Future of Sri Lanka: The right moment to make wise decisions

24 June 2019 12:01 am Views - 616

 

National Interests

Have you ever thought about how we will be living in the year 2030 or beyond in our Motherland. Simply speaking, the changes that may take place within another 10 to 25 years. 
The changes include our education system, environment (micro and macro), religions, spiritual life, meditation, values, culture, society, languages spoken, work culture and ethics inclusive of Representatives of our Parliament, the capital of our country, the calibre and class of national leaders, types of business, rules and regulations for the citizens, national security system, educational system, 
Industrialisation and urbanisation, unpolluted air to breathe, natural water, no. Of vehicles in the country, population growth, health systems and facilities, new diseases that will emerge, our salary scales and income levels, flexible hours to work (flexi-hours and environment), gross domestic production, inflation rates, infrastructure, highways and transport, air traveling, building and construction, literacy rate, working population, male vs female population ratio, safe pregnancy/motherhood and  childbirth, academic standards, vocational studies, national defence system and intelligence services, foreign debts, per capita income, minimum requirements including educational for school leavers and job seekers, ageing population, youth, travel and leisure, innovation and creativity, types of businesses, banking and finance, law and order, discipline,
Labour and labourers minimum wages. number of hours and working days per week, whether there will be one day of the week allocated for religious observation compulsory for all citizens, with their families, which has to be monitored and recorded by the religious leaders of the respective religions, exports and imports other than what we are carrying out at present, international affairs and relationship with Western and SAARC countries, international business and marketing,
Unemployment rate, energy and power, relationships with neighbourhood, role of our country in the international arena, foreign relationships and policies, internal and external affairs, space travel, landing on the moon and other orbits, parenthood, last stages of an individual and parents, whether it will be a pathetic empty nest or they are included in extended family.
Science and technology, media and the media freedom, emerging new technologies in treatment of diseases including of life-threatening diseases, cure for Alzheimer Disease, diabetes, cancer, heart attacks and related medical problems, innovative medicines and devices, safe and effective treatment for obesity, fertility disorders and amount of stress levels we may have to cope with, perhaps finding natural ways to manage it, rate of depressive population and suicidal. Globally thinking, will we have immunization and vaccines made available by that time, peace, power and harmony and happiness and joy enjoyed by our citizens of our motherland? 

This is an endless list

What can we foresee Can you foresee what changes may take place in those periods? Can you change with the change or at least to follow the changes but you should not wonder as to what happened or even worse not realizing what has happened. This is the plight of our nation right now. We have had and have astute leadership in our country. 
If we continue to vote for them we will definitely not progress any further, nor reach the highest positions in the categories of national interests listed at the beginning of my article, rather we will move back to the 20th-century living.
The need of the hour is to find suitable candidates and vote for them at the next Presidential and Parliamentary Elections which are around the corner.
Should we be able to identify and elect eminent scholars/ individuals to lead our country and if they can deliver better results on the areas which have been mentioned at the outset of my article definitely we could march forward in consolidating our presence and position in the world arena.

 

"The changes include our education system, environment (micro and macro), religions, spiritual life, meditation, values, culture, society, languages spoken, work culture and ethics inclusive of Representatives of our Parliament, The capital of our country, the caliber and class of national leaders, types of business, rules and regulations for the citizens, national security system, educational system"

 

Change 

We are at a pivotal point in the Sri Lankans rich history, where we are entering a crucial phase in our existence.  We have to understand the changes occurring around us and remember that change means growth and progress.  This challenges us to fall in line with a change in order to reach the pinnacle of success. In this context, we need to act now and act fast. 

Future starts today

Hence, my prognosis would be that we need global leaders for our motherland. It does not mean foreigners should rule or lead or person with overseas education should lead, rather there should be Sri Lankan born as well as Sri Lankan citizens who have reached the highest echelons in the leadership with global thinking and acting locally have to be a prerequisite coupled with able administrative capabilities’ which is a must to be our national leaders, in my humble opinion. These are the leaders who can “create changes” and make others follow voluntarily. Leaders are not born, they are made.  Who do you think a real leader is? This question is not only for our nation but could be asked from a head of the family, leader of a school (Prefect/ captains), association, sports team/ club or company or even any organisation.
In my humble opinion, “A true leader is a person who can lead an individual, or a group or company or organization or community or a nation to do things, what they did not want to do and make them do it voluntarily and make them happy for what they have done”.
 We believe that sooner or later we will produce many leaders to our motherland in years to come to exceed the expectations of our citizens.

True leader 

We have had a few in the history of national leaders who were “fickle-minded” and they made the country deteriorate. Still, we have some of them in the parliament.
But, we need visionary leaders, who are positive minded and have far-sighted thinking ability, with problem-solving skills and tough-minded leaders with a soft heart to guide and lead the citizens of our motherland into next 10 years and beyond. 
The right moment has come to make the correct and wise decisions. Let us all learn from the past episodes as well as mistakes in electing the national leaders and Parliamentarians to rule and safeguard and protect the sovereignty of our beloved nation.  Think now and act now. The future of Sri Lanka is in your hands. Let us build a better nation to the present generation as well as to the future generations.