OPINION“Sri Lanka is a robust new investment destination”
Sri Lanka’s economic sectors, agriculture, industries and services are performing well and we are today able to provide a robust new investment destination as a frontier country to the rest of the world. In that background, many investors realise that Sri Lanka is well poised to offer a safe and sound investment opportunity to its many foreign investors and are working closely with many of our own companies to strike new relationships that are of mutual benefit, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said.
America’s decline: Myth or reality?
By Bernd Debusmann
Reuters: Take note of a new phrase in the seemingly endless debate over whether the days of the United States as the world’s pre-eminent power are numbered: those who doubt the country’s economic decline are said to be holding an “intellectual ostrich position”.
The expression was coined by Edward Luce, author of a deeply-researched new book entitled ‘Time to Start Thinking: America in the Age of Descent’. It notes that the United States accounted for 31 per cent of the global economy in 2000 and 23.5 percent in 2010. By 2020, he estimates, it will shrink to around 16 per cent.
Rs. 416.6 m bungalow for bank CEO
As a minority shareholder I thank Daily FT for highlighting the highway robbery committed by the directors of leading banks, which are ultimately owned by the public via the shareholdings of SLIC, EPF and ETF.
Economics or politics?
Mr. W.A. Wijewardena’s article about growth and kevum leaves much to be desired. It is obviously an attempt to distract people from the proper calculation of GDP per capita income. It is highly unbecoming of a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank to write such material.
Misleading the public
After the response from the Central Bank and several others, Dr. de Silva has had to grudgingly accept that the Central Bank’s method of computing GDP per capita income is correct. However, this is not the first time that Dr. de Silva has been found attempting to deliberately mislead the public.
No more backtracking
Last week saw both the exchange and interest rates come under some pressure, despite the courageous reforms introduced by the authorities in early February 2012. It is important, however, to learn from the policy mistakes of the recent past and to resist imminent pressure to manipulate these two key economic prices.
Substance over spin
Sri Lanka should start thinking of real improvements rather than marketing magic, says Simon Anholt
Q: Thank you for making time to discuss ‘Brand Sri Lanka’. In your view, on the principles of nation branding, what are the key issues that Sri Lanka must address?
A: First of all, I have to stress that ‘nation branding’ is a term I dislike, because it seems to contain a promise that any country can change its image using marketing messages. There is absolutely no evidence that this is possible; no country has ever succeeded in doing it and I have never advocated it. The phrase I coined way back in 1998 was ‘nation brand,’ which is simply an observation about the importance of national image in the modern world.
The GDP Per Capita in the Central Bank Annual Report for 2011
A Response by R.M.B Senanayake
I refer to the criticism by Dr. Harsha De Silva M.P that the Central Bank has falsified the GDP per Capita figures in US Dollar terms. He has referred to W.A Wijewardene’s article in your newspaper. Wijewardene has attempted to find a contradiction by considering other factors like inflation figures and the terms of trade effect although I must confess I couldn’t quite understand his argument.
Dr. Harsha Silva’s vituperative attempts to attack the Governor
I have observed Dr. Harsha Silva’s vituperative attempts to attack the Governor and the Central Bank on various issues on a regular basis. However, at the LBO Forum on 5th April 2012, where hundreds of CEOs were present, the Governor replied to Dr. Silva’s allegations comprehensively, and exposed Dr. Silva as the politician that he obviously is.
T-junction in the road
By Sutirtho Patranobis and Pramit Pal Chaudhuri
Hindustan Times: THEN – At one point in May, four years ago, it seemed a golden age in India-Sri Lanka relations was imminent. Tamil Tiger supremo V. Prabhakaran had been killed and the 26-year-old Lankan civil war had come to an end. India was pleased. Both sides were one the need to defeat the LTTE. The omens were good: the final battle took place as Tamil Nadu went to the polls — and the pro-Tiger parties lost heavily.
• 
