In Sri Lanka, Government All Hat No Cattle
President Ranil Wickramesinghe has embarked on an ambitious mission to have Artificial Intelligence (AI) taught in schools. This is something long overdue. The importance of preparing Sri Lankan students for future challenges and modernising the education system to align with job market requirements, etc., cannot be overstated. However, before trying to make Sri Lanka AI savvy, the President should find some intelligent persons to function as Cabinet ministers in charge of vital sectors.
The government, which has undertaken to turn the economy around, cannot even accomplish a simple task like regulating the prices of eggs and rice. The Agricultural Minister and the Trade Minister are working in silos, and the only things they do together is to lock horns. They have been trading accusations during the past few weeks. Unless they iron out their differences and work in tandem, the exploitation of paddy farmers and rice consumers will continue indefinitely. The large-scale rice millers are making unconscionable profits by purchasing paddy at ludicrously low prices and selling rice at prohibitively high prices.
Banks and other financial institutions collaborate with the Millers’ Mafia. They delay the loans that small-scale millers have stoked up on paddy. This is the name of the game. The big-time millers have huge slush funds and politicians benefit from their largesse. Consumer rights protection groups have alleged that the wealthy egg traders also look after the interests of government politicians and top bureaucrats.
The solution to the problem of the Millers’ Mafia fleecing both the farmer and the consumer alike is to revitalise the small-scale millers with state assistance; funds must be made for the commencement of paddy harvesting seasons. Empowering the small- scale millers to give the Miller’s Mafia a run for its money will be half the battle in protecting the interests of the farming community and rice consumers.
