Editorial : Forums and seminars must reach the grassroots

18 July 2013 06:30 pm - 1 - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

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The newspapers are full of information about public forums, seminars and conferences organised by industrial bodies discussing the economic prospects and how the country should proceed to attain economic progress that was withheld by a war that dragged on for nearly 30 years.

Sri Lanka’s premier business chamber, the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce also recently organised an economic forum, which is an annual event of its calendar. Likewise, a number of think tanks, universities and even embassies in Colombo had organised events to talk about how to build a strong economy for a country which has emerged from a civil war.

In these forums, seminars, conferences, a lot of progressive things—which make real economic sense—are discussed and debated by economists, financial analysts, intellectuals and good-governance activists. Sometimes, policy makers also attend these events, but mostly just to deliver an opening speech or to light the traditional oil lamp—so to speak—and then leave the place quicker than they get in. Since there is no war to report on, media houses employee their best resources to cover and report on these forums and conferences. Journalists write lengthy stories on what these economists and intellectuals say and, TV anchors dedicate their entire shows for them.

Though we have been taught in school that Sri Lanka has a mixed economy, when one grows and becomes older and wiser and sees that his friend comes to school in his father’s car while you travel on a crowded bus, he or she gets to know that we have a certain type of a capitalist economy with some subsidy schemes.

Even in these forums nobody really tries to preach socialist or welfare economics, which according to many, have failed and, may not be a sustainable method to attain economic prosperity. Capitalism always strives for profit. It’s time that the organisers of these events and the resource persons to contemplate on the profits the country and its people have reaped out of them.

The way the country’s economy is run and the economic policies that are being adopted by the policy-makers clearly show that what is said in these forums have no bearing on the economic decision making. It is clear that those in power manipulate the economic policies to gain political advantage, which in turn is detrimental to the country’s economy in the long run. Therefore the profit to the people from these forums is a big ZERO.

The situation is quite similar to the Poya day Buddhist sermons in our country. Given the amount of sermons being delivered at temples and television broadcasts on Poya days, by now, Sri Lanka should have been heaven on earth. But quite contrarily, there is an evident increase of the number of murders, rape and child abuse cases, thefts, embezzling etc. in the country.

Hence, it's high time that these forums are held at the country’s grassroots level to educate the people in the villages—rather than the English-speaking crowd in Colombo who, even without these forums, have a basic idea of what is really happening—who can really make a change when it comes to elections and electing members to represent them, if the organisers really want policy-makers to hear what they say.

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Comments - 1

HEWA Sunday, 21 July 2013 11:41 AM

Mr.Editor you are absolutely correct ! APE UDAVIYAGE KATHAAWA DOLAWEN ETH GAMANA PAYING !!!

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Editorial : Forums and seminars must reach the grassroots

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