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| Sunday, 1 December 2002 |
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Vision 2020 Biz Buzzby IRIS & AVED Delivering the Henry Steele Olcott Memorial Oration at the BMICH last week, Chandra Jayaratne, the immediate past Chairman of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce rekindled enthusiasm in his dream for a prosperous and peaceful Sri Lanka by the year 2020. The path to prosperity, as envisioned by Jayaratne, had been shaped by a mix of economic theory, down to earth business lessons and a value system built on the teachings of the Buddha. Vision 2020 requires the settlement of the North East conflict (now closer to reality than when the paper was first presented at the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce in early 2001), the emergence of disciplined, well educated, pragmatic and astute political leaders and the need for the two main political parties (the PA and the UNP) espousing national interests ahead of party interests. Eighteen months after Vision 2020 was first presented, the country seems to have acquired political leaders and a political consensus (perhaps in infancy) which Jayaratne had proposed as fundamental requirements for peace, stability and well-being. His dream envisages Sri Lanka electing a Tamil as the President and a Muslim, who thwarted a fundamentalist movement, as the Speaker of the House of Parliament and as the Theosophical Society founded by Colonel Olcott sought to establish, a society where people recognise and respect each other's religious faiths and way of life. Essential ingredients to the realisation of Jayaratne's dream includes restoring law and order, effective administration of justice that will improve the enforceability of contracts, property rights and equality of all citizens before the law, merit and other suitability criteria replacing political favouritism, nepotism and other narrow interest networks in the award of jobs and contracts, education and labour reforms, planned development of infrastructure, in particular sea ports, airports, roads, mass communication systems and utilities, good governance and an effective and efficient public service. Jayaratne had identified and prioritised these seven action programmes if analysts of contemporary history (in 2020) were to say; "For a country that was torn by civil strife, unabated crime and a near economic collapse.. barely twenty years ago, the 54gh Independence (anniversary) dawned with a continued assurance for prosperity and new hope". The Government has vigorously embarked on several programmes to take Sri Lanka to the forefront of middle income countries. The financial sector reforms announced in the Budget 2003 and prior to that, exceeded the expectations of the private sector. The e-Lanka initiative was well thought out, realistic and capable of implementation. Infrastructure development projects are taking off, albeit a bit slowly. On the not so bright side, education and labour reforms, though debated, had not yet been implemented. The law and order situation still needs vast improvement. Initiatives to improve the administration of justice lag behind all other programs. In the Olcott Memorial Oration, Jayaratne provided a valuable guide to the leaders of society who seek to propel per capita income and create a prosperous, tranquil nation of a multi-ethnic society. He quoted Reverend Dr Walpola Rahula and asked the leaders of Sri Lanka to adopt the Dasa Raja Dharma described thus in "What the Buddha Taught". The first of the 'Ten Duties of the King' is liberality, generosity and charity. The ruler should not have craving and attachment to wealth and property, but should give it away for the welfare of the people. The second: A high moral character. He should never destroy life, cheat, steal and exploit, commit adultery, utter falsehoods and take intoxicating drinks. That is, he must at least observe the Five Precepts of the layman. Third: Sacrificing everything for the good of the people. He must be prepared to give up all personal comforts, name and fame, and even his life in the interest of the people. Fourth: Honesty and integrity. He must be free from fear or favour in the discharge of his duties, must be sincere in his intentions and must not deceive the public. Fifth: Kindness and gentleness. He must possess a genial temperament. Sixth: Austerity in habits. He must lead a simple life and should not indulge in a life of luxury. He must have self control. Seventh: Freedom from hatred, ill-will, enmity. He should bear no grudge against anybody. Eighth: Non-violence, which means not only that he should harm nobody, but also that he should try to promote peace by avoiding and preventing war and everything which involves violence and the destruction of life. Ninth: Patience, forbearance, tolerance, understanding. He must be able to bear hardships, difficulties and insults without losing his temper. Tenth: Non-opposition and non-obstruction. He should not oppose the will of the people, should not obstruct any measures that are conducive to the welfare of the people. In other words, he should rule in harmony with his people. |
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