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Sri Lanka has vast potentials, says Japanese envoy

Sri Lanka is a country of great potentials, values and attractiveness, said Japanese Ambassador Akio Suda.

"Therefore, successful achievements in peace and development of this country will benefit Japan and the Japanese people by enabling both countries to widen and deepen their economic, cultural, political and people to people exchanges", he said at the installation of the New President of the Rotary Club of Colombo Uptown, Shehan Ratnavale at the JAIC Hilton on Saturday.

Ambassador Suda said: "I would like to talk a little about how I am finding Sri Lanka, though it has been only seven months since I came here last November.

Many to praise in this country - beautiful land, unique culture, historical heritages, friendly people with smile, diligent people at work (may be not everybody), high rate of literacy etc.

However, it may be not interesting to you to hear a diplomat only praising your country and your people, since unfortunately diplomat's comfortable words are believed to be untrustworthy next to the politician's.

So, I like to talk about not sweet part of my findings but rather bitter or even hot ingredient like Wasabi, Japanese spice for Sushi and Sashimi.

In this country, I hear and see a particular sort of English words so many times. Those words are "donor" donation "donor country" and "recipient". Of course there are certain cases we cannot logically avoid using these words like "donation of books" or "donors meeting".

But it is my impression that Sri Lankan media and even intellectuals tend to use these words too easily. Maybe not so much in Sinhalese, sorry that I cannot tell. I personally don't like these words.

Although Japan is a single largest "donor" by far to assist the development of this country, I don't like these words.

Because the perception of donor recipient relation between countries or between individuals and groups tend to imply somewhat one way action, from rich to poor, from advanced to less advanced, or from higher to lower.

It may have also an implication that both a donor and a recipient tend to be satisfied by the mere fact that it has given or that it has received, forgetting that what really matters is how assistance will help others do better by their own effort.

The flood of these words "donor" and "donation" everywhere might indicate some perception among people that there are two kinds of country in international society and two kinds of people within the country; these two are those who donate and those who donated.

I don't think this is a constructive philosophy, and I don't believe this reflect the true relations between countries and between people.

I saw recently a complaint in an opinion page of a newspaper, which said that financial aid from donors are not all grant but largely loans to which Sri Lankans have to repay with interests. Sure, to count by amount of money, large portion of foreign aid including those from Japan, World Bank and ADB are concessional loans.

Japan, for instance, provides technical assistances, grant financial assistances, and soft loans depending on the nature and scale of development project; a grant aid for building a hospital and a school, a soft loan with much lower interests than commercial loan, for power project and highway construction, etc.

Those who complain that the aid they receive are not all grant, sound like saying that they like to be always in a position to be given rather than to make full use of aid for further development to the point where they need not receive much aid any more.

In the 19th century, Japan went through the Meiji Restoration. It opened doors to the Western world after 300 years closed policy and started adopting Western civilisation in order to make the nation competitive in the world.

For that purpose, the Government invited intellectuals and professionals of the then highest level from France, Germany, the Netherlands and UK at the exceptionally high salary, much much higher than a salary of ministers.

They taught and trained Japanese officials and students in government and at universities and colleges.

Their knowledge and technologies were digested and absorbed by Japanese just like dry sand absorbs water. The big payment to those Western teachers has returned Japan incomparable benefits after 20 or 30 years and made it the most industrialised country in Asia by 1900.

After the defeat in the last world war, Japan worked hard to restore its economy and society by receiving aid from US and World Bank. Even that famous bullet train was constructed partially with a loan from World Bank. And as you know the project has benefited Japan hundreds or thousands times more than what we repaid to the World Bank.

In Sri Lanka, I have no doubt that informed people and leaders in various sectors know better than I that any assistance from abroad is meaningful to the country only if Sri Lankan people make full use of it for further advance by their own hands.

There are many examples of Japan's assistance in this country which has grown up a big tree by the hands of Sri Lankan people.

In Gampaha, Japan built 'Upland Model Farm' and assisted in planting ginger, ground-nuts, etc. Now, this model farm without Japanese experts' help, has expanded its production to urban consuming items like flowers, and also started to train neighbouring farmers particularly women on farming and marketing.

In Nuwara Eliya, Japan built solid waste treatment facilities in a valley of Moon Plain and also helped the Municipal Council in environmental education. Now the municipality is working hard to make the entire city clean by putting disposal bins on roadside to collect solid waste and bring them to the treatment facilities in Moon Plain.

They are developing and cleaning Moon Plain Lake. Nuwara Eliya would possibly become a model of clean city in Sri Lanka.

Now after talking too much about my hatred of a word "donor", I like to touch a bit on my another hatred in Sri Lanka.

That is solid waste abandoned on or in streets, fields and water as well as polluted dirties in canals, rivers and ponds. Sri Lanka should be one of the most beautiful lands with enviously rich fauna and flora, valuable heritages and old streets.

But wherever people lie, its natural beauty and comfortable environment are spoiled by solid waste and pollution. It is unfortunate that foreigners who arrived in this country have to be welcome by spread of wastes on the road from Katunayake to Colombo and again from Colombo to Kandy. Colombo is blessed with canals, rivers and lakes. But we hesitate to stroll alongside these waters because of their dirt and smell.

I believe, the matter of cleanness is not a subordinate issue in the social and economic development of a country.

It also affects psychology of the people. If a factory is not kept clean, you cannot efficiently produce a product of good quality, if a shop is not clean, you cannot make a good sale with shoppers, if a street is not clean, you cannot expect people to enjoy walking and visiting the town. Needless to say, the cleanness greatly relates to the health of the people through sanitation problems like dengue disease.

I don't think, however, we need to be too pessimistic in solving this problem. I remember, when I was a child, teachers told us every day about "public moral", which meant "don't throw away waste in public places like street, park and water. It is a shame to do so while you keep clean inside your house."

This repeated educational direction has given a profound influence upon our psychology and behaviour, although I must admit that there are still individuals and firms who litter or dump illegally in Japan.

Upto 1960s, major rivers in Tokyo like Sumida River or Kanda River were all polluted by industrial wastes without any fish in water. But in 1970s, those rivers were transformed to beautifully clean waters with carps and other fishes within and leisure boats floating on.

Even gorgeous firework festival, which was originated in 17th century Edo come back to Sumida River every summer.

So it is surely possible, I believe, to transform streets and waters of Colombo as well to clean and enjoyable places for everybody. It largely depends on how well people, children and community understand the importance of making their surroundings clean.

Clean up your house, clean up the front street of your house, clean up your town with the town people. These small moves and campaigns will make a fundamental change to the whole urban environment. And it eventually helps accelerate the development of society and industry of the whole country.

Japan has intensively assisting in this area for some time including water supply, sewage, garbage collector, waste treatment and water cleaning tractor and it will continue to support people's efforts on this truck.

I may have served too much hot Wasabi to you tonight. I know I should prepare a very sweet desert to get rid of bitterness from your tongue. But now I have realised it is not possible, since I made a mistake at the outset by honestly saying that diplomat's sweet words are not trustworthy.

Incidentally, people ask me why Japan has been providing so much official development aid to Sri Lanka? I am too always asking this question to myself, and my answer is that it is not just because Mr. Jayewardene made a moving speech half century ago in San Francisco, not because we are both Buddhist countries to be precise, religious situation is quite different between two but the main reason is because what is good for the future of Sri Lanka, I believe, good for Japan in long run. Sri Lanka is a country of great potentials, values and attractiveness.

Therefore, successful achivement in peace and development of this country will benefit Japan and Japanese people by enabling both countries to widen and deepen their economic, cultural, political and people to people exchanges.

Upto today our bilateral relations too much centering on government to government development assistance.

On top of the continuing government to government assistance, I hope that we can further develop people to people exchanges like trade and investment, culture and tourist visit, thus widening and deepening our mutually beneficial and equal-footing relations. Probably, now you may recon why I don't like the word "donor" or "donor country".

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