Siri Hettige

Chair of Sri Lanka Studies, SAI, Heidelberg, Germany, (2016/17 wint. )Professor Emeritus , University of Colombo, Adjunct Professor, RMIT University, Australia,

[Siri Hettige @hettige_siri]

හොරාගේ අම්මගෙන් පේන ඇහීම දැන් කොපමන කලක් කරාද? රට වැටුනේ ඇයිද යන්න දැන්වත් තේරුම් ගැනීමට බැරිනම්, හොදම වැඩේ කතා නොකර සිටීමයි.

[RHA - රටට හිතැති අපි @RatataHithathiA]

@SumanaAbeyseke1 @Jay31989529 @sky2109756 @sajkooler @KMeeeaaow @ChampiAbey @anuruddha_lka @exfrotezter @ChathuraVirajW1 @hettige_siri @iamBharatha @ishankaJayasin1 @samarajiva @sarojpathi @tharinduij @ashanthi_w @KamalPe69257601 @waw1949 @mahindasiriwar6 @DPMJayawardhan1 අවංකවම දූෂන විරෝධීනම් දැන් තියෙන නීතියෙනුක් කොච්චර දේවල් කරන්න පුලූවන්ද? කෝ කෙරුවද? මේකත් තව ඩ්‍රාම එකක් විතරයි.

#RHA_LK #LK

[Siri Hettige @hettige_siri]

Sri Lanka could hardly afford d continuous n unchecked outflow of talent and skilled labour over many decades. Continuous weakening of our institutions including most of our universities has been d obvious result. Imagine what will happen now with d present unprecedented exodus!

[Siri Hettige @hettige_siri]

First, undermine d intrinsic value of education and politics in a society. Then, you will see what happens to the intrinsic value of many other human pursuits. What is the outcome of all these? To find d answer, you only have to look what we are experiencing in SL today!

[Siri Hettige @hettige_siri]

There are many signs of public disorder in Sri Lanka. One of these is uncontrolled noice pollution that any visitor to this country can easily notice. Just think about the noice coming from the loudspeakers.

[Siri Hettige @hettige_siri]

Pension n EPF cover 27% of d working ppl in SL. No effective measures taken in recent decades to extend SS to others. Inflation largely due to money printing has already slashed d value of SS funds. If debt restructuring reduces d value further, What will happen to affected ppl?

[Siri Hettige @hettige_siri]

It was great to have been asked to conduct a professional development roundtable at the world congress of Sociology in Melbourne that brought so many sociologists from around the world, both long standing and very promising young sociologists. Learned a lot as always!

[Siri Hettige @hettige_siri]

It was great to catch up with so many long standing colleagues and some younger scholars face to face at the world congress after a long break #ISAWCS23. The key message, we have a big role to play and a great responsibility wherever we are in the world.

[Siri Hettige @hettige_siri]

Education has largely become an instrumental activity, a means to a narrow end. Citizenship education, ethics, public morality, etc are missing. No time for reading anything other than what is needed. Teachers prepare them for exams and parents send them to tuition classes, etc.

[Siri Hettige @hettige_siri]

But we had welfare policies before but disintegrated afterwards.

[Faceless @fmenofbraavos]

@hettige_siri They r capitalists countries which slowly integrated welfare system to safeguard vulnerable after accumulating & creating huge wealth through capitalism.
Check how china attained high growth rate, which policies helped them? Capitalists countries’ labour laws are better than them

[Siri Hettige @hettige_siri]

When liberal policies worked in some other countries, why it did not work in SL?

[Faceless @fmenofbraavos]

@hettige_siri They r capitalists countries which slowly integrated welfare system to safeguard vulnerable after accumulating & creating huge wealth through capitalism.
Check how china attained high growth rate, which policies helped them? Capitalists countries’ labour laws are better than them

[Siri Hettige @hettige_siri]

Where do we have welfare states that are also economically and socially developed? Think about the Nordic world.

[Siri Hettige @hettige_siri]

Just think about de-industrialization leading to the collapse of almost all primary industries after neoliberal reforms since 1977. Even textile industry collapsed when the only industry promoted was garments. Garments without textiles! What a country!

[Kusum Wijetilleke @KusumW]

@DiogenesLanka @hettige_siri Which country developed their economy with “free-market” capitalism?

[Siri Hettige @hettige_siri]

Many academics in d 60's talked about unequal exchange n unequal development when developing countries exported primary goods n imported industrial goods. Now we have production of symbolic goods as a major part of some developed economies. How does it affect a country like SL?

[Siri Hettige @hettige_siri]

It is the balance between private interest and public welfare that determines the level of health of a society. We lost this balance several decades ago and failed to address it through public polices and rule of law. So, you have a society in shambles. How to put it together.

[Siri Hettige @hettige_siri]

Certain professions that many people are engaged in are not mere ways of making a living because they can make the lives of many others better or worse. Think about politics n how our political leaders in recent decades have used their privileged positions to solve our problems !

[Siri Hettige @hettige_siri]

It is the greed of many people of all walks of life for wealth and power, unrestrained by law or religion, that brought Sri Lanka down to this miserable situation. But, justice and a sense of morality could have prevented this calamity .

[Siri Hettige @hettige_siri]

There are clear signs of deterioration of mental health of many people in SL today brought about by this debilitating economic n social crisis. I proposed that the authorities establish a community based monitoring system to keep an eye on and respond. Do these fellows care?

[Siri Hettige @hettige_siri]

They have an enlightened elite encompassing almost all sectors n we watered down public education to prevent the emergence of competent civil servants, diplomats, top ranking intellectuals, technocrats, independent professions, etc. so, they could embark upon d reforms mentioned

[Siri Hettige @hettige_siri]

It was a deliberate decision on the part of vested interests to dismiss progressive ideas articulated by many knowledgeable people in favor of self serving projects and state interventions. So, it was certainly not that there were no well articulated policy proposals.

[Siri Hettige @hettige_siri]

The last thing that hapless masses can afford in the midst of this unprecedented crisis is violence that would make life near impossible for many.