THE TIME HAS COME FOR A NEW DAWN

Nani Pradeepan P. Eng.

As we all know, having suffered long years of destruction and devastation there is peace and hope in the horizon in motherland. It looks like Motherland is ready for a New Dawn. It is our duty to seize this opportunity to our advantage and embark on a process of all round economic and social development that would make our motherland one among the most advanced nations in the world. If we think globally, act logically and put our acts together we could reach this goal within a couple of decades.

Peace and goodwill only flourish when people have hope and a vision of a better life for their future generations. Without economic development and investment, there is no hope and no vision of better lives ahead. This has been the fundamental cause to the problems in Motherland and we need to address this in an effective manner. In this article, I have made an effort to share my thoughts on these issues.

CURRENT SITUATION

Almost twenty years of war has caused widespread destruction of infrastructure, the collapse of old economic industries such as agriculture and fishery, the ruination of the ecosystems, disruption of education, and almost total displacement of the entire population. Most educational institutions have either been completely destroyed or severely damaged, and are currently functioning in temporary sheds. The system is suffering from a serious shortage of qualified teachers, and of teaching and learning materials and equipment. The quality of education, which used to be something that we were proud of, has deteriorated drastically.

Thanks to the understanding and appreciation of the magnitude of the problem by the international community, they have promised and committed a large amount of investment to remedy the situation, which of course is tied to the progress and success of the peace process. I am confident that the present impasse or slow down in the peace process, arising mainly due to lack of proper vision among all stakeholders, will turn out to be a temporary phase.

WAY FORWARD

All of us know that war had had ruined our Motherland. But I think that the finest opportunity for reconstruction and redevelopment is at hand. Converting ravages of war to one’s advantage is resourcefulness. This has been very well proved by the two economic superpowers Germany and Japan following the Second World War. The people of these countries made commitment at the time of change to developed their nations and progress. The support and assistance comparable to those these two nations enjoyed are at hand for us to go forward. It is very necessary for us to measure up to the task on hand and go forward, as otherwise we will be consigned to the dust bin of history as a community which always misses out on opportunities despite being blessed with high caliber and industrious people.

To reach this goal, our thinking must go beyond mere relief and reconstruction, and must move towards sustainable development. And to achieve this ambitious goal, all rehabilitation, reconstruction, and development work must be undertaken through a well-coordinated plan and effort. All ad hoc, narrow, fragmented, and sectionalized project approach that had been and continue to be followed have to be avoided, and a strategy that recognizes a political economy as a whole, taking into consideration the wider cultural, socio-political dimensions of the Motherland need to be put in place.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Sustainable development is a form of development process that “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs by utilizing the resources in optimal ways". Incorporating the principles of sustainable development in reconstruction and rehabilitation programs will place the Motherland in an excellent platform for the future.

A clear vision of a sustainable development and its execution will enable the Motherland to strike the right balance between exploiting the environment for development needs, while advancing the socio-economic requirements of the society. It will only be through the economic, social, and political empowerment of the people of the Motherland that sustainable development can be achieved.

BRAIN DRAIN

Building a nation is a daunting task, not just for its monumental nature but also for the delicate political context in which it has to take place. It is a task of enormous proportion that the community as a whole need to be involved and work together in partnership with aid donors, NGOs and foreign experts. The challenges involved are huge and substantial. Since the conflict has been going on for nearly 20 years, severe brain drain has taken place and, the existing workforce in Motherland is lacking in manpower and capacity. However, the determination of our people to somehow succeed, and their keenness to learn and follow are very strong. Those assets should be put to best use.

Current situation in our Motherland is that there is relatively little capacity to coordinate the flow of assistance, and manage the development process effectively. No matter how much money is made available, if we do not have the capacity to absorb such financial help, we are bound to fail in our endeavors. Capacity is central to the effective implementation of all aspects of rehabilitation, reconstruction, and development. If not addressed in a timely fashion, this situation may lead to significant levels of under-utilization of funds which in turn may lead to wide spread of corruption and disruption of peace.

OUR CONTRIBUTION

I think this where our (Expatriate community’s) contribution to the development of the Motherland is of such tremendous importance. As you will acknowledge, there has been a severe brain drain out of the Motherland and into foreign countries. Compared to our people in Motherland, we, the expatriate have been able to create success stories out of the unfortunate circumstances that led us to leave the Motherland. We all have been exposed to the most modern and advanced ways of doing things, and the latest techniques in every field. Also we have over the years accumulated an immense amount of knowledge and experience that our people at motherland have been deprived of. Therefore, our help in Capacity building in developing the Motherland will be absolutely essential.

In the immediate term, we can by way of educating the ordinary people help them learn to protect the environment and using new technologies in their daily life, and also showing them how to add value to the production and services sectors using new technologies with special emphasis on old economic industries agriculture and fishery.

There is no point in having several organizations such as the ASGC, if all that happens is that we merely compete with each other, and work at cross purposes, without having any substantial contribution to point to. And I am a firm believer that, if any contribution to be substantial and noteworthy, it can only be achieved through coordination and unity of purpose.

At a practical level, we expatriates have a range of skills and experience to offer, particularly in technical and scientific areas. Further, our linguistic, ethnic, and cultural familiarity will enhance local participation with ease, and ensure more effective training. We will definitely be able to deliver far better results than the foreign experts and volunteers.

The support and assistance we, expatriates have extended and continue to extend to the struggle to keep our demand for an acceptable solution is well known. However, in view of the on-going peace talk and the expectation of a final solution materializing in the near future, it would be wrong to think that our support and contribution is no longer needed now and in the future. We need to recognize the fact negotiations and a final solution could solve only part of the problem, leaving the major development task for our community to shoulder and go forward. It would be wrong to expect the foreign countries to bear the full burden, and deliver the results to our satisfaction. Our support is vital at all times.

We, the expatriates, by going forward to contribute our best, we will also be helping in another way, by way of boosting the morale and confidence of the local population by working with them. Such demonstrations of our interest and keenness in their well being and prosperous future, will definitely help strengthen their confidence that is so badly needed to overcome their wounds of past, and thereby we will also be empowering them.

CONCLUSION

If we all can have the determination to put behind us petty politics, partisan interests and rally together, and decide to work together in developing our Motherland to a world class country, I see no reason why well-intending individuals and organizations, that have as the core the welfare of our society, cannot unite. As much as it is absolutely essential for people back in our Motherland to be well organized to cope with the immense task of Nation building, it is equally important that we, the expatriate community, get ourselves organized if we want to play a definite and decisive role in the reconstruction, rehabilitation and development work that need to be undertaken.

Finally I would like to conclude with a call: “Let us build a common future from our common past. All it requires is the imagination, the leadership, the commitment and determination to shake off the differences and work together to bring a NEW DAWN with permanent peace and prosperity to our Motherland”.