{"id":67533,"date":"2013-01-03T04:20:16","date_gmt":"2013-01-03T04:20:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=67533"},"modified":"2013-01-05T06:04:14","modified_gmt":"2013-01-05T06:04:14","slug":"bridging-sri-lankas-deficit-of-hope-whats-to-be-done","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/bridging-sri-lankas-deficit-of-hope-whats-to-be-done\/","title":{"rendered":"Bridging Sri Lanka\u2019s Deficit Of Hope: What\u2019s To Be Done?"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Nalaka Gunawardene<\/a><\/span>\u00a0\u2013 \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Nalaka Gunawardene<\/p><\/div>\n

The opening scene in the German-Sri Lanka feature film\u00a0Machan<\/a><\/em><\/span>\u00a0(2008)<\/em>\u00a0unfolds at a garbage-strewn Colombo street, somewhere in the city\u2019s underbelly. Three young men are putting up political posters, playing hide and seek with policemen on night patrol.<\/p>\n

Conversation reveals that the men are doing this to earn a few rupees. Soon, the inevitable question comes up.\u00a0\u201cWhy don\u2019t we get the hell out of this country?\u201d\u00a0<\/em>asks one.<\/em><\/p>\n

The \u2018patriotic\u2019 one replies,\u00a0<\/em>\u201cNothing like Sri Lanka. Abroad they treat you like second class citizens.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

At which point, lead character Stanley points to himself \u2013 his dirty clothes dripping wet in sweat,paappa<\/em>\u00a0(paste) and dog urine \u2014 and says,\u00a0\u201cSo what are we now? First class?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

That, to me, was the most revealing moment in the perceptive film, ostensibly a comedy. An able-bodied young man, clearly willing to work hard, sees no hope of doing well in his own country.<\/p>\n

The rest of the story revolves around a fake Lankan handball team going to Germany to play in a tournament. Every member of the team \u2013 players, manager and coach \u2013 soon goes missing. They scatter in integrated Europe, looking for greener pastures.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The Sri Lankan handball team in Machan.<\/p><\/div>\n

Italian director\u00a0Uberto Pasolini<\/a>\u00a0based the film on a true incident that happened in 2004. Before and since, thousands of young men and women have been leaving their land \u2014 by hook or crook \u2013 for completely strange lands.<\/p>\n

For three decades, such action was attributed to the long-drawn Lankan civil war. That certainly was one reason, but not the only one.<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t explain why, three and a half years after the war ended, the exodus continues. Every month, hordes of unskilled, semi-skilled and professionally qualified Lankans depart. Some risk life and limb and break the law in their haste.<\/p>\n

It isn\u2019t reckless adventurism or foolhardiness that sustains\u00a0large scale human smuggling. That illicit trade caters to a massive demand.<\/p>\n

Most people chasing their dreams on rickety old fishing boats are not criminals or terrorists, as some government officials contend. Nor are they \u2018traitors\u2019 or \u2018ingrates\u2019 as labelled by sections of our media.<\/p>\n

These sons and daughters of the land are scrambling to get out because they have lost hope of achieving a better tomorrow in their own country.<\/p>\n

I call it the Deficit of Hope. A nation ignores this gap at its peril.<\/p>\n

Mind the Gap!<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are other formidable gaps. The government is preoccupied with bridging the burgeoning\u00a0budget deficit, and also balancing imports and exports. Social and political activists, meanwhile, are busy protesting the growing\u00a0democracy deficit.<\/p>\n

These are all important and urgent. But who can take up the \u2018silent emergency\u2019 of young Lankans progressively losing hope?<\/p>\n

Both anecdotal and statistical evidence indicates a pervasive trend.<\/p>\n

A global comparison of net migration rates<\/a><\/span>\u00a0shows Sri Lanka having a minus 1.95 score in 2012. That is the difference between the number of persons entering and leaving a country during the year, per 1,000 persons (based on midyear population). In the\u00a0SAARC region, only Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Maldives have a bigger negative score.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t get me wrong: I\u2019m not opposed to migration\u00a0per se<\/em>. Humans and their ancestors have been\u00a0moving around this planet\u00a0for at least 100,000 years, creating a delightful melting pot of races and cultures. Nation states trying to guard borders against new arrivals is a relatively recent phenomenon, and not always an effective one.<\/p>\n

And unlike certain countries with restrictive emigration policies, Sri Lanka allows its citizens to freely leave the country (as long as they do so through official channels). This wasn\u2019t always the case: until 1977, Lankans travelling overseas \u2013 even for private reasons and using their own money \u2013 needed \u2018clearance\u2019 from a government\u00a0babu<\/em>.<\/p>\n

All I\u2019m questioning is this: why is there a widespread sense of hopelessness among many Lankans about pursuing their personal dreams in their own country? Are their ambitions and aspirations too lofty for our society and economy to support?<\/p>\n

The desire to leave is most discernible among young people.\u00a0A national youth survey\u00a0in 2010, conducted for the Ministry of Youth by sociologists at the Colombo University, found that as many as 50 per cent of Lankan youth \u201cwanted to migrate\u201d. The survey covered a large, distributed sample: 3,000 randomly selected youth between 15 to 29 years, in 22 districts excepting Kilinochchi, Mannar and Mullaitivu.<\/p>\n

The reasons for going overseas are many and complex \u2014 the best of surveys can only capture a part of what people really think or feel. But surely something is seriously wrong when half the country\u2019s young people want to exit?<\/p>\n

Personal circumstances shape each individual\u2019s tough decision to leave behind loved ones, peers and familiar settings. Bread and butter considerations rank high: chances of doing well professionally or starting one\u2019s own family.<\/p>\n

What does a young man or woman entering the work force \u2013 after 15 or more years of studying and training \u2013 confront today?<\/p>\n

The good news is that the guns are silent, car bombs are not going off any more, and roads and bridges are being built in earnest.<\/p>\n

But securing a decent job on merit and talent has become more difficult. Being self employed or starting a small business is hard when banks don\u2019t lend easily.<\/p>\n

Without parental wealth, old school ties or political connections, a qualified youth finds it really tough to get a break, let alone succeed. \u00a0A generation ago, the underdog still had a sporting chance.<\/p>\n

What Meritocracy?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The cocktail circuit never tires of lamenting what is wrong in the country. Our political and business leaders, meanwhile, keep urging youth to be honest, hard working and entrepreneurial. But how many movers and shakers have created an enabling and nurturing environment for that to happen?<\/p>\n

And are our academics and processionals \u2013 most of them beneficiaries of free education and meritocracy \u2013 doing enough to safeguard these core values? Clamouring for\u00a06% of GDP for quality education<\/a><\/span>\u00a0loses meaning when the \u2018products\u2019 of that process are abandoned\u00a0en masse<\/em>\u00a0in the end.<\/p>\n

In a rare moment of candour, an engineer who hails from the grassroots and reached the heights of academe told me: \u201cI\u2019m all for egalitarianism and meritocracy \u2013 until I become part of the elite!\u201d<\/p>\n

No, forced equality\u00a0a la\u00a0<\/em>socialism is not the answer. Life is inherently unfair, and everyone needs plenty of resolve and resilience for the bumpy ride. But when\u00a0feudalism is endemic, and favouritism rules the day, some idealistic young people may decide\u2026enough is enough.<\/p>\n

For evidence, browse the\u00a0Lankan blogosphere\u00a0\u2013 the digital graffiti of a disenchanted generation.<\/p>\n

Perceptions Matter<\/strong><\/p>\n

When someone is debating hard whether or not to stay on, the larger societal context also plays a part.<\/p>\n

Most Lankans cherish three institutions, holding them practically sacred: universal adult franchise (symbolized by elections), free education (competitive public exams) and the\u00a0de facto<\/em>national game of cricket. In recent years, irregularities and malpractices have corroded the integrity of all three.<\/p>\n

Rigged elections, leaked exam papers and match fixing have become the norm. True, there still are some honest public servants, conscientious judges and courageous newspaper editors. But they are outnumbered and, for the most part, voices in the wilderness.<\/p>\n

Just ask\u00a0Kumar Sangakkara. Or\u00a0Victor Ivan<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

Perceptions matter a great deal in private decisions. Most human decisions are not ruled by macroeconomic data or legal nuances. People who decide to pack up may not weigh the pros and cons in a rational manner. But the Deficit of Hope \u2013 a composite phenomenon in our minds, built up over time \u2013 might well be the decider for some.<\/p>\n

Of course, the Deficit of Hope affects everyone. Many among us lead \u2018lives of quiet desperation\u2019, to use\u00a0Henry David Thoreau\u2019s phrase, and that\u2019s far from healthy. We are said to have exceeded USD 2,000 per capita GDP, but income disparities are greater than ever. One in five Lankans has psychiatric issues.<\/p>\n

What can be done to enhance our nation\u2019s Hope Quotient?<\/p>\n

Governments can\u2019t legislate hope, nor can\u00a0their spin doctors\u00a0manufacture it. Just as well. Hope stems from a contented people \u2014 not those in denial or delusion \u2014 and in a society that is at ease with itself.<\/p>\n

We have a long way to go.<\/p>\n

Restoring hope isn\u2019t a task for the government alone. We\u2019ve all contributed to its erosion \u2014 hands up anyone who has never bribed or jumped ahead in a waiting list through connections.Good laws and functional institutions are necessary \u2014 but not sufficient. We also need an environment where anyone from any background feels there is a greater chance of making a good life here than anywhere else.Until enough young men and women feel they are equal citizens, the outward march of genes and brains will continue.Science writer and columnist Nalaka Gunawardene always asks more questions than he can answer. He blogs at\u00a0nalakagunawardene.com<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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