STI: Tri forces for 2025

Let’s in 2025 start scientific decision making, technological interventions and innovative executions

Sri Lanka has to understand we have only temporarily postponed another 2021. 2021 happening again in 2029 is possible if we continue all our businesses as usual during the respite gained. In the world of STI this is the year we expect a singularity event of computing abilities to surpass brain function to take place. If in the breathing space secured a BAU approach is taken all would be lost in a while and the next generation would not be kind to us. Overall as we are all living on a planet with an existential issue lots more are at stake if we live without a higher-order purpose

Sri Lanka appears to be rejoicing that there are tourists everywhere. The stairways to Sigiriya and Nine Arches down at Ella, full of visitors both local and foreign are on the front pages. The expectation is that these crowds must be adding significantly to the coffers. A less publicised news item indicates that the high-end hotels do not see any rush. The situation appears to be that we have low-spending tourists more on the ground than otherwise. 

Tourism is looked at with serious expectation to help the economy as it moves forward with a newer rating that clears it of its ignominious bankruptcy status. It is important to remember that such numbers may not exactly translate to significant Uncle Sam’s currency. The rating reflects only that we have been able to manage the debt crisis through restructuring and we may have been less negotiating but more subservient to cookie-cutter proposals. It would be of interest to understand whether the M/s Clifford Chance and Lazard were on a mission or on an assignment when they were consultants for the task. We have however bought us time to pay debtors and that is a big relief. Now to ensure the ability to pay both interest and debt we need to position our economy to a different set of fundamentals. 

Different set of mindsets

I would argue for a different set of mindsets to be engaged to achieve this transformation. I have always had the opinion that an economy cannot be transformed by an economist. On politicians and especially those who sans a ‘science’ I would refrain from even articulating. Edward Hale an American Clergyman had an answer in 1900 – Do you pray for the Senators, Dr Hale? No, I look at the senators and I pray for the country! The economist is needed to ensure sense and ensure that runaway experiments are not allowed. More simply we would say 21st century organisations must practice innovation as a core tenant. Yet unbridled acts of doing different things and doing things differently, which essentially defines innovation can take an organisation out of its existence too. 

The economist and the financial controllers may give that sense of constructive control to the economy as well as an organisation respectively. Let’s not argue – the use of creative science gave us the climate issue and through an equally creative scientific analysis it would still be science that is capable of ensuring that we keep on making the progress that we have made while addressing the problem successfully. Finally of course it is still solid enlightened teamwork that would help the system.

Nature has bestowed a lot to us but we only have a superficial exploitative attitude to tourism and the way we connect nature and tourism. That is why we have road accidents and even deaths within wildlife sanctuaries. Nature’s bounty is a simple market opportunity. I remember my early encounter with the members of the trade at Hikkaduwa. Coral gardens should maximise their returns and the guide prices may even include getting reef fishes and pieces of coral. When low-value tourism abounds, these practices gain exponentially of course at the expense of natural assets. 

Ramsar status

Colombo thanks to the efforts of a small committed group had gained Ramsar status – We have the world’s only wetland capital. Do we ever see or hear that message in Colombo? As you enter Colombo or as you alight at Katunayake or a passenger ferry ship at Port of Colombo there should be this message beamed loud and clear. However, most of our actions in Colombo without an iota of an idea about wetland conservation within an urban milieu are almost always towards ruining this status. Yet we are quite excited about green bonds. Someone says there is a lot of money to be had from this means and we are all agog with excitement over this new found means of debt! 

We should take some proactive steps in embracing WAVES (World Bank’s Wealth Accounting and Valuation of Ecosystem Services) perhaps running that in parallel to showcase our deeper understanding and commitment. If we understand this the whole concept, blue carbon – the opportunity with mangroves – is one opportunity among many. It is time that we ditch this blind adherence to GDP as the central key value of measurement for all aspirations. Today a number of countries run WAVES in parallel.

Defence expenditure

Innovation is out-of-the-box thinking and execution. One of our Budget items that is seen as quite excessive by some is defence expenditure. Is there any sense in maintaining conventional military establishments? As today’s confrontations are quite different and the might is not measured by the number of boots in the parade ground or the extent of the compound, we should not be pouring money down in supporting the conventional. This is what one learns by seeing the total defence approach of Singapore which emulated Switzerland and Sweden. Some can leverage the numbers though at cost and may still stake a claim. Our position and composition has no such opportunities.

Costa Rica perhaps demonstrated the other option. In 1949 it decided to do away with the military and establish a university and support addition to health and environmental sustainability with the money spared. They have done well and the world has recognised the effort too. Note that 1949 is not exactly like the times of today. The world was getting polarised, the Cold War was on, nuclear confrontations looked imminent and the decision to do away with the military and establish a defence force must have been indeed a bold far-sighted decision. One simple logic must have been keep on pumping money to have some sort of deterrence is not going to have any sensible returns. 

Again post 1945 United Nations also meant that small countries collectively have more power on the world stage and one simply could not walk over another and grab land and resources. As Harari says in his Nexus, Qatar can have a couple of million in population and do global business with one of the best gas reserves without the fear of someone marching down to conquer. That assurance to a greater degree is due to the new world order. The old options are becoming history. 

Imagine Sri Lanka with a Unified National Defence Force with smart capabilities. These capabilities can cross multiple boundaries and could strengthen all sectors. The nation would be able to pivot on these abilities for strengthening all parts of the economy. At present one may ask what the numbers are for as no amount of strengthening classically is going to give us any competitiveness in a confrontation (god forbid!). Any strengthening for ceremonial purposes is not going to have any positive returns as well. The most important assurance needed by any state today perhaps is internal stability holistically and the Sri Lankan State must be fully equipped to give that assurance. Costa Rica has been emulated today by more than dozen countries. 

Mathematical year

This brings us to the call that I wish to make as we move into another year. 2025 is known to be a mathematical year and many mathematical relations are shown with 2025. Definitely interesting and mathematics is the language of science and where mathematics is present, we see numbers on display with measurements. All performances have a quantitative expression which could lead to many insights. Today when we see the issues with paddy in all its variants the inability to solve is shown to be with data gaps. As an island with paddy grown on defined land tracts data gaps mean STI gaps but sadly not understood as the problem festers while directives are made hollow by the day. 

The connectivity aspects of fertiliser, corn, poultry industry, eggs, salmonellosis, public health, national protein intake and National IQ are interwoven with scientific principles. When open salterns get flooded in areas earlier known to be quite dry most of the time we know that climate change is creating havoc in our salt supply and that is a technology gap. While the market can have embedded corruption the relationship between variables is science and technology. Yes, corruption of any sort should be minimised thereby establishing that all-important trust factor within the economy and the system. Trust is an aspect that had been lost and there is today a glimmer of hope in reversal. However, all action should not be on the corruption front and claiming of past mistakes and misdeeds. 

The future has to be made with today’s actions and these actions should be identified and developed scientifically. Scientific action is not only for the Ministry of Science and Technology. Sri Lanka has long suffered from the absence of a strong statement on this area and this ministry has been an ON-OFF ministry, much late in coming compared to India. 

A glimmer of hope

Again, there is a glimmer of hope here with change. For the first time Sri Lanka has a President who is from a STEM stream. The push is not to limit but to push an aggressive STI (Science-Technology-Innovation) agenda across all sectors and this can include foreign service as well. Introduce Science Diplomacy with a network of Science Counsellors. Globalisation is thanks to technology but in its way could lead to strong discontent too. Going beyond laws and wars a hashtag can spark a revolution today! It was these realisations that led to Singapore adding to its Total Defence the Cyber security pillar. With a scientific approach in governance, one may need not be as pedantic as one may see in a bureaucracy as the value of agile change based on evidence is quickly supported. 

Sri Lanka has to understand we have only temporarily postponed another 2021. 2021 happening again in 2029 is possible if we continue all our businesses as usual during the respite gained. In the world of STI this is the year we expect a singularity event of computing abilities to surpass brain function to take place. If in the breathing space secured a BAU approach is taken all would be lost in a while and the next generation would not be kind to us. Overall as we are all living on a planet with an existential issue lots more are at stake if we live without a higher-order purpose. 

The present begs us to be different in so many ways to work towards 17 targets in double quick time and to cool down the planet even faster through understanding, cooperation, and contribution. Let’s in 2025 start scientific decision making, technological interventions and innovative executions! It is simply embarrassing to see and hear issues in eggs, rice, salt, coconuts after 76 years of our own decision making!