Since the end of the three-decade civil war, Sri Lanka has overcome many challenges to reach an impressive level of development. Whether it’s the economy, literacy or sport, the country is continuously making strides. GN Focus speaks to a few Sri Lankan expats in the UAE to find out some of the best achievements.
Economy
Ibrahim Sheriff
Finance Professional
We are the only country in the world to completely wipe out terrorism by defeating the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) after 30 years of struggle. The economy saw great improvement as a result of that development. The tourism scene has now picked up significantly, with tourist arrivals surpassing the two-million mark last year. Foreign Direct Investment has improved a lot and the confidence in the country has gone up among foreign investors such as China, which has invested in the airport, a port and highways.
We are the top country in South Asia on the Human Development Index and 73 in the world, as per the findings in the Global Human Development Report 2016, released by the UN Development Programme last year. The GDP has increased to a great extent, and from being poor we have become a middle level income country.
Literacy
Kusal Nanayakkara
Contracts Manager, JC Maclean International
The constitution of Sri Lanka provides free education as a fundamental right. Despite the consequences of a 27-year civil war, the country maintains some of the highest literacy rates in South Asia. The government decision to offer free textbooks and school uniforms to schoolchildren has facilitated further improvement of youth literacy rate, which exceeds 98 per cent.
Gender equality
Desiree Premachandra
Country Manager – UAE, SriLankan Airlines
Being a woman, I’m proud that Sri Lanka had the first ever female Prime Minister in the world. In July 1960 Sirima Bandaranaike was elected Prime Minister of then Ceylon. This is very notable especially in the context that while women in the western world were still fighting for emancipation, Sri Lanka was leading the march in gender equality and female empowerment. Within this span of the past 70 years, in November 1994 Sri Lanka also elected another woman, Chandrika Kumaratunga, as president.
This is a remarkable achievement for a developing nation and an inspiration to all women who aspire to reach high office.
Tourism
Dasun Maudella
Chef, Atlantis, The Palm
Despite being a small island in the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka is fortunate to draw the attention of the rest of the world due its strategic location and natural beauty. However, since we gained independence from British rule in 1948, the development of the country was stalled for a period of 30 years until 2009 due to the civil war against terrorism. Now, our country is back on track towards the prosperity that we dreamt of. In recent times, Sri Lanka has become the world’s popular tourist destination not only due to its natural beauty but also the courteousness of its people.
Cuisine
Ravindra Gunarathna
Finance Director, Classic Fine Foods — UAE
Sri Lanka, the beautiful spice island in history known as Ceylon, is a rich melting pot of curries. It seems every nationality visited and traded over the years has added their style to the country’s cuisine — the Dutch, Portuguese, English, Arabs, Malays, Moors and Indians.
After 30 years of war, the country is moving towards high-end fine dining standalone restaurants. Sri Lanka has produced talented chefs who have worked and gained experience in various cities around the globe. The opening up of international hotel chains in the country and fine dining restaurants, has brought some talented chefs back to the motherland to dish out exciting fare. This will mark a new era for the food industry in Sri Lanka, in addition to its delicious local cuisines.
Cricket
Presley Polonnowita
Founder and Head Coach, Desert Cubs Sports Academy
Winning the 1996 Cricket World Cup against Australia was a significant achievement for Sri Lanka over the past seven decades. It was a great moment when we won the tournament — under the true leadership of Arjuna Ranatunga — and that elevated Sri Lankan cricket to a new level of professionalism.
This achievement won’t be erased from our memories for a very long time.
