Trailblazing a new path of peace and development By Pramod De Silva In just five years, the skyline of Colombo will be completely transformed. From a Shangri-La to a Hyatt Regency and a number of other skyscrapers, recreation areas, shopping complexes and housing units for the underprivileged coming up, the new face of Colombo will make a bold statement – that Colombo – and Sri Lanka itself - have arrived on the world stage. However, it is not only Colombo that is witnessing this major transformation. Throughout the country, massive development projects are taking shape. They will shape and change our lives in an unprecedented manner. After all, just a decade back, no one thought that it would be possible to reach Galle in one hour from a suburb of Colombo and even more importantly, to hop on a bus at night and reach Jaffna in the morning. The modernised Colombo Racecourse buiding Things that we imagined only in dreams have turned into realities today, thanks to the peace that prevails throughout the island. This transformation began seven years ago, but the biggest victory in that process came just three years ago - the defeat of LTTE terrorism. It is precisely because of that reason that one can safely travel throughout the length and breadth of this beautiful land we call home. This alone is one of the most significant achievements in recent memory. Peace and development always go hand in hand. Peace is essential for development. Development has been spurred by the onset of peace, not only in the North and the East, but also in the rest of the island, as investors repose faith in the peaceful climate. Although the rest of the island was relatively calm even during the years of terrorism, apart from certain incidents, investors were reluctant to invest funds. However, this situation has changed to the extent that some investors are keen to start operations in the North and the East as well. From new ports (Hambantota, Oluvil) to airports (Mattala, upgraded domestic airports) it is almost hard to keep up with the rapid pace of development.Tourists too are arriving in Sri Lanka in record numbers – just a couple of weeks ago, the world’s leading travel guide publisher Lonely Planet ranked Sri Lanka as the Number One Place to Visit in 2013. Such a ranking would have been impossible just four years ago, but today, it is a different story. It is thus no longer a distant dream for Sri Lanka to reach the goal of 1.5 million tourists a year initially. Sri Lanka has now become the place to see – and be seen in. Public participation Development cannot happen in a vacuum, devoid of public participation. All segments of society from schoolchildren to elders must participate in this noble exercise. It is also heartening to see former LTTE cadre, now fully rehabilitated, working for the development of a country they once fought to divide. Programs such as Samurdhi, Maga Neguma and Divi Neguma have given a voice to the villagers in the development process. It should essentially be a grassroots drive, because they are the ones who know about a particular village’s development and social needs. It is vital to involve women and youth in the rural development process. The Government has recognised the village as the core foundation for development, with agricultural development given priority. The recent announcement that sales of agricultural machinery including tractors have surpassed all expectations indicates that this strategy is the right one. Sri Lanka will be able to avoid any impending food crisis, thanks to these agricultural development initiatives. Moreover, with programs such as Eka Gamakata Eka Wedak (One Project for Each Village) in over 14,000 villages, the most pressing need of a given village is identified and a project is implemented to address that shortcoming within a short period. Indeed, if all villages are developed equally, there will be no need for the residents to look towards the city for all their needs. Even the crazy scramble for city schools can be ended if there are ‘good’ schools within easy reach of each village. Fortunately, that is also part of the Government’s education action plans. Cities are nerve centres that should be developed further in our quest to become the Wonder of Asia. Colombo should become a world-class city (it is well on its way in this regard) and attention is also being paid to the development of cities in the North, including Jaffna and Kilinochchi.Herein lies a unique opportunity and a challenge for the authorities – they can ‘build back better’ as development specialists so often say. In other words, the cities that are being rebuilt will be much better than they ever were in terms of infrastructure, transport links, public amenities and other facilities. Southern Expressway Now that terrorism is no more, all regions have been given a new lease of life. Even in the absence of terrorism, that new lease of life would not have been possible without some of the decisive actions taken during the last seven years. For example, the Upper Kotmale power project was on the drawing board for several decades, but only this Government took a bold decision to go ahead with it. The plans for the Southern Expressway were well known, but no other Government went ahead. The biggest decision of all, however, was to end terrorism from our midst – and almost every other decision received a fillip as a result. Peace makes many things easier. Sri Lanka does have a long way to go in terms of development, but our impressive achievements and indices are a good base to work on. Fostering reconciliation and establishing a true Sri Lankan identity will be the key challenges in this endeavour in the next few years. A spiritually enriched population, working together without any artificial barriers such as ethnicity, will be a prime asset for Sri Lanka as it seeks to become a frontline nation in Asia and the wider world. There is no doubt that Sri Lankans living all over the world will also shed their differences and work for the betterment of their Motherland under this dynamic leadership which has taken the country on a trailblazing new path of peace and development.