Engagement With Diaspora, Accelerated Provincial Development: The Way Forward
By C.V. Wigneswaran -February 13, 2014
C.V Wigneswaran
Gurur Brahma ……
Honourable Chairperson, distinguished guests, my dear brothers and sisters!
I am indeed flattered that the Sri Lankan academia, under the leadership provided by the University Grants Commission, has thought it fit to invite me today to deliver the keynote address on “Accelerated Provincial Development – The Way Forward”. I am mindful that there is probably more value ascribed to my career of barely half a year as a politician than my career of half a century in the legal profession or quarter century as a judge!
The theme of the conference is Post War Socio – Economic Development and Constructive Engagement with Sri Lankan Diaspora.
I consider the theme very relevant and timely for the Northern Provincial Council (NPC). There are four aspects of the theme that I find to be extremely pertinent and wish to highlight at the outset.
Firstly, you have correctly identified the context as ‘post-war’ and not ‘post-conflict’, as the political settlement to address the root causes of the conflict is yet to be found. Unfortunately, the dominant rhetoric in the South today on the political solution appears to be regressive and intent on rolling back to conditions that were the spawning ground for violence in the first place.
Secondly, the emphasis on economic development in the post-war context is particularly apt, as there is a critical need to adopt a holistic view of the prevailing context of the war torn society of the Northern Province, which was the most affected by the war, and their multifaceted needs such as psycho-social issues, loss of livelihoods, socio-cultural issues, environmental issues and rule of law and human security issues.
Thirdly, the emphasis on constructive engagement between Sri Lanka and the Diaspora is a prudent one. The Government of Sri Lanka does not have the financial resources, professional technical input and knowledge capital to contribute towards post war recovery on its own. It is important to have partners who have an emotional interest in developing war-torn societies.
Finally, I would also like to commend the organisers for the thrust on ‘Accelerated Provincial Development”.I see the use of the phrase “accelerated provincial development” as being reflective of the understanding of the differentiated needs of a war-torn society. It is imperative that government leaders and policy makers should clearly capture the prevailing context in the NP, especially the post-war phase and its peculiar needs and characteristics, without adopting a one size fits all national approach for post war rebuilding and reconstruction.
