The President’s star has peaked, but his sycophants have not

My travels take me between the following districts frequently; Colombo, Kegalle, Kurunegala, Polonnaruwa, Matale, Ratnapura, Moneragala and sometimes to Gampaha. As I live a life of a peasant no matter what one may think, I constantly interact with local people as equals and not with any superiority. As one who earns his livelihood in farming, I can relate to the common problems faced by the farmers wherever they maybe and with us farmers there is an instant rapport once the ice is broken of our common commitment and level of risk and uncertainty in our chosen vocation.

The theme I come across amongst most of the people I meet is quite similar. They with no hesitation give credit to the President for winning the war, and have no illusion as to its cost, as the human life lost has affected and touched everyone in almost every village in the land. Now that the last 21 sq. km. is taking forever, the euphoria of victory has evaporated, and the impatience for the next step is apparent.

What people say is that while they are now concentrating on the problems of living and existing, the governing coalition is still harping on the war, as being the only thing they can hang their hat on. The old canard of Sri Lanka not being affected by the world economic crisis is falling on deaf ears as everyone in the country is now affected in one form or another in that their purchasing power has eroded.

The state media being so one sided even in this current Western Provincial Council campaign, is also irritating many people, who ask why does the media owned by the people not represent the attitudes of the people instead of the government only which is only about half the people. So the other half are not represented by state that tries to pretend another view does not exist.

With people’s natural tendency to be on what they perceive is the winning side, the level of sycophancy of the individual is rising, in the hope that they may also share in the spoils, which even the party loyalists are quietly crying in their beds, is going into a family chest, with little regard for them.

While the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and the election results will reflect the attitudes of the moment, I get the impression from the people I interact with that there certainly is life after MR before long! All I can say is let justice prevail, and honesty be rewarded.

What a Conundrum?

The battle for control of land has been won, or has it? The gallant armed forces are facing a dilemma. There is a government, impatiently, biting at the bit, to claim total victory for political gain, and little regard for the National Interest as sadly there appears little correlation with each. Then there are the Armed Forces, not wanting to lose any more personnel than they already have in fighting at close combat with brainwashed seasoned fighters ready to die for their cause in the final battle.

The natural desire to annihilate the enemy by carpet bombing the remaining 25sq km is held back due the presence of innocent civilians, some of whom have been forced to bear arms at gun point, who may constitute an unacceptable level of casualties. Don’t forget that every innocent killed unwittingly is a citizen of this country, and it is the duty to of the state to avoid this at all costs, so the dilemma is what cost! Let us also not forget that the casualties of the security forces are also stunningly high as they are fighting the hardcore final battle so lets not kid ourselves as to how serious it all is.

The current stalemate has seen about 20,000 leave, escape or be evacuated since the fall of Mullaitivu. We can only hope that the balance 30,000 innocents can do so with little injury and loss of life. How long and what form this will take place is the conundrum. There is no question that the LTTE is looking at these people as their passport to freedom to fight another day, which is something that needs to be prevented.

Don’t forget that the remaining terrorists are the hardcore, along with some civilians subscribing to that philosophy whose minds cannot be changed from their cause. How can you contain them? Without eliminating them! And not cause an international outcry provoked by the Eelam diaspora willing to influence their governments who are then forced to take a stance?

The government has not so far shown its ability to skillfully get international support to pressure the LTTE to release the civilians. There is no option that the government can present to exact this promise. This just leaves the international community in the form of the UN to demand their release and show their commitment by sending a multinational task force immediately to the shores of Mullaitivu to evacuate the trapped civilians. Any attempt by the LTTE to fire on them will be something even the Diaspora would be hard-pressed to justify. It is innocent Tamil civilians that we are trying our best to save from death. Act now and innocent lives can be saved and let not the blood of innocents prick your conscience whoever you may be.

The State must be held to a higher moral standard than terrorists

I was mildly amused and not for the first time, when yet again I see a statement attributed to the Prime Minister of this esteemed Island, that there is no outcry when atrocities are committed by the LTTE terrorists.

Who does he think he is addressing these comments to? He thinks he is playing to the gallery, and not to the balcony, but both are intellectually more rational with common sense, that he appears not to have by his word.

One must surely understand that banned terrorists by their very nature are a reprehensible lot, bent on committing every atrocity under the sun, and now are seeing the only chance of prolonging there lives by holding human shields with no care for their safety. We should not for a moment waste our time trying to condemn their acts, as it is an ongoing atrocity that they commit holding defenseless hostages and our efforts should only be to make sure the world understands who they really are by clever media sound bites.

The state must be held to a different standard, that must defend the rights and security of all its 20 millions citizens, not merely their 100 worthless ministers and their cohorts at considerable state expense and even that they don’t appear to be able to do.

We appear to be very petty minded people by the way we respond to international criticism with the latest being the UN Human Rights Report on civilian deaths so far this year. We must rise to the criticism by stating facts that only the state knows. After all with a media blackout only the Defense forces know the facts on their side, with little knowledge of the deaths under land controlled by the enemy combatants or terrorists. The UN may be correct or wrong, even the State may not know, so ask them who were their sources, how reliable are they, have their sources been reliable in the past, has the information been corroborated. These are standard evaluations which even journalists worth their salt engage in before reporting.

So please, ‘defend the Nation State’, give true professionals to address any international criticism and not politicians who show a continuous sense of insecurity by their words. Allow people of the stature of Palitha Kohona to address these independently and not toe the Government line, which he is forced into now, so that impartiality with regard to the answers is apparent.
KALPANAKARANNA BEFORE YOU HIT THE DOOSRA BOWLED

A new school swimming pool just to look at in Polonnaruwa

A school-boy hitched a ride from me as otherwise he would have had to walk 4km home and I got talking to him. He got very good marks at his 8+ exam and was accepted to the best school in the District, namely Royal College, Polonaruwa. Due to his additional travel and after school extra curricular activities he invariably misses the infrequent bus service, leaving him no option but to walk from the main road, which has regular buses.

I remembered that his school is the only school that has and for that matter the only swimming pool in the whole district, which has over 1000 tanks or lakes that store water for irrigation. I was very disappointed to hear that with such an asset, it is hardly used. There are no special swimming coaches and a swimming program to encourage the kids or to facilitate its use by other local schools, as is the practice in the Colombo area when a school does not have a pool.

This is another example of public waste, where ministers take credit for gifting pools out of public money, along with a massive ceremony, and then do nothing to ensure that the infrastructure is in place, namely funds and hiring of coaches to make use of this facility.

Blame cannot be placed at the foot of the headmaster who has a very delicate job to ensure he gets sufficient resources to balance, the pupils, teachers and parents interests and then adhere to all the government dictates leaving little time to try and resolve the matters referred to above.

This is an example of the waste of resources in Sri Lanka, as no thought goes into the whole project, only a part and the donors do nothing to ensure all the pieces of the puzzle are fixed. There are half built roads, trees cut down for a water main, which are only laid 5 years after the cutting down of trees and the new growth has to be cut down later.

It is hardly surprising with so many tiers of government, so many ministries and departments, and so many bureaucrats that no one has the authority to take charge and act without treading on sensitive toes of rule filled bureaucrats trying to justify their positions. The development and improvements to the infrastructure suffer. We must put self glorification aside and instead concentrate on fulfilling objectives completely and not partially, which is of no use to anyone.

A tale of mismanagement in the Private and Public sector

Is it a small wonder that as described in the caliber of people applying for top posts as commented on my previous blog entry, that our country is suffering from a serious shortage of talent in high places? It is a significant factor in the abysmal state of the country since independence when we were left with a bulging treasury and politicians eager to squander it.

As in every sphere, Sri Lanka has its fair share of talent at the upper echelons of public and private life, but they are few and far between, with many aspiring leader been left to pasture due to the lack of vision of the superior to spot talent and show them the fast track. I explain this by our need for constant praise and not wanting to be upstaged by better subordinates. Good subordinates therefore blocked by the glass ceiling, do one of two things. They leave and invariably go overseas where they believe their talent is better recognized or they use their brains to praise their boss and at the same time defraud the company thereby affecting the livelihoods of many with who they are playing this game of poker.
The need of the hour is to identify skills and moral standing as well as patriotism to the country and faith in their employer. These people are natural leaders in whatever they do and are the asset we so desperately need. We first need the people with stature to identify these people in management and without favor or fervor promote them to positions where they can truly make a difference.

Initial hiring should be task oriented and only achievement of the objectives can ensure continuation, and not age or number of years in a position that determine promotion at present. I know many organizations have instituted changes to go in this direction, but the results are still very scrappy due to some of the weaknesses of the leaders that lack the courage to put caliber above petty old school ties.

The first step is for we ourselves to accept humbly what our weaknesses are and then try and repair them. Only then will we be able to identify and spot talent and give them the reigns but at the same time know how to control them and monitor them to ensure that the overall objectives of the enterprise are met, and no malfeasance takes place. Stakeholders will be shocked that under the noses of the leadership or managing directors, how much fraud takes place because of the wrong people in positions of trust.

So concludes my hundreth blog post here!

Do you really want the job or are you just fooling around?

This blog is specifically an attempt to get the ‘Serendipitous’ Sri Lankans to think about what they do, so as to maximize the quality of life of both themselves and those around them. I use examples from my daily life to illustrate my point. I am quite perturbed at having to go through hundreds of emailed job applications to arrive at a shortlist for a panel to determine which ones should be selected for interview.

There are three vacancies for the senior level of management at an organization, with potential remuneration packages ranging from Rs100K to Rs400K. One would therefore expect the caliber of applicants to be high. Do not forget these positions are being offered in a period of uncertainty and recession, where many have lost their jobs, and so one would expect the desire to make oneself a good candidate more keen and competitive.

The first lot of applicants whose experience and qualifications do not remotely come near that advertised are just a waste of time and they just appear to apply for every job on offer hoping to hit pay dirt.

The second set, are those who are highly qualified with a string of research papers and book credits, but with practical experience only to achieve the qualifications they have. They should apply for lower level jobs and not feel they are up to senior management just yet. Its amazing how some feel qualifications mean they are able to walk in to any job.

The third have a varying job background, not confined to a single field and with a low level of qualifications, hoping this would be sufficient, as they have at some time in the past had some experience that would be relevant to this position.

The last group are those from whom we will make a selection, and they are those who have a fair balance of qualification and experience that is relevant to the job they are applying for. It is about this latter category that I am making the comments below but will equally apply to the others above.

If you are a serious candidate you must write a cover letter in the body of the email, clarifying why you should be considered for the job, highlighting the experience you have specifically relating to the job you are applying for, along with the relevant educational qualifications relating thereto.
I would ideally only want to read this and if found relevant go with interest to the attachment to read your resume. In Sri Lanka it is referred to as Curriculum Vitae or Bio Data, both of which are the wrong words to describe what you really want. Those are just the history of the person and not who he is!

Just remember when you email a Resume, you must realize that the reader has to go through hundreds of these. Your cover letter must be interesting enough to go further and read you detailed CV in the word attachment. What does the reader needs to know first is what is it you are currently doing or have just performed, and how this fits into your application. Why is it that you want this job in preference to what you are currently doing?

We are not interested in your address, your sex, your age, if or not you are married, what your religion, and race is and how many kids you have and your NI no. The name address, phone numbers and title of references are also a waste. I am shocked that almost a page at the front of the CV is devoted this list of useless information, which no one has bothered to think is only required as an afterthought if one is considered for interview and the references are only asked when one is about to be offered a job subject to satisfactory references specifically contacted by the hirer.

Additionally the next set of information is also not at all important for this type of level, namely the list of your O and A levels and what you did at school, except for the occasional national award. It is only the post high school qualifications that one should show, as all candidates are assumed to have got this minimum, ie you can read and write, and some with those cannot do that either!

The Resumes I have read go on for more than 5 typewritten pages, when typically it should not exceed two. The order of the Resume should be in reverse chronological. Just think, the most recent information is more critical to the reader than the oldest. It is pure common sense and why SL has not adopted this is beyond me, as even the placement agencies make the same.

How can we have faith in a candidate who does not have the common sense, and follows the standard norm for safety. We are looking for a self-starter, a dynamic, motivated person to run an export organization. The first impression you give is in a carefully written and researched Resume. CONCENTRATE ON THE OBJECTIVE AND USE COMMON SENSE

Finance Company failures - more on the way

‘Kalpanakaranna’; savers in Sri Lanka use different modes to place their nest eggs. Of course there are the Bank Savings accounts and the National Savings Bank, which have given interest rates well below the rates of inflation which have resulted in most of the middle class eroding their principal. Hitherto they have been safe from collapse as the Banks can lend the money thus deposited at high rates of interest to make profits and thereby strengthen their balance sheets and capital base.

Those who consider themselves wiser, have invested their money in regulated and unregulated Finance companies because the rates of interest offered are higher. There is no real difference between the two except that there are certain guidelines the regulated once have to adhere to, and in that respect pay a slightly lower rate of interest to the savers. Many as we have seen have invested their funds in Sakvithi and their ilk and Golden Key (technically this is a credit card company and not a finance company) because of the stellar rates of interest offered. Does this saver realize that along with high rates of interest go higher risk of failure?

Surely the principal of investing is that higher the expected return therewith goes a higher level of risk of losing one’s money, and hence investment advisers recommend a diversification of one’s portfolio to take risk into account. Those who have now lost money are resorting to the courts for redress, because of the element of trust placed on the enterprise to safeguard one’s funds has been broken.

Needless to say if there is proven fraud, and the law has some redress, then the normal legal procedures should take place to hold those responsible accountable. However that does not for a moment mean that one can get one’s money back.

The investor also must be rational. How can anyone today earn a rate of return above 30% in order to pay the depositor that amount as interest? It is just not possible on the scale of the alleged Rs28B, which is the sum of the depositors funds. One must be a super genius to earn that return on that amount of money. Is it any wonder that this company failed? It did not fail earlier as it should over three years ago, because the management delayed the inevitable, by unethical means to cover the losses as they saw their unrealistic promises evaporate.
Admitting a loss in a company of this nature is tantamount to a run on the bank. So they were caught up between a rock and a hard place. They just continued to operate until the funds ran out, as some high profile people withdrew large sums of ill-gotten gains just before the collapse.

This is not the first time it has happened nor will it be the last and there are still more collapses in the offing. Just think again (kalpanakaranna) All companies who are offering high interest are in trouble, because they just cannot earn that themselves. Property on which some of the investments were made are falling in value, leases on which some of the investments are made are not being paid because the lessees are not earning enough to make the lease payment. They have all gone cap in hand to the Central Bank for help. Short of printing money, the Central Bank cannot help as we are all caught up in the world economic crisis whether the Government wants to admit it or not.

Lets just then look ahead and plan our strategy of how to cope with the fall out of the failure of another 10 Finance Companies within the next six months. People will lose their savings, consumption will decrease, they will keep their remaining funds in Banks or under the pillow, or the rich will keep it in overseas banks. What does this mean for the economy? Very serious stagflation, with no growth, no money for growth, unemployment and substantially reduced economic activity as people will not have money to buy what is produced affecting even the most productive enterprises.

I continue to maintain as I have done in the past, that we have leaders without the intellectual capacity to understand the problems we are facing, only basking in the glow of a military victory whose costs we are yet to fully understand, and the country is going to face a collapse of a magnitude hitherto unseen.

It is not too late to remedy this, if the powers are able to realize and stave off the impending collapse. It does not take a rocket scientist to prescribe what is needed to stabilize the markets. Helping the productive enterprises, the elimination of wastage, and prudent bribe free investments in infrastructure. Immediate action to improve international reaction to the deteriorating Human Rights record is also a must. Confidence to invest will return both locally and from international investors both private and government. We are not and cannot be isolated from the outside world as long as we have overseas remittances as the principal source of foreign exchange.

positive contribution of the blogging community in appreciating opposing views

'Kalpanakaranna' or thinking is essential in everything we do or say, as otherwise we just become passive acceptors of everything presented to us at face value. A healthy dose of skepticism is essential, so that one can reason out information that is being conveyed, by the media, friends, and by our own observations. Remember two people even viewing the same action, may interpret that in different ways, based on their personal prejudices and experiences.

In the same vein those reading my blog could have diametrically opposing opinions about what I write and, often what I meant and what they interpret can also be far apart. It is partly what one wants to read into what is written and partly by failure in writing fluently enough in explaining my point of view.

Do many of you remember when we read poetry and then analyze that in class. The very different interpretations can even make the author blush, as most of it is a far cry from the poet's actual message.

What all this boils down to is that we are all unique, we have independent minds, and we should be able to freely engage in exchanging our thoughts and ideas, and this format of blogging is a great way to get opinions from people of different mind sets, in different parts of the world.

I am very hopeful that this medium of communication, will enhance the quality of life of those who engage in it, and also educate all of us to the fact that there are so many people with so many differing opinions, which we must respect, even though we may not agree with some of the interpretations.

I have seen the quality of the bloggers improve over time and I honestly feel that there is an incredible talent in the Sri Lankan based Blogosphere, that is helpful to all of us. I certainly hope this will be a positive force in bringing about harmony amongst our very vocal and opinionated community who hold uncompromising views on matters of national importance, once they can see that a different point of view that has some merit, also exists.

The opportunity of a lifetime to make a difference

Bisokotuwa, in Galebedda, Moneragala

Just think ‘kalpanakaranna’, for a moment. Sri Lanka is in the cusp of a moment in history (once again the skeptics would say) to take up the challenge before us to unite as a Nation and work towards building on making real the ever mentioned programs and idealistic notions of leaders. We have great thinkers, and armchair pontificators but few doers and implementers.

Taking on President Barak Obama’s theme, “yes we can” I will explore just one idea. The country has 500,000 men and women in the Armed Forces, including the 40,000 in the Home Guard. They have their work cut out for the next six months to provide security to the Nation, lets take these 6 months to put a super plan in place to make use of this National asset.

Those who know can vouch for me when I say, it is desperately difficult to instill discipline into our youth who are now in a world of TV inspired desires, but little of parent inspired work ethic to achieve these desires. The youth in the Armed Forces however have discipline forced on them as part of their contract, and have been able to achieve the targets set before them.

I recommend the setting up of Corps out of the Regiments and Battalions, that cover many vocations and put these young men and women into them, within the existing hierarchy so it does not compromise loyalty to their respective units. Something akin to the Army Corps of Engineers in the US who to this day take care of the building of dikes and berms. The larger requirement at present is for them to immediately set about the task of building the roads, which I am sure they can perform at a greater speed than if left to other means, due to the ability to act under direct orders.

As a farmer I would like a unit to create and run large, say a couple of thousand acre Agricultural projects especially in the vast stretches of the Northern areas that are currently uninhabited, to plug the massive shortfall in our food production. Large-scale requirements include, Forestry, Sugar cane and Maize, which is practically grown in only large extents to make mechanization and productivity optimal. What more plan to reduce dependence on imports than these three products. Of course Red Onion and Grapes are other options suited to this Northern terrain. More importantly, they will be trained in planned production and disciplined farming something our peasant farmers lack for some obvious obstacles they face.

How to help the rural community best?

One of the readers of my blog asked me to let her know the key issues that face the people in my community. In some ways I feel privileged to have some close relationships with 5 very different villages as my nomadic existence constantly takes me into their areas and I have been involved with some of their personal issues. I will just name the villages and in a different essay report on the individual characteristics of each village separately and that would be a comprehensive document which will assist further.

They are ancient Ratmale and Rotawewa in the Minneriya jungle of the Polonnaruwa districts, Raja Ela near Hingurakgoda, in the Polonnaruwa district, Godagama, Meegoda in the Colombo district, Thaligama in Kitulgala in the Sabaragamuwa district, Kotiyagala jungle in the Moneragala district. I am associated in Agricultural projects in all these areas and hence come into contact with a cross section of the people in these villages.

While each village has some unique characteristics, there are some common threads that run through all these in very different locations in the country. Some of my observations may surprise the reader and I will not make any apologies for that. I believe there is much help for disenfranchised and marginalized people, which go astray and is terribly wasteful. The root problems are not recognized until one takes the trouble to live in that area and be part of that community. I have learned the hard way in my own sphere of helping these communities.

I have found computers for kids in a village. I have attempted to teach English to kids. I have lent money to help those in need or perceived need. I have purchased agricultural output from them. I have tried to collect petitions to address common grievances. I have spoken directly to people about some issues in trying to resolve them and get their opinions. I have also helped find jobs for people. These views are my own based on my personal experiences.

1 It is extremely difficult to get community participation, as there are too many goals trying to compete. Helping an individual breeds a lot of jealousy, as each family believes they are the most deserving of assistance. There has to be a consensus in the village as to what it is that they really need if one is to assist a collective.

2 The men are generally very unproductive, lazy, alcohol dependent and unreliable. The women on the other hand are the reverse having to take up the slack, and bring up the family unit, balancing the needs of the good for nothing father, and taking care of the family.

3 Women are empowered in every way except in being able to leave an alcoholic, lazy or abusive husband. The family units that usually thrive are those where the male is dead, or absent, and the women are able to ‘husband’ the family resources wisely to succeed.

4 Choosing the most deserving cases to help or finance, is an almost impossible task. This feeling that each one is the most deserving is at the nub of the problem, as one cannot use the local official like the Grama Sevaka, as he may not be impartial due to having some political connections, where help is then only directed at party supporters and not those in need.

5 I don’t believe that there is a lack of education as such, just a lack of commitment to education as the facilities are offered, but not taken up. The exception being the low quality of English teaching, and now with the gradual introduction of computers, there is not enough to go around. 2009 has been declared the year of Computer literacy and English learning as both go hand in hand and there are projects to make this happen.

6 Looking at the young, it is boys that have fewer options. I see women being able to find some vocation. The men as is typical in the culture wait for help, and I know young men who just do nothing living off money their mothers send from the Middle East. There are vocational courses if one is committed so there are opportunities for those who seek them.

7 The Sinhala people just don’t have the natural knack of entrepreneurial spirit looking instead for a government job or one in the forces, not wanting to take a risk in a business. I see so many people just going from one training course to another, full of qualifications waiting for Santa Clause to set them up in a business and provide working capital.

8 The poor must show effort to get out of the poverty trap and there are so many opportunities available to them. It is a question of them not using them. I agree their priorities are wrong to get them out. A cell phone a stereo or a motor bike are the first things a young man buys when he has access to credit, not a loan for business!
To try and summarize, picture the facts of Sri Lanka. It is a land blessed with everything, spoilt by bad management and poor governance. Only 15% of the aid pledged is spent. The problem therefore is not a lack of funds, but a very ineffective organizational set up to manage its distribution, due to the lack of commitment amongst those responsible for it. Also be quite clear that it is a country with a GNP per head of over US$1500, and when taking purchasing power parity into account works out at US6000, so does not come into the category of the African countries where starvation and famine are rife.

While there is no need to empower anyone, my struggle is to educate people to think, as this is the theme of this blog. If people can think then most of their problems are solved. There is no point helping someone with what he asks as he or she has not thought whether that is what they want. They think it is, because they use the ‘keeping up with the Jones’ analogy of the next-door neighbor has it therefore they want it. A further analysis of this phenomenon is that there are many people with a string of qualifications, diplomas trainings, who are waiting for the correct job to be handed to them. That is why they are unemployed. The specific job they want is what is not available, though there are alternative jobs they don’t want to do.

Taken at its extreme Sri Lanka has a surplus of doctors, but there are no jobs, unless one sets up a board in a village and practices for oneself. There are no government vacancies in hospitals.

Frankly I believe there are more opportunities in Sri Lanka than in the United States, for a person with a good work ethic to make it to the top as all opportunities are available. The success of my enterprise is dragged down purely because of the poor work ethic of my staff, who view desires as needs and ignore the needs.

It is this desire to want to improve oneself that is lacking, and the culture which does not encourage greed and wealth as being extremely un Buddhist effectively numbs the senses into an equilibrium of accepting handouts from anyone who maybe foolish enough o offer them, but otherwise existing for the day, with little thought for what tomorrow brings.

This is the land of opportunity. I have traveled the world and I believe this country has so much potential. We don’t just have a ‘slum dog millionaire’ in everyone, but an every dog millionaire possibility for the taking.