News
Dr. Pethiyagoda blames Lanka’s woes on rulers, bureaucrats not using common sense
By: M. A. Kaleel
Sri Lanka could go bankrupt again and again in the years to come like Argentina, Dr. Rohan Pethiyagoda, one of Sri Lanka’s foremost biodiversity experts said at the convocation of the Sri Jayewardenepura University.The engineer turned biodiversity expert told the students that they were graduating at the most difficult time in Sri Lanka’s post-Independence history.
“The fact is whichever government we get, whichever President we elect in the future, it won’t make a difference because coming out of this type of economic crisis is a slow, tedious and long process. It’s not going to be bad as people say that Sri Lanka is going to end up as Zimbabwe. I don’t think it will. We have people like you in Sri Lanka but Zimbabwe doesn’t. We might end up like Argentina. A hundred years ago Argentina was the 15th richest country in the world. On average Argentinians were richer than Italians, French and Irish. Today it’s one of the poorest countries in the world. All because of lack of common sense in political ideology. In 20 years, Argentina declared bankruptcy not once nine times. We can also expect that Sri Lanka can go bankrupt again and again in years to come. Unfortunately that’s how the world works. Recovery from the crisis we face is not easy. It’s not going to be over in a year or two. It might take ten or twenty years or a generation and you are the generation that can drive the recovery,” he said.
Excerpts of the speech: Today, Sri Lanka is in a crisis because people didn’t have something a mother has. Mothers are people, I think all will realise, who are rich in a thing called common sense. To think about it, our primary problem started with the inflation we are seeing in our economy as the result of the Central Bank two years ago printing 2.3 billion rupees in paper money. Money which is not supported by the growth in the economy always leads to inflation. If you look at other countries, every country that has done that has faced a financial collapse. Our Governor of CB, a highly qualified professional and academic with a PhD from the University of Oxford denied there was a link between money supply and inflation. He didn’t have common sense.
“Your mother couldn’t have done that. That’s why we have this problem. We saw what happened in organic agriculture. Overnight the government decided to change the agriculture policy. Agriculture expertise that has been taught by the universities for the last 50 years – scientific modern agriculture was put aside. We decided to take agriculture back by 100 years to the 19th century. If we look at any other countries in the world, has any country successfully done this? Then common sense says it is unlikely you will be the first successful one. That is your mother would have said. As we didn’t listen to our mother and we got it wrong and that caused our problem. Even people who are highly qualified and competent, if they don’t use common sense, may make serious mistakes. We made that with Dhammika Peniya. The government was telling Dhammika Peniya was a cure for Covid. If it’s a cure for Covid, how come Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca sold 100 b $ worth Covid vaccines last year. Sri Lanka could have got 100b $ for selling Dhammika Peniya but we didn’t. Common sense said we were wrong. When people reject science and when we people reject the learning you’ve received at universities, they can make huge mistakes. Science, as you have learned, is testing hypotheses. It is about evaluating evidence. It is not about listening to the most qualified persons. You have to learn to question everything.
“You have the advantage of graduating from one of the best universities in South Asia. University of Jayewardenepura, specifically your faculty, publishes on average one paper every day in influential indexed journals. It’s an astonishing record. You can be comfortable that you have earned a degree of international standards. If you want to do a further degree anywhere in the world, your degree will stand you in good stead.
Coming years are going to be tough. You’ll be looking for jobs. I feel sad about it. Unfortunately the mistakes have been made for no fault of you but because of corrupt, crooked, ignorant politicians. They have been the curse of our country since independence. But I don’t doubt for one moment that you have the skills, you have the intelligence and you have the knowledge to be a force to drive the change. This is your moment and this is your time for the shakeup of our country. I hope you’ll be equal to the challenge and for that reason I feel Sri Lankans deserve your skills, your talents and your dedication.”
The Board of Investment (BOI) of Sri Lanka has successfully increased Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) by US$96 million in the first quarter of 2025, compared with the same period in 2024.
This was disclosed today (20) during a progress review meeting of the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka, chaired by President Anura Kumara Disanayake at the Presidential Secretariat.
BOI officials also noted that, relative to the first quarter of 2024, domestic investment rose by US$21 million, while export income increased by US$176 million during the first quarter of 2025. In total, Sri Lanka has attracted US$4,669 million in investment proposals thus far in 2025.
The meeting also focused on the issues and challenges associated with attracting investment to the country and discussed potential strategies to address them.
Addressing the gathering, President Anura Kumara Disanayake stated that the Board of Investment holds a pivotal role in enhancing the national economy and improving the living standards of the rural population.
He stressed that opportunities to attract investment in traditional sectors are becoming increasingly limited and therefore the nation must identify new areas for investment, an endeavour that falls under the BOI’s mandate.
The President further noted that Sri Lanka has attracted only around US$22 billion in investment since 1978. In comparison to other countries in the region, he stated, Sri Lanka must advance rapidly, referencing Vietnam’s achievement of securing US$23 billion in investment in 2022 alone.
He went on to state that the BOI should prioritise the expansion of investment in the services sector and proactively seek new investment opportunities, rather than focusing solely on recapturing missed ones.
The event was attended by senior officials of the Board of Investment, including Duminda Hulangamuwa, Senior Advisor to the President on Economic Affairs; Arjuna Herath, Chairman of the Board of Investment; and Ms Renuka Weerakone, Acting Director General of the Board of Investment.
A Committee comprising government officials and experts has been appointed under the leadership of Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake to seek and implement sustainable solutions for managing and controlling the damages caused by wild animals to food production (Agriculture and Plantation sectors) through a scientific approach. The Committee held its first meeting on Thursday (19) at the Presidential Secretariat.
The main objective of the Committee is to conduct a scientific study on the agricultural damage caused by wild animals and to implement short, medium and long-term action plans. In addition to drafting national policies and legislation, the Committee will also coordinate the provision of necessary human, physical and financial resources.
It was emphasised during the meeting that decisions should be made by recognizing wildlife as a part of the natural ecosystem. It was also noted that any solution must acknowledge the right of wild animals to their natural habitats. The need to implement a rapid action programme for high-risk districts was also discussed.
Prof. Ashoka Dangolla from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Peradeniya shared his views, highlighting that based on research conducted over more than 15 years on Toque macaque; it is possible to arrive at successful solutions through a scientific approach. He also pointed out that various methods can be used to control animal populations.
Director General of Wildlife Conservation, M.S.L.R.C. Marasinghe, stated that a multi-pronged approach is necessary to address this issue. He emphasised the importance of animal censuses to obtain standard data on animal densities and underscored that the matter must be approached scientifically, beyond social perceptions.
It was also decided that gathering inputs from all stakeholders including academics, environmentalists, wildlife specialists, officials and members of the public affected by wildlife conflict is essential.
Among those present were Senior Additional Secretary to the President Kapila Janaka Bandara, Ministry Secretaries including Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security, Ravi Seneviratne, Secretary to the Ministry of Public Administration S. Aloka Bandara, Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation D.P. Wickramasinghe, Secretary to the Ministry of Plantation and Community Infrastructure Prabath Chandrakeerthi, Secretary to the Ministry of Justice and National Integration Ms. Ayesha Jinasena, public officials including Director General of Department of Wildlife Conservation, defence sector officers, university professors and the members of the Committee.
Senior Additional Solicitor General and President’s Counsel, Nalin Rohantha Abeysooriya, was sworn in on Thursday (19) morning as the new President of the Court of Appeal before President Anura Kumara Disanayake at the Presidential Secretariat.
In addition, High Court Judges Don Francis Hathurusinghe Gunawardena and Adithya Kantha Madduma Patabendige were also sworn in as Judges of the Court of Appeal, in the presence of the President at the Presidential Secretariat.
The President’s Secretary, Dr Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, was also in attendance at the ceremony.
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