Top forum on “Policy making and Governance” today

Dr. Irvin Studin

A top-level forum on “Policy making and Governance” – Navigating geopolitical and economic challenges” will be held on 12 October 2023 from 6.00 p.m. to 8.00 p.m. at the Hilton Residences, Colombo. It is organised by the National Council of Professionals and is linked to the main Opposition Party, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB).

The workshop will be highlighted with a keynote address by, the leading Canadian think tank The Institute for 21st Century Question President, Canadian Academic and Public Intellectual Dr. Irvin Studin. Dr. Studin is a much sought-after strategy consultant in Canada and has been an advocate for altering Canadian geopolitical and political strategy, criticising many facets of modern Canadian State discourse and strategy.

He has participated in and contributed to various works of public policy development and was a member of the team that developed Canada’s first-ever national security policy, in 2004. During the John Howard premiership, Dr. Studin was the principal author of Australia’s 2006 national counter-terrorism policy and also worked in Local Government in Ottawa, Canada and Canberra, Australia.

Dr. Studin has a Master’s degree from the University of Oxford and earned a PhD from the University of York in Constitutional Law, he also founded a magazine called the Global Brief and co-founded the Institute for 21st Century Questions in 2014. He has also held positions at the University of Toronto as well as being a visiting professor at leading schools of public policy in North America, Europe and Asia including the Lee Kwan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore. Dr. Studin has been an advocate of education reform in response to the disruptions to children’s academic routines around the world, warning that this may constitute one of the most underappreciated social disasters that are developing as a result of the global pandemic. 

Dr. Studin has also been critical of Canadian geopolitical strategy and the nature of its relationships with its close neighbour the USA as well as traditional allies such as the UK and those in Western Europe, specifically what he calls the consolidation of the colonial position; allowing local electoral imperatives driven by diasporic affections and affinities to set the Canadian International agenda. The Canadian dynamic might be useful in informing Sri Lanka’s own position in terms of its immediate neighbourhood and strategic alliances. 

Organisers said the SJB’s policy platform is being developed through close interaction and continuous dialogue with varied and relevant stakeholders. Thus far the SJB has engaged numerous worker unions, business chambers, entrepreneurial associations and professional organisations.

The project to generate a viable plan for sustainable economic growth and human development in Sri Lanka requires a multi-pronged approach that considers the overlapping issues related to education, healthcare, business regulation, taxation, security and defence, social welfare and pensions, all with facets that are inter-related; Public Policy must consider such intersections. 

Sri Lanka’s foreign policy must be informed by both strategic imperatives and local political/ social dynamics which shape Sri Lanka’s relationships within the region as well as perceptions about our nation-state beyond.

Sri Lanka’s education system must match the needs of the 21st-century technological era and complement Sri Lanka’s human capital development needs and industrialisation drive while addressing demographic challenges.

For too long, Sri Lankan policy has veered from one extreme to another, captive to the whims of singular leaders and cabals of special interests. There has been no discernible overall strategy and whatever strategy has emerged has been reactionary, based on short-term necessity rather than longer-term strategic imperatives.

In this regard, the recent evaluation by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) regarding Sri Lanka’s progress has shown that international institutions are cognisant of Sri Lanka’s governance deficits and the impact of this deficit on policy-making and strategising. The Geopolitical context that Sri Lanka finds itself in, lacking a clear narrative to project, as evidenced by our President’s recent performances abroad, adds to the complexities around developing an overarching economic and social policy.

This context, specific to the Indian Ocean region and the wider Western Pacific, requires subtle and delicate negotiation; managing our relationships while protecting our interests has never been more complex.

Understanding how to position itself within the unfolding geostrategic maze is critical to succeeding in this new era. Sri Lanka is already far behind, having allowed policy to be determined by decades-old frameworks during a time that requires intense collaboration with our partners in the region.

The SJB seeks to formulate and fine-tune its strategic perspectives by utilising the knowledge and experience of intellectuals and policy experts such as Dr. Irvin Studin. Under a future SJB Government, Sri Lanka will begin the challenge of addressing the ethical decay in our institutions and the governance deficits that plague society and hinder our economy. This workshop forms a small part of the SJB’s policymaking process and is intended to inform its members and officers of the intricacies and challenges of policymaking.