Geethanjana Kudaligamage

Rajapakse, regional politics, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Eurocentric DevelopmentalismƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ and the western hegemony (Part -10)

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Yes news does bring us bad news some time, but not all the time. The news came from Ukraine about the tour of President Rajapakse was such good news. UkraineƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s leading English language news paper ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Kyiv PostƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ reported that, as the result of the bilateral relationship between Sri Lanka and Ukraine ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-respective agreements were signed in Kyiv after a meeting between Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and his Sri Lankan counterpart Mahinda Rajapaksa.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

News paper also reported that the UkraineƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s President Viktor Yanukovych as saying especially that, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-cooperation in shipbuilding, energy, fishery, as well as industrial and infrastructure construction were among priority tasks.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

Read more: http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/71539/#ixzz0sg4DsT8EƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The outcome of the President RajapakseƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s visit to Ukraine has proven that these agreements will bring far reaching positive consequences to our economy in years to come. The scope of his agreements attests to the fact that current presidentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s policies of development are quite different to that of our previous leaders and also strategically they are productive and even creative. His ability to sense the right thing in many areas in many occasions has made him to be the most popular leader among general public and most unpopular among his adversaries in post independence era. You know in terms of economy, all possibilities are not good possibilities although some of them are looking so fancy; some time they provide only a few right possibilities to a given space and time when we apply them. President RajapakseƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Ukraine agreement is based on our abundant recourse of ocean and our highly skillful human resources. In that sense these ventures no way to be failed, but successful. For many Sri Lankans, the exciting part of the agreement is none other than the joint venture of ship building in Sri Lanka with Ukraine; it must be thrilling piece of news for the entire nation.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The main shift in the paradigm of our development policies reveled by this agreement is his departure from the established dependency on traditionally known sectors such as plantation sector, garment industry and tourism. Good bye to GSP, now the clowns in European Union can role their damn list of conditions and hide it in any private location they want. We must seek new markets in Africa, Middle East and Latin America for our garment products, rather than going behind European Union. Let us make the whole Europe a nude camp.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Traditionally, shipping and fisheries were confined in the downward in the list of GDP for long time in our economy. Most of our ministers even did not like to accept the portfolio of fisheries for many reasons. But President RajapaksaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s new approach of bringing these sectors into the top has opened up a new frontier in sector of maritime trade, shipping, ship building and fisheries. By doing so, he has introduced a brand new economic frontier with clusters of other sub sectors where Sri Lankan people can search for opportunities of big and small business and employments. This new frontier, in addition to our existing traditional sectors of production and services, predictably will be developed into a primary source of contribution in our GDP in the future.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Just imaging a myriad of shipping companies mushrooming to under take highly competitive global maritime transport business in offices in Hambantota, Colombo and Trincomalee, handling reshipping, container traffic and management, overland transport business, container yards, truck drivers, machine operators, shipping clerks, office workers, communication specialists, in other words a tens of thousands of job opportunities are going to be opened.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Ship building will bring new technologies into the country. Our young generation will learn the art of navigation across seven seas. We will be able to supply ships and trawlers even attack crafts made in Sri Lanka to our own market and also to markets in Africa, Asia and Latin America. When our responsibilities and our role in the region is grooving, the service of our navy will be a major demand of other countries for the security of their ships in this piracy ridden shipping lines in the region. That will be another income source for foreign exchange for our economy. Fueling and dockyard services and myriads of related sectors will be opened to create more jobs.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Fisheries industry will have a greater positive impact in our economy. It will uplift the lives of the people in the trade. The expansion of the trade will open new opportunities for small businesses for prospective new comers into the trade. When the fisheries production is increased, the infrastructure also will be developed. The freezer warehouses, distribution centers, transport networks, road development will be needed. This sector even has other opportunities such as the production of seafood. Seafood industry is a major industry in many countries. President Rajapakse has revolutionized our economy by opening this new frontier.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Apart from liberating Sri Lanka from the clutches of Terrorism, current President Rajapakse has rescued people of Sri Lanka out of that awful Colombian ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”White boxƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ mentality that was choking our creative spirit for centuries. Majority of the nation trust him and know that he has the vision to fulfill their aspirations. Elimination of the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”white boxƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ from our policy planning is the key to our success, and that reason along will position him in the helm of our history.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ As I said in one of my previous articles, Colombian is a passive donkey ever-ready for chanting one thing in chorus, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Bh..a..aƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦aƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦aƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ and wiggling the tail for whatever coming out of white mouth. Colombian passivity, that is more tended sleeping in the comfort zone of their ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”white box,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ can produce nothing for the nation other than leaving our nation in insurmountable burden of foreign debt. But the news we received from Ukraine has revealed that the brains that are not contaminated by this passivity of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”white boxƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ can prove wonders; such brains not only can save the nations from terror, but also have courage to take challenges head-on. The contents of news came from Ukraine reveled the readiness of the president to take on such challenges.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Since western version of democracy for third world is located just a hairline away from their ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”good terrorismƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢, the tool they used to contain nations in the south in addition to their financial tools, these agreements might alarm western strategists working in the region to take actions to curtail our initiatives. For we aware of the fact that they do not like to see third world development going out of their control, the architect of these development programs, President Rajapakse may have to think of counter strategies to handle the enemies of our progress in every aspect, including personal security aspect as well. The reason must be clear by now; developing our nation into a leading maritime center in the region, understandably will be a greater threat for our enemies than the defeat of their ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”good terroristƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ LTTE, because such a development not only weakening the western aspiration of controlling the regional affairs, but also will reestablish our historical world system back into position in the Indian Ocean. Well connected such a world system in the region will be sustainable out of the orbit of western influence as well. This is not good news for the west at all.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Having said that, I believe President Rajapakse also must be dreaming of fulfilling another aspiration of the nation as well; establishing a full scale maritime university, coupled with ocean research institute in Hambantota capable of using modern ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”state of the artƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ technology.

Above all, I hope he also might have thought about demolishing all the existing barriers containing our society that deny opportunities for the true native of the land, Sinhalese and Tamils alike. Most of these marginalizing arrangements are coming from the colonial structures well placed in our social organization. If we need to secure any of these post Nantikadal achievements and want to prevent them being reversed by another Colombian donkey, we must address this long overdue De-colonization of our society as our priority number one. I hope he must have already identified this task as one of his historical responsibilities. This task of decolonization is needed to be prioritized ASAP to prevent another passive Colombian gaining power for ruining our country once again. Please do it sir!

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Nantikadal was the decisive battle the nation fought in their independence struggle. The era after the battle of Nantikadal is the dawn of our true independence of natives from western hegemony. In order to consolidate the victory and its achievements, the native must be empowered. Therefore, there are few things needs to be done. This era must be made the era of the native, the era of the historically deprived and underprivileged, and the era of the historically marginalized and dominated. I hope the president will redeem the heritage of the nation that was lost for five hundred years due to colonialism, and hand it over back to the native. I hope he will make that reclamation behalf of the future generations of Sri Lanka.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Actually since someone already had betrayed the famous ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Yes we canƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ slogan elsewhere, it was floating in the void for some time without having a rightful flag bearer. But now, we feel that this slogan has found the rightful flag bearer from our little island in the Indian Ocean for us to chant it triumphantly, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Yes we can!ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-HelloƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ I say Mr. MillbandƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦.Yes we can!!!ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The following link will take you to my former article about the same subject matter.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2010/04/07/an-election-supplement-to-ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-rajapakse-regional-politics-ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-eurocentric-developmentalismƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚-and-the-western-hegemony-part-4/