Volunteering Sri Lankans

During Sri Lanka’s peace process in 2002- 03, an effort was made to garner the support of ( a section of) the Tamil diaspora to craft a development plan for the north. It was coordinated by the Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation ( TRO), widely perceived at the time as a pro- LTTE organisation and later decreed by the Government as nothing but an LTTE front.

While the intention here is not to praise, complement or glorify the proscribed TRO, its organisational plan to secure support from overseas Sri Lankans to chart a development path for a local region was an interesting, workable one and must be viewed in this context. And it is irrelevant whether the plan was to create a wholly independent region or not. What is important is the structure and its management.

The TRO had a data base of 200- odd Tamil expats whose help was enlisted to prepare a development plan. A work station was organised in Kilinochchi, headquarters of the LTTE. Expatriates – with expertise in different areas - flew in to spend days, if not weeks, in Kilinochchi, at their own cost and time developing a plan in a particular area of activity. Mobilising local and other expats, they created a team and on return to their home base, operated as the team leader from outside, directing the whole plan from overseas. That was the structure until the peace accord ended and hostilities resumed.

In recent times, the call to mobilize Sri Lanka’s diaspora to be part of the country’s forward path has been growing but a large segment of overseas Sri Lankans is yet to make that vital decision to return home. The issues are many; need for competitive salaries, schooling and higher education for the children, housing, a proper work environment, rule of law, corruption and dual citizenship, etc.

According to a new book on Sri Lanka’s diaspora ( see a review of the book on this page), there are - most likely - over two or three million people of Sri Lankan settled abroad. There is an additional 1- 2 million Sri Lankans working in Gulf countries.

The book says that according to some figures in 2006, Australia had 62,000 Sri Lankan- born people, comprising the 16th largest ethnic group in Australia.

The Sri Lankan diaspora in Canada in 2011 was 450,000- strong made up of over 350,000 Tamils, over 75,000 Sinhalese and over 30,000 Muslims. In the United Kingdom, there are over 300,000 Sri Lankan- born immigrants, it revealed.

This means the services of a sizable group of Sri Lankans, nearly 40 per cent of the country’s workforce could be mobilised to share their skills, provided the infrastructure and a favourable, a- political working environment is available.

A condusive environment with non- interference by the Government is also a pre- requisite for Sri Lankans to return to be able to work freely while having their own political convictions.

Some years ago, just as the war was winding down, there were some discussions on developing a ‘ work- while- on- holiday’ programme for expatriate Sri Lankans. The discussions at that time centered on the preparation of a data base of Lankan expats with their skills and matching it with any government or non- government agency that required their expertise on a shortterm project. A work station was to be set up in Colombo where the Lankan expats would spend a specified number of hours ( days or weeks depending on their schedule) between visiting family and friends, and develop projects and guide these projects from their overseas base ( on return). It was pure volunteerism, offering their time only when on holiday and didn’t require them to pack up and return to Sri Lanka. On completion of the assignment, they were to be rewarded with a certificate or a commendation by a reputed Government agency of being part of the development drive – a proud possession for a Lankan expat.

The discussions stalled at some point but maybe it’s time to revisit this initiative and build it into a new, praiseworthy effort by a group of young professionals here named “Work in Sri Lanka’ to coerce Sri Lankan professionals to return to their roots and share their skills and expertise.

Sri Lanka badly needs an infusion of new skills and labour expertise to leapfrog development to the level of another Singapore or Korea with a different structure however that is suitable to Sri Lanka, its cultural and environmental norms, and modern- day needs.

Infrastructure has been rapidly developing under a debt- funded financing strategy of the Government. Yet even though it is almost five years after the LTTE was militarily defeated in May 2009, investment has been slow. Apart from massive growth in the service sector – telecommunication, financial services, tourism, retail, etc – industry is yet to take off to spur new jobs and propel the village economy. The economy is still dependant on thousands of Sri Lankan domestic workers and their male counterparts in the Gulf.

Something is missing; that extra spark to take Sri Lanka to the next level is not there. This is where expat Sri Lankans can help. The Government needs to facilitate this process; not control it. If ever, it should be a partnership between civil society and the Government, with the former playing the lead role. It is only then that all Sri Lankans – be they Buddhists, Hindus, Christians , Muslims – will join to take Sri Lanka to the next level.

Volunteering to help Sri Lanka’s development could be the new beginning alongside the call to Sri Lankans to return to their homeland.