Hell creates on paradise
Sri Lanka faces with an economic, ecological and social crisis since few years. The economic crisis is a knowing one and it is affected to everyone . Sri Lanka had a good economic condition. It was a self-sustained economy. People were happy in their economic situation. No one died from hunger or malnutrition. People had the habit of sharing food, clothes, shelter and even feelings..
In 1972, the Government of Sri Lanka introduced a new global economy called the “Open Economy ” That had been opened the sustained economy and natural resources to the world for piracy.
At the time, the government of Sri Lanka has been explained to people of the Country that they could have a better life instead of a sustainable life. Economic agencies and parliament members have shown a dream to honorable citizens of the country.
Natural resources and Market economy
Sri Lankan sustainable economy was based on natural resources and Indigenous knowledge. Our Biodiversity was very rich and it is same yet. People had been living happily with nature and social relations.
Once, Economy was opened to the world corporations, they made money with our economy and natural resources. They had the capacity to bring money and wealth out of the country. The corporations have been paid for indigenous knowledge and natural resources. Even, they have paid to documenting indigenous knowledge into research papers.
Indigenous knowledge and natural resources have been used by companies for their economic needs. This process of grabbing knowledge and natural resources has badly impacted the country’s economy. Once that process was over, Companies charged royalties from local products. Now, wealth goes to multinational companies instead of to community members. As a result of this situation, people have started to steal from their own community and natural resources. They have become enemies of their own community.
According to Dr Vandana Shiva “There are not only corporation’s economy but also people’s economy and nature’s economy “. The global market has been excited even before colonialism. Sri Lanka and India have sold spices, Gems, Rice, Etc. But wealth was remaining inside the country and no one died from hunger and malnutrition.
Once, Government opened the people and nature economy for global trade, piracy has been started from society and nature. When we turned our heads back, we could see, there are nothing happened then crimes and piracy.
In this situation, large numbers of community members, Indigenous people ( vaddasa), and farmers are victims of hunger, and famine today is intimately related to the patriarchal model of progress which sees sales and profit as indicators of well-being and thus destroys the real well being of people and natural environment.
Economic development and destructions are two sides of same coin
Several development projects have been initiated by the government of Sri Lanka since 1948 as an examples, Miracle of Asia, National physical plane, vision of wealth. All these projects were initiated to develop the country, people’s economy, and livelihood. Unfortunately, Multinational companies, politicians, and funding agencies have stolen the wealth of the nation through this kind of development projects.
Another example, the government is implementing mega, yet unsustainable, development projects in natural habitats. The National Physical Plan, to be implemented from 2011 – 2050 with the aim of developing the country, follows the easy path open under globalization.
This plan intends to develop the Country as a center of naval and air travel, trading, power, and education but not as a center of environmental protection or farming. A previous government entered an agreement with 36 countries including India and China on July 4th, 2005, to build a network of highways in Sri Lanka and link it with the Asian Highway network. According to this agreement, a highway was constructed between Matara and Hambantota, Kandy and Colombo, and another highway plane to build from Hambantota to Ampara. Finally, it will be connected to the Asian highway network via Mannar and Danuskody in India. In addition to these main highways , the other main towns will also be linked through a similar highway network. The length of this road network will be around 11,697 km and they will be constructed with sand and earth filling as in the case of the Kottawa – Pinnaduwa expressway.
Our questions are how these development projects helped to reduce poverty in the society? And how does it sustain the natural resources? Government was failed to answer for these questions yet. It is because of; all development projects were used to steal the true welt of the nation. The development projects have been created hazardous to country nature as well as to our society.
UNICEF points, Sri Lanka ranks 6th globally in terms of child malnutrition. In addition, It says that Sri Lanka has been ranked second among the countries facing severe malnutrition in South Asia. Gross national happiness (GNH) is gone down toward .people and animal started to suffer from hunger, High temperature, flood densification.
According to united nation declaration on right to develop “Recognizing that development is a comprehensive economic, social, cultural and political process, which aims at the constant improvement of the well-being of the entire population and of all individuals on the basis of their active, free and meaningful participation in development and in the fair distribution of benefits resulting therefrom,”
Even Sri Lanka is agreed with UN Declaration on right to develop; benefits of development have not gone to civil society or nature. An economic benefit goes to president, ex-president or several parliament members.
Corruptions and piracy of the country do not help to the nature’s economy or social economy. Corruption and piracy are the political reasons that have behind every environment and social crimes in the country.
Ravindra Kariyawasam
(Cultural ecologist)
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