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A nation like no other

11 Sep 2021

The further tightening of import restrictions last week, covering 623 item categories, seems like a precursor to an impending economic crisis notwithstanding the stoic denials of such an eventuality by, among others, the new governor-in-waiting of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL). The circumstances leading to the change at the top of arguably the most critical monetary institution in the country at this juncture, is very much in keeping with the recent pattern of qualified professionals making way for political henchmen whose primary claim to such positions is their ability to genuflect before the powers that be. The premature retirement of the incumbent Governor stems from “events in the last 10 days”, in the words of the man himself, and comes on the back of the resignations of two top medical specialists from the Covid-19 Task Force Technical Committee and the resignation of the Director General of the National Zoological Gardens, all within days of each other. They are the latest in the growing number of resignations of key officials that have dogged the current administration throughout its short reign so far. Earlier, some of the top health professionals who were credited with containing the pandemic in the first wave were removed from their positions for no apparent reason, and their replacements have cut a sorry figure, going by the performance of the health sector in containing the second and third waves of the pandemic in the country. The message is loud and clear: Professionalism is always secondary to political expediency. And there lies the root of the problem that keeps pushing this country back every few years. The Central Bank’s decision to impose a 100% cash margin deposit requirement for the opening of Letters of Credit (LCs) for the importation of 623 item categories, which the Government has classified as non-essential/non-urgent, is not only another blow to entrepreneurs already reeling from the economic fallout of the pandemic, but also on the public who will now be deprived of even the most basic of existential items in this day and age. The list of items includes mobile phones, which incidentally is the sole medium of education for millions of the country’s student population these days, televisions, refrigerators, tyres, clothes, underwear, and even food items such as apples and oranges, neither of which is grown in this country. If nothing else, the mere classification of these items as non-essential should ring alarm bells in any modern society. No country anywhere in the world has had to resort to emergency regulations of this scale during the pandemic simply to ensure food supply. That Sri Lanka has had to do so points to the bigger issue of political opportunism riding piggyback on a failed system and its ultimate fallout. Legendary entertainer, the late Sunil Perera, who throughout his professional career endeavoured to create social awareness, especially on the quality of the country’s political leadership, was not one known to mince his words. His biggest lament was that he was born in a Third World country and 69 years later would also die in the same Third World country. Perera may have been wrong in the assumption that he was born in a Third World country, when all indications are to the contrary. In fact, in the immediate pre and post-Independence years, Ceylon was considered the jewel in the imperial crown with a robust agriculture-based economy that was not only self-sufficient, but was also raking in the cash through exports. In fact, there were occasions during the latter stages of the colonial era when the imperial rulers dipped into the till in Ceylon in order to keep the home fires burning in Old Blighty. By all accounts, Perera was born in a relatively well-to-do nation which, in fact, was considered the benchmark for aspiring nations like Malaysia and Singapore. There is no doubt, however, that the country he died in was well and truly a Third World one. For 70-odd years, except for a brief respite every now and then, it has been a case of going downhill, and now it has come to a point where even the brakes seem to be failing. The premature retirement of the incumbent Governor of the Central Bank and the undisguised craving for the position by an aspirant, no lesser than a powerful minister in government, point to all that has gone wrong in this resplendent island nation. Drawing closer to the ripe age of 80 years, Governor Prof. Lakshman, a distinguished academic who has also previously served as Vice Chancellor of the University of Colombo, is old and wise enough to see through the rot. Having been born in a different era, and witnessing and then experiencing firsthand the degradation that continues to take place in the name of development, must surely have pricked his conscience to do what the others who resigned from various posts in the recent past failed to do – that is, to provide some sort of a reason for the departure, even though not being specific for obvious reasons. In a virtual press conference held on Friday (10), Prof. Lakshman shared similar sentiments as the late Perera, that this is a country where both its rulers as well as the people seem content to languish in “developing” status in the absence of any real “will” to get out of the rut. He lamented that Sri Lanka as a nation must be “ashamed” to call itself a “developing” country 73 years after “independence” with no “systemic commitment” to achieve goals. He cited the lack of agreement on a clear policy framework as one of the main reasons for the country’s current predicament. In addition, the lack of consensus, at least among the main parties, on the macroeconomic objectives, with each party that comes to power attempting to reinvent the wheel, enabled by a people who refuse to see the damage caused by this destructive cycle, is what has prevented this country from reaching the next level. Unfortunately for the country, the current state of the economy is likely to trigger yet another wave of migration as witnessed at regular intervals in the past. The first was the “Sinhala Only” policy in 1956 that drove away the English educated to seek greener pastures abroad. The second was in similar economic circumstances as today, in the early and mid-70s, which drove aspiring youths to migrate to western nations. The third was in the aftermath of the July ‘83 riots, with Tamil nationals fleeing the country en masse. The insurrection in the South in the late ‘80s drove the Sinhalese to also join the exodus. Then the war years took its toll, with people of every nationality clinging on to boats heading to either Europe or Australia. It was only after the war ended in 2009 that those who migrated considered making a return and a few, in fact, did so. Unfortunately, today they openly regret that decision. It has come to a point where the younger generation doesn’t think twice about taking the first flight out of the country in order to achieve their dreams. Who can blame them? Both, Governor Prof. Lakshman and Perera are right in stating that Sri Lanka should be ashamed of where it is today, given the countless opportunities that have been squandered on the altar of political expediency over the years. When a country is no longer in a position to retain the cream of its youth, leave alone attract its scattered diaspora back home, it is the clearest signal that things are far from what they should be. If the powers that be as well as those who put them in those positions refuse to see the writing on the wall, then it is akin to the blind leading the blind. It is unfortunate that a country that is begging for financial resources is blind to losing its most valuable asset – its human resource, all of whom have no qualms about trading their motherland for an alien nation that respects their rights and values their contribution. As the saying goes, none is as blind as those who refuse to see. We are indeed a nation like no other.


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