is experiencing a feeling of uncertainty and challenges,” according to Chairman of MAS Holdings, Mahesh Amalean.
In comments released by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) while he was speaking about Sri Lanka’s current economic context at a panel discussion organised by the CCC recently, he highlighted that the constitutional crisis which the country experienced last October and the Easter Sunday Attacks, have together created confusion and lack of confidence about the country’s collective leadership.
“The detrimental impacts of the recent incidents are so visible, that the numbers speak for themselves. For instance, if we consider our GDP growth rate, at the beginning of the year it was projected to be around 4 per cent for 2019. However, with these unfortunate incidents, the growth rate for Sri Lanka has been downgraded to be between the range of 2.5 per cent to 3 per cent, the lowest for the past 18 years,” he was quoted as saying.
What can be done to address these issues and how does one regain and sustain economic resurgence? For Mr. Amalean, the solution is simplicity itself: To have clarity, be focused and to never let negatives pull you down.
“As a business, what we have done is to look at the next two years to strengthen our core business. We need to build internal strength. I believe clarity gives us enormous strength, direction and focus in a challenging environment,” he added.