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Building a nation - Sri Lanka

What are the challenges still facing Sri Lanka?

Thank you :)

The trick now is to escape the middle income trap. This is where Sri Lanka's GDP growth hits a ceiling because more money cannot be earned without innovation and a knowledge-powered economy based on ideas not manufacturing.

South Korea did exactly that, and now look where they are. This is the final step to becoming a developed country but it is also one of the hardest. Sri Lanka has a literate population. Now we need a population that creates and innovates and has university-level knowledge. Research and scientific funding need to increase.
 
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What are the challenges still facing Sri Lanka?

Thank you :)

Probably the opposition`s hardcore supporters.

Opposition in SL know that Mahinda rajapakse is not going to lose an election for another 20 years since he defeated terrorism.People have a genuine respect for that. This has resulted hardcore opposition supporters to go mental so they are targeting MR`s family , criticize and blame him for everything that happens (even road accidents are his faults !) and some of them(Sinhalese) has even started to support LTTE propaganda...
 
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The trick now is to escape the middle income trap. This is where Sri Lanka's GDP growth hits a ceiling because more money cannot be earned without innovation and a knowledge-powered economy based on ideas not manufacturing.

South Korea did exactly that, and now look where they are. This is the final step to becoming a developed country but it is also one of the hardest. Sri Lanka has a literate population. Now we need a population that creates and innovates and has university-level knowledge. Research and scientific funding need to increase.
What is the average Sri Lankan's opinion on Indians and Hindus in general?
 
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This saradiel guy with his boundless hatred against development should become one of these :lol:

Vedda%20People%20Hunters%20-%20Sri%20Lanka%20c1936.jpg
 
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This saradiel guy with his boundless hatred against development should become one of these :lol:

Vedda%20People%20Hunters%20-%20Sri%20Lanka%20c1936.jpg

How can some one hate development? Please tell me.

And if you have facts at your hand why dont you answer or refute my claims? Isnt it better and less childish than posting a picture of Vedhhas.

Between seeing the level of development in SL what are you still doing in the old UK which is now dependant on revenue brought in by overseas students? Why dont you live here, in SL ? :D
 
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To other Sri Lankan posters. In terms of development, how are social indicators coming along?

Like gender equality, healthcare, education etc?

First of all Sri Lanka needs a lot to be done before becoming a developed nation. I really mean a LOT.
Gender equality
Sri Lanka is better than many countries in asia (or best in south asia) when it comes to gender equality. Actually Sri Lanka was ranked as 8th then 16th even above US in gender equality indexes few years back. We have many reasons for that.
Sri Lanka has historically been a very liberal society on gender issues. May be the Buddhist culture impacted on it a lot. Women were not considered any less of a human but treated as one. We had the first queen with ruling powers in Asia. Even European invaders’s documents reveal the elevated state of women in SL before their arrivals as opposed to their counter parts in Europe.
There never was infanticide, foeticide of girl infants. Also we had powerful women in SL history. So removing gender inequality is not something govs in SL deliberately did but SL was a society that was inherently less prejudicial on girls and women.
But that doesn’t mean we do not have gender related issues. There is slight son preference but not acute like in India or Pakistan. There have never been issues like child marriages. People give education to their girl children as much as they give to their sons. Many here do not see a difference between the two. You can understand it by looking at the male:female ratio.
However SL have domestic violence against women, women who were victimized by war (war widows), discrimination at work place. We still have gender issue but way ahead than the rest of South asia (if not asia).
Actually it is this lesser gender discrimination that helped to achieve good HDI for Sri Lanka. As people gave education to their children whether they are girls or boys helped us to have good literacy rates, less child mortality rates…..
Also women are the biggest contributors in SL GDP. War and the resultant emergence of female headed households elevated womens’ status even more.

Gov provides free education and free health service since early times. Though the quality of the two is decreasing due to corruption, bad policies and nepotism.
 
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The trick now is to escape the middle income trap.

Is this the only challenge SL faces now? :D


This is where Sri Lanka's GDP growth hits a ceiling because more money cannot be earned without innovation and a knowledge-powered economy based on ideas not manufacturing.

South Korea did exactly that, and now look where they are.

First You cant compare SL's GDP growth rate with rest of south asia. Because SL is a post war country unlike any of them. If you want, compare it with post war economies else where. Actually in post war situations countries have very high GDP growth rates as money comes in and investement in infra build up is done. GDP growth rate is a figure. Before using a figure liberally you should look into how that was calculated. Between post war economies normally have high growth rates like 20+% . Actually SL's growth rate of 8.0% is much lower than that. So SL is not performing as it should have.

This is the final step to becoming a developed country but it is also one of the hardest. Sri Lanka has a literate population.
First SL is no where close to becoming a developed country. Get that into your head!.
By literate you mean the ability to read and write. That is the traditional definition of literate. That doesnt give you an edge if not PEOPLE ARE DEVELOPED with good education,on technology, screening able ppl and funding them to do research and development.

And now tell me where has the gov EVER INVESTED IN THEM????
Now we need a population that creates and innovates and has university-level knowledge. Research and scientific funding need to increase
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Of course we need such a population, and where has gov helped to create such a population? Investment on university? Funding for research and development? Good and able persons to head universities? University syllabuses modernisation? solution to intellectuals leaving the country (like uni lecturers?)? and what about the school education? exam paper ekak wath hariyata print karanna bari anduwa ne knowledge hub gana katha karanne!

Lankawata thienne development eka gana prashnayak nemei, PAWATHMA gana gataluwak!

at SLns here, sorry for bursting your bubble here but you really need a reality check!
 
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Probably the opposition`s hardcore supporters.

Opposition in SL know that Mahinda rajapakse is not going to lose an election for another 20 years since he defeated terrorism.People have a genuine respect for that. This has resulted hardcore opposition supporters to go mental so they are targeting MR`s family , criticize and blame him for everything that happens (even road accidents are his faults !) and some of them(Sinhalese) has even started to support LTTE propaganda...

:D
Why should hardcore supporters fear that MR will not lose an election? The point of being a hardcore supporter of any party is gaining advantages. So these supporters can easily switch sides and get the advantages ne. Also half of opposition is now in MR side ne, so why should opposition supporters dislike MR?
And MR or any leader holding power in a country for 20 years is bad for a country. It is against democracy. Any one sane in this country will understand the need of power transfer from time to time. That tests the strength of a democracy in a country.
Large part of the blame for the current issues of the country should go to the president. Because he is the one with power. This is simple to understand.
Why should Sinhalese start to help LTTE propaganda when gov itself is supporting LTTE??
 
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First of all Sri Lanka needs a lot to be done before becoming a developed nation. I really mean a LOT.
Gender equality
Sri Lanka is better than many countries in asia (or best in south asia) when it comes to gender equality. Actually Sri Lanka was ranked as 8th then 16th even above US in gender equality indexes few years back. We have many reasons for that.
Sri Lanka has historically been a very liberal society on gender issues. May be the Buddhist culture impacted on it a lot. Women were not considered any less of a human but treated as one. We had the first queen with ruling powers in Asia. Even European invaders’s documents reveal the elevated state of women in SL before their arrivals as opposed to their counter parts in Europe.
There never was infanticide, foeticide of girl infants. Also we had powerful women in SL history. So removing gender inequality is not something govs in SL deliberately did but SL was a society that was inherently less prejudicial on girls and women.
But that doesn’t mean we do not have gender related issues. There is slight son preference but not acute like in India or Pakistan. There have never been issues like child marriages. People give education to their girl children as much as they give to their sons. Many here do not see a difference between the two. You can understand it by looking at the male:female ratio.
However SL have domestic violence against women, women who were victimized by war (war widows), discrimination at work place. We still have gender issue but way ahead than the rest of South asia (if not asia).
Actually it is this lesser gender discrimination that helped to achieve good HDI for Sri Lanka. As people gave education to their children whether they are girls or boys helped us to have good literacy rates, less child mortality rates…..
Also women are the biggest contributors in SL GDP. War and the resultant emergence of female headed households elevated womens’ status even more.

Gov provides free education and free health service since early times. Though the quality of the two is decreasing due to corruption, bad policies and nepotism.

Thanks for your honest reply. I am really ignorant on Sri Lankan history and politics.

In terms of Ancient Sri Lankan history is there a book that you could recommend? Even a current affairs one will do.\

Thanks again to all those people who have replied to me.
 
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First of all Sri Lanka needs a lot to be done before becoming a developed nation. I really mean a LOT.
Gov provides free education and free health service since early times. Though the quality of the two is decreasing due to corruption, bad policies and nepotism.

You take this for granted, not even the US has implemented universal healthcare. Sri Lanka has some wonderful achievements although it obviously has a long way to go. This thread is meant for highlighting those achievements, no need to drag it down unnecessarily.

If you want to put forward stuff about corruption you should post some statistics, because they are objective compared to anecdotes and opinions. There is corruption in Sri Lanka, but it is not as bad as most places in the world.
 
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You take this for granted, not even the US has implemented universal healthcare.
I don’t take it for granted. But it is not an achievement it is the way things were in SL since 60s. However the quality of free health care has deteriorated to such a level that celebration is questionable. If not for the private hospitals in SL the free health care system would crash being unable to meet the demand.

I don’t know whether you’ve been to any gov hospitals at all. Now many of these institutions lack funding from the gov and inefficiency, mismanagement has infected them. If you check many patients who go to gov hospitals which are supposed to offer healthcare at no cost, ask patients to buy the medicines from nearby pharmacies and come. This is the state of gov hospitals in colombo barring few.
Many hospitals (even in colombo) lack enough medicines and even hospital beds, where two patients would have to share one and some on the floor. This is the state of gov hospitals in colombo and in out stations some hospitals have only Panadol. For whatever illness it is the only medicine hospitals give.

The reason US doesn’t have free healthcare is they have a different policy, not because they can’t. If you think health care in SL is without any problems and we are close to 1st world level healthcare you are living in a fool’s paradise!. There are a lot of problems in health care in SL it is the time of finding remedies for them not the time for celebration! Cos only fools do that!

The reason many gov and gov supporters show health care as if it is a big achievements is because they can sweep all the problems in healthcare under the carpet without taking actions.

Sri Lanka has some wonderful achievements although it obviously has a long way to go. This thread is meant for highlighting those achievements, no need to drag it down unnecessarily.
I hardly think SL has WONDERFUL achievements though there are good ones. But you don’t sound as “obviously it has a long way to go” in your posts but ordinary gov propaganda to hoodwink the public. Taking loans at high interest rates and building roads is not an achievement. Achievement is facilitating development using them like improving manufacturing or industry. I hardly see gov policies on that.
Of course no need to drag it down but it needs to give the fellow SLns a reality check!


If you want to put forward stuff about corruption you should post some statistics, because they are objective compared to anecdotes and opinions. There is corruption in Sri Lanka, but it is not as bad as most places in the world.

First of all you don’t need statistics for that, simply living in SL is enough! It is funny when a Lankan living in SL asks for statistics to prove corruption in SL. To start with honey, refer COPE reports in the previous years, that will give you an understanding about corruption in SL. (Do you know what COPE reports are?)
Corruption in SL is not an opinion but a fact! Look what happened to Sri Lanka cricket! Petroleum corp, Electricity board, if you are a rational man with all your sensors working you will know!
Do you know ministers (everyone from TOP) ask for commission? Do you know that foreign investors are reluctant to come to SL because ministers ask for a commission all the time?
Just check SL cricket, which is the MOST corrupted institute in SL according to a COPE report. Also check Sri Lankan airlines and Mihin air!
SL lose at least 2% in its GDP growth rate due to corruption. Tell me a SINGLE incident in SL where a minister or top level official has been punished for corruption? Not the little ones who go to prison who give bribes of 100-1000 to policemen and principals. Tell me a single incident of such a case!
 
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I agreed with some of points made by @Saradiel.

Free education is the only thing which I have seen so far.
Free healthcare is actually not free in government hospitals. May be they are mentioning about the free consulting only nowadays.

To us Sri Lanka is most corrupt nation in the world. But to the world it's a different story.

CORRUPTION PERCEPTIONS INDEX 2012

New Zealand -1
Japan/UK - 17

Sri Lanka - 79
China - 80
Thailand -88

India- 94
Philippines - 105
Indonesia - 118
Vietnam -123
Nepal - 139
Pakistan -139
Bangladesh - 144

2012 Corruption Perceptions Index -- Results
 
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I agreed with some of points made by @Saradiel.

Free education is the only thing which I have seen so far.
Free healthcare is actually not free in government hospitals. May be they are mentioning about the free consulting only nowadays.

To us Sri Lanka is most corrupt nation in the world. But to the world it's a different story.

CORRUPTION PERCEPTIONS INDEX 2012

New Zealand -1
Japan/UK - 17

Sri Lanka - 79
China - 80
Thailand -88

India- 94
Philippines - 105
Indonesia - 118
Vietnam -123
Nepal - 139
Pakistan -139
Bangladesh - 144

2012 Corruption Perceptions Index -- Results

Even people living in the USA think their country is the most corrupt. Mostly because it's the only place they've ever lived but really it's not as bad as it can be.
 
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Thanks for your honest reply. I am really ignorant on Sri Lankan history and politics.

In terms of Ancient Sri Lankan history is there a book that you could recommend? Even a current affairs one will do.\

Thanks again to all those people who have replied to me.

Sorry that nobody has replied you. Here's a book I recommend reading. Its name is "A History of Sri Lanka". Unfortunately our textbooks have too many mythical stories. From this book I've gained so much knowledge about our history.

a_history_of_sri_lanka_idf024.jpg
 
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I agreed with some of points made by @Saradiel.

Free education is the only thing which I have seen so far.
Free education is NOT free at all honey

Free healthcare is actually not free in government hospitals. May be they are mentioning about the free consulting only nowadays.
Free health care is more than free consulting!

To us Sri Lanka is most corrupt nation in the world. But to the world it's a different story.
So do you want corruption in SL to remain as it is because we havent still hit the bottom in the list?


Also in all these countries there are mechanisms to expose the culprits and punish them which we lack!
In many countries in your list whenever corruption is exposed, they are punished under the law. Civil orgs and constitution and judiciary is strong for that! It is not so in SL. That is the biggest prob.

Sorry that nobody has replied you. Here's a book I recommend reading. Its name is "A History of Sri Lanka". Unfortunately our textbooks have too many mythical stories. From this book I've gained so much knowledge about our history.

a_history_of_sri_lanka_idf024.jpg

What is the point in learning history when one is living in the dark about the present?
 
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