Features

Bangladesh’s economic rise and the imperative of S. Asian cooperation

Published

4 years ago

2023/02/9

Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry bestowing a token of appreciation on Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr. A.K. Abdul Momen on the occasion of the Lakshman Kadirgamar Memorial Lecture 2023.

Bangladesh has emerged as the country to watch over the past two decades in South Asia. No longer could it be regarded as being among the underdeveloped countries of the world and a recent address in Colombo by its Foreign Minister Dr. A.K. Abdul Momen laid out the reasons why this is so.

‘Today, Bangladesh is acknowledged as one of the fastest growing economies in the world. We have reduced poverty from 41.5% to 20% in the last 14 years. Our per capita income has tripled in just a decade. Bangladesh has fulfilled all criterions for graduating from an LDC to a developing country. Bangladesh is ranked as the world’s 5th best COVID resilient country, and South Asia’s best performer, Dr. Momen said in the course of delivering the Lakshman Kadirgamar Memorial Lecture 2023 at the BMICH on February 3. The lecture titled, ‘Shared Prosperity: A Vision for South Asia’, was hosted by The Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies, Colombo.

Bangladesh’s rise to economic prowess in South Asia has been consistent over the years and the centrality the country has been attaching to democratic development could be considered as having contributed in no small measure towards its progress. Its foreign policy complements its domestic policy appropriately and there is no doubt that the prime focus Bangladesh attaches to its founding father, Bangabandhu Shiekh Mujibur Rahman’s principle of ‘Friendship to all, Malice to None’, has been instrumental in garnering for itself the good will of the international community. The latter policy, it could be argued, has been of some importance in ushering the degree of economic dynamism the country is currently experiencing. For instance today, Bangladesh has no difficulty in winning the confidence of global financial agencies, if and when it needs their assistance.

This policy backdrop would need to be borne in mind when taking note of some of the observations the Bangladeshi Foreign Minister made about Sri Lanka’s late and widely respected Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar P.C. (LK) at the beginning of his address. It could be said that the latter’s political values in particular drew an empathetic response from the speaker. Dr. Momen said: ‘His (LK’s) assassination was one of the most tragic losses for the country. However, we are confident that Lakshman Kadirgamar will be remembered by future generations of Sri Lankans for the values and principles he lived and died for which are even more relevant in present-day Sri Lanka.’

Regional cooperation was a prime theme of the Bangladesh Foreign Minister’s address and very rightly so. It ought to be of interest to the world that it was Sheikh Mujibur Rahman who stressed the need for SAARC most articulately in the region in the organization’s formative years in the late seventies and early eighties. In fact, the first SAARC Summit was held in Bangladesh in 1985 in deference to the role Bangladesh played in its establishment.

Unfortunately, SAARC is today veritably dysfunctional but that does not detract from its importance to South Asia’s development. However, there is no doubt that those who mean well by South Asia would be hoping for SAARC’s revival sooner rather than later.

As could be seen, the continuing stresses in Indo-Pakistan relations in particular have been taking a huge toll on the regional cooperation process. The more effective management of the friction in Indo-Pakistani ties could go some distance in reviving SAARC and making it workable for the region’s benefit. Referring to the factors getting in the way of regional cooperation, Foreign Minister Momen said: ‘Regional cooperation within the existing frameworks has made only limited progress being hostage to political and security considerations. The problems have their roots in the historical baggage as well as the existing disparity in the regional structure.’

Countries of the region articulating forcefully the need for a sharing and caring culture among the SAARC Eight, such as Bangladesh, it is hoped, would take on themselves the task of healing the friction and antagonistic relations among SAARC countries in a bid to reviving the organization’s fortunes.

Indeed, getting rid of cumbrous ‘historical baggage’ in Indo-Pakistani ties in particular is central to putting SAARC back on its feet and the ample good will reflected by Bangladesh towards the region would stand it in good stead in this challenging undertaking.

However, as important as managing intra-SAARC antagonisms is the organization’s need to work out ways of promoting economic cooperation among its member states. This challenge has largely gone unaddressed over the decades. As Dr. Momen pointed out, one reason for this failure is the tendency among the region’s countries to seek greater economic integration with the rest of the world than among themselves.

The problem is highly complex and one way out of this drawback is for the SAARC Eight to explore afresh the economic complementarities among them. The current growing global economic turmoil ought to compel SAARC to renew its efforts in the direction of greater regional cooperation, and looking for economic complementarities and other forms of material inter-dependence could provide one effective answer to the region’s more or less stalled cooperation efforts.

Fortunately, though, Bangladesh has taken cognizance of these needs. In the words of Momen: ‘To maximize our intra and extra-regional trade potentials and enhance people-to-people contacts, Bangladesh is committed to regional and sub-regional connectivity initiatives.’ One of the challenges before Bangladesh and the rest of SAARC is to look at ways of bolstering intra-regional economic relations so as to further the development of South Asia as a whole.

South Asia, moreover, is not short of research studies that could help in the above undertakings. There is, for example, a collection of academic papers in book form titled, ‘India, China and Sub-regional Connectivities in South Asia’, edited by D. Suba Chandran and Bhavna Singh (SAGE Publications India Pvt. Ltd, published 2015) which could prove most invaluable to policy and decision-makers in this region. These papers bolster the case made by Bangladesh for greater intra-regional economic connectivities, among other matters of importance.

The book ends on the following note which South Asia could ignore only at its peril: ‘The role of regional institutions such as South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Forum for Regional Cooperation (BCIM) will also remain constrained, lest the South Asian neighbours learn to peacefully collaborate for mutual gain.’

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Features

New US sanctions on ICC, a fillip to worldwide political repression

Published

23 hours ago

2026/10/15

Thilina Walpola

The International Criminal Court in session. UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s warning to the International Criminal Court (ICC) was stark: ‘Either the ICC will end its threats, or we will end the ICC.’ It followed US central administration accusations that the court was unfairly targeting Americans on the basis of trumped-up war crimes charges.

However, a new plethora of sanctions has been clamped on the ICC by the US, which in turn has spurred accusations by sections of the world that the latter has unleashed an ‘assault’ on the international legal order.

What some of the sanctions would mean for the ICC was outlined by Rubio: ‘We will ban transactions with this rogue court, cutting off their resources and crippling their ability to operate against us.’

The ICC has shown consistency of purpose over the years. Despite some operational constraints it has indicted a large number of political strongmen from around the world, accused of war crimes and other governance excesses that come under its purview. Two such recent figures are: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Rather than enjoy a mere nominal presence in the world community, the ICC has proved its effectiveness by detaining and bringing to justice scores of VIP politicians and others of their ilk who have been found guilty of human rights abuses and kindred excesses that come within the terms of reference of the ICC.

Accordingly, the international justice system would be stymied considerably as a result of the ICC being dis-empowered, particularly financially. Needless to say, potential and real perpetrators of the species of crime coming under the jurisdiction of the ICC would stand to gain most from such anarchic tendencies. That is, political repression globally would be enabled to enjoy a new lease of life.

A detailing of the types of crime coming under the purview of the ICC provides an idea of what it would cost the international community if the ICC’s operations are gravely hampered. They are mainly: genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression.

That is, the part of the world to be worst affected would be the global South, since the latter is awash with the mentioned crimes. Needless to say, a chronically-disaffected South will sooner rather than later undermine the well being of the world dangerously. The world is already being put through these paces.

At the time of writing, ‘illegal migrants’ from the South, for example, are aggravating many a Western economy’s woes, besides creating for them acute law and order issues. The fact that these migrants’ presence goes on to become a virtual test of the migrant receiving states’ ability to forge domestic social inclusion in the face of jingoistic protests by mainly white supremacist groups is evidence of the latter. As is known, the US, to take just one example, has been up against this crisis for quite a while.

Accordingly, it will be in the best interests of the West if ‘illegal’ migrant arrivals on their shores are stemmed. If the socio-political and economic problems assailing the South are effectively managed through North-South collaborative, ‘trouble-shooting’ efforts the causes leading to ‘illegal’ migration and connected issues could be resolved at source as it were. For, it is the aggravation of the South’s material questions that lays the basis for the emergence of repressive and anti-democratic regimes in the hemisphere.

Until such time that the aforementioned issues in North-South relations are visited afresh and addressed urgently, a vibrantly functioning ICC would be needed. For, the latter would prove a deterrent to Southern political and military strongmen, highly prone to power abuse and like excesses, from coming into being in the wake of the South’s chronic material woes and the wars and conflicts that result from them.

It stands to reason then that the US would be acting in its own interests by enabling the ICC to perpetuate its mandate without hindrance. For a crop of issues that impinges negatively on internal law and order would be defused.

Meanwhile, there needs to be a meeting of minds among the rest of the West to put back in place a North-South dialogue process aimed at reducing some of the economic pressures that are weighing on the South.

Since economics usually drives politics it will be in the interests of the world community to scrutinizingly re-visit North-South issues of the past and put in place economic relief packages for Southern publics that would enable them to tide over their material hardships rather than permit the latter to aggravate into social disaffection and eventually armed militancy. It is the latter juncture that paves the way for the emergence of authoritarian rulers in the South who then go on to be a blight on their publics.

Accordingly, the Southern-based global development thinking of the past that envisaged a more equitable world economic order needs to be seen as an urgent need. That is, NAM’s international development paradigms need to be resuscitated to the extent possible.

It is unlikely that rightist governments of the West, such as the current Republican administration in the US, would find these projects feasible, but democratic states of Europe, led by perhaps the UK, are likely to think otherwise. For it would not be beneficial for the democratic world to be having on their hands repressive governments in the South who would be gravitating towards the major military and economic actors of the South, such as Iran and North Korea, who tend to be in constant power struggles with the West.

However, until such time that the mentioned, pro-people initiatives are given serious thought the ICC would need to be enabled by the international community to be in place comfortably and carry on with its mandate of bringing repressive rulers to book. Besides the ICC should pave the way for the peoples of the developing world to enjoy some substantial respite from the political repression and even terror which tend to be their lot.

Meanwhile, the wars of West Asia are relentlessly aggravating the economic hardships of people everywhere, driving the point home to enlightened sections that there is no alternative to peacemaking. A challenge is to convert the US under President Trump to this line of thinking.

Features

Clear, soft and shine-free skin

Published

23 hours ago

2026/10/15

Thilina Walpola

This week, I give you five simple, time-tested homemade remedies that help reduce the appearance of blemishes, control excess shine and leave your skin feeling softer and smoother.

The Honey and Lemon Brightening Dab:

For stubborn blemish marks, this is a classic. Mix one teaspoon of pure bee honey with three to four drops of fresh lemon juice. Apply gently, only on the affected spots, and leave for 10 minutes before rinsing with lukewarm water. While honey soothes and softens, lemon helps to brighten naturally. Use twice a week in the evening.

Besan and Rose Water Oil-Control Pack:

An ideal remedy to combat shine, especially on the T-zone. Take two teaspoons of besan (gram flour) and mix with sufficient rose water to form a smooth paste. Add a pinch of turmeric for its antiseptic goodness. Apply evenly, keep for 15 minutes and wash off. It absorbs excess oil without over-drying, leaving a beautiful matte finish.

Aloe Vera and Cucumber Ice Soother:

Blend fresh aloe vera gel with the juice of a grated cucumber and freeze the mixture in an ice tray. Each morning, wrap one cube in a soft muslin cloth and gently rub over a cleansed face for 30 seconds. It calms, tightens pores and imparts a baby-soft smoothness.

Oatmeal and Curd Gentle Polish:

Roughness and old blemish marks need gentle exfoliation. Combine one tablespoon of finely powdered oatmeal with one tablespoon of fresh curd (yoghurt). Massage very gently, in circular motions, for one minute, leave for five minutes and rinse. It removes dead cells and unveils softer, clearer skin.

Multani Mitti and Green Tea Magic Mask:

Brew some green tea and allow it to cool completely. Mix one and a half teaspoons of Multani Mitti (Fuller’s Earth) with the tea water to make a fine paste. Apply for 10 to 12 minutes – do not let it dry and crack completely – and wash off. It draws out impurities, fades blemishes and bestows a fresh, shine-free glow.

A Gentle Reminder:

As with any natural remedy, always do a patch test on your inner arm first. For those with oily or combination skin, avoid heavy coconut oil application and harsh scrubbing, as they tend to aggravate shine and blemishes.

Features

Compete, shine and be discovered at WCOPA 2027

Published

23 hours ago

2026/10/15

Thilina Walpola

Dream of performing on a world stage? Well, here is your unique, golden opportunity!

The World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA) — the one and only official “Talent Olympics” — is the world’s premier global platform for aspiring singers, dancers, actors, models, instrumentalists, etc., to compete, shine and be discovered!

And, yes, this world stage is open to YOU, Sri Lankans living in Sri Lanka and overseas!

Held annually in glittering Las Vegas, WCOPA brings together over 70 countries, all competing for Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals, just like the traditional Olympics.

Lakisha Bernard: Will represent Team Sri Lanka at WCOPA 2027

Outstanding performers vie for the coveted titles of Junior and Senior Grand Champion Performer of the World, with winners and standout participants awarded over $500,000 in scholarships, cash awards and prizes to catapult their education and careers!

Sri Lanka is already making waves! At WCOPA 2026, Natharie Wickramasinghe, representing Team Sri Lanka, made the nation proud by winning a Bronze Medal in the Ethnic/Folklore Dance category!

Lakisha: Accomplished freelance Model and Fashion Design graduate

Recruitment for this prestigious competition is handled through a system of scouts and licensed National Directors — and this is where our very own Chris Rajendra, now based in Las Vegas, and National Director for Team Sri Lanka, comes into the scene.

If you are a singer, dancer, actor, model, instrumentalist — if you have talent burning inside you — contact Chris Rajendra today for registration and, who knows, you may find yourself in Las Vegas, and proudly draped in the Sri Lankan flag, at WCOPA 2027!

The contact address is: Chris Rajendra, wcopa.nationaldirector.sl@gmail.com

or chris.rajendra@gmail.com

Meanwhile, a star is born for 2027, in the form of Lakisha Bernard who is all set to represent Team Sri Lanka at WCOPA 2027.

Originally hailing from the sun-drenched coastal city of Colombo and now carving out her creative career in Canada, 22-year-old Lakisha is stepping into the international spotlight.

This accomplished freelance Model and Fashion Design graduate has officially been appointed as the Team Sri Lanka Promoter for Canada as she prepares to represent Team Sri Lanka at WCOPA in Las Vegas.

Lakisha brings a unique blend of high-fashion sensibility, captivating camera presence and expert garment design to the Team.

Having built her career, from local college shoots to high-glamour concepts, Lakisha’s inspiring journey embodies the true spirit of cultural bridge-building and creative resilience, bringing immense pride and recognition to Sri Lanka on the global stage.

WCOPA 2027 will be held at the legendary Westgate Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, from 12th to 20th July – the very same iconic arena where the late, great Elvis Presley himself performed!

Your moment is now. Your stage is Las Vegas, so hurry and contact Chris Rajendra.