By Ifham Nizam

The Sri Lankan Civil society organisations  yesterday criticised the role of the Asian Developmnt Bank (ADB) in helping bring about economic sustainability of Sri Lanka and its failure to defend the social, economic, environmental, gender and energy justice, and  livelihoods with dignity.

The group comprises Hemantha Withanage of the CEJ/Friends of the Earth Sri Lanka, Thilak Kariyawasam, (Sri Lanka Nature Group), Dilena Pathragoda (Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ)), Chinthaka Rajapaksha (Movement for Land and Agricultural Reform (MONLAR), S.P. Liyanaarachchi (Sri Lanka Climate and Forest Action Network (SLCFAN)), Sandun Thudugala (Law and Society Trust),    Prabath kumara  (Future in Our Hand Development foundation),  Ranjith Wickremasinghe (Organization for Environmental and Child Right Protection (OECRP), Karunadasa Munagama (“Mihithala Mithuro” Environmental Development  Foundation), Chathura Welivitiya  (Human and Environmental link progressive Organization),  W.H.S. Nandajith (Asia Lanka social Development Cooperation),   P.R. Wijewardana  (Human and Community Development Youth Organization),  Chamli Jayarathne (National Dairy Farmers Movement),  Michael Joachim (Plantation Rural Education and Development Organization (PREDO) )and  Sarala Emmanuel (Suriya Women’s development Centre)

Withanage said that on the occasion of the  55th Annual General Meeting of the Board of Governors of the ADB, which is being hosted by the Sri Lanka government and chaired by the Sri Lankan Finance Minister Ali Sabry, yesterday: “We as the Sri Lankan Civil society organizations question the failed role of the regional development bank to build the economic sustainability of the country and failure to defend the social, economic, environmental, gender and energy justice, and  livelihoods with dignity.”

They stressed that Sri Lanka played a leading role in founding ADB in 1966. Since then, Sri Lanka has received USD 11.5 billion worth of loans over the last 55 years which include 3.5 billion for the transport sector and 1.5 billion for the energy sector. About 13% out of the country’s total debt is owed to ADB. Yet, Sri Lanka’s public transport sector is so much deteriorated, and the energy sector is in a real crisis.

However, they said Sri Lanka is now facing a serious economic crisis, social and political crisis resulting due to the years of mismanagement by the corrupt political regimes. It has resulted poor committing suicides and many compromise children’s education, health, nutrition, and other basic needs. It should be noted that the ruling regime has been using the police to arrest the peaceful protestors and harass them, violating fundamental rights guaranteed by the constitution.

The ADB model of development has resulted in huge inequities and created rich and poor disparities. The Poor continue to be exploited through the market, less wages and patriarchal system of oppression. Although Sri Lanka ended its civil war in 2009, it still uses the military tools to oppress the descendants and even has brought the military personnel to the civil service to manipulate the decisions. Deregulation of the natural resources have seen in the past several years which has resulted in over exploitation making achievement of SDG goals and NDCs a dream, they further said.

ADB funded the Upper Elahera Canal project which has created many irreversible social and environmental problems. The project has destroyed the elephant habitats and lost the total income of the Minneriya and Kaudulla national parks. The project does not have adequate water to carry to the northern province and has given false hopes to the people in the North.

ADB assistance to Sri Lanka’s energy sector has not been able to sustain energy generation in the country. High dependence on fossil fuel has resulted in the current energy crisis. Recently concluded feasibility study resulted in promoting LNG power plants in Kerawalapitiya which also undermined the energy sovereignty of the country, they said.