Country needs to move beyond mere slogans: Prof. Lakshman

Friday, 8 October 2010 00:11 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

By Sunimalee Dias

The Chairman of the Presidential Commission on Taxation Prof. W.D. Lakshman addressing the inaugural ceremony of the Association of Accounting Technicians of Sri Lanka (AATSL) on the theme “Maximising Tomorrow’s Opportunities”, yesterday said that irrespective of questions being raised about numbers released by the government the performance of the sectors proved the country’s progress.

“The performance of the Colombo stock exchange and the external and domestic stability in addition to many other factors, prove that the country is progressing in the face of a number of opportunities,” he said.

Prof. Lakshman said that in respect of opportunities there was much that the youth could gain from the training programmes conducted in the field of ICT.He said that while the country was enjoying the conditions of peace under a strong regime there were many challenges in respect of building a national consensus, developing a clearer mindset in the people, establishing good governance and shifting from the antagonistic nature of the people.

He pointed out that while slogans like “Wonder of Asia” remain to be political statements it was essential that the country moves beyond this level of mindset. “In this respect it is essential to take on the opportunities created in the face of the expanding economic activities,” added Prof. Lakshman.

Power and Energy Minister Champika Ranawaka speaking on the occasion as the Chief Guest stated that the topics taken up for discussion during the conference would be of relevance to the country as a whole. He pointed out that the government had created a better environment for business in Sri Lanka while a clear transformation of the public sector was visible.

“In this respect changes will be made to the education system such as identifying lead managers of the future at an early stage say, at the Grade 5 level, and then coaching them accordingly to become future business leaders,” said the Minister.

In the macro level a grand politico-economic policy would be adopted to develop action in key strategic institutions that would perform as a whole within the country. Commenting on the energy requirements of the country, the minister noted that the government had implemented a new policy based on energy, economy and environment in a bid to overcome dependence on imports.

“A reliable energy sector is needed for a sustainable economy,” the minister said.

The programme commenced with the unveiling of the new logo by Minister Ranawaka and Prof. Lakshman.

AATSL President T. Dharmarajah observed the key benefits of the association and highlighted the resource persons, noting in particular the foreign resource person at the conference Katauhiko Satoh who is the Special Advisor to Ford Japan Limited and President of the Dannya Association of Japan. “This resource person is a widely travelled personality who will be providing his first hand experience in the Growth of the Asian Economy,” concluded Dharmarajah.