The Only Way Forward — STEM Research & Development — For A Productive, Future Sri Lanka — Colombo Telegraph

Sri Lanka will have elections soon. In fact, right now, the country is engulfed and is swirling in the vortex of election fervour. People still hold on to the expectation that democracy will hold sway. The daily discourses are dominated by nothing but the most dismal of news — about debt restructuring and how to squander the IMF loan. How unfortunate is that? Notwithstanding those, I want to point out that there is still some hope.

A Nature news item by Benjamin Plackett (2024) reported that ‘ by the end of this year, voters in some 65 countries and regions will have gone to the polls. That means close to half of the global population will have had the chance to cast a ballot of some sort, including almost 360 million people across the European Union’. The same article says: ‘ Not all of the world’s political procedures will be free and fair, but this year is still expected to represent the biggest manifestation of the democratic process in history ‘.

I am not sure about ‘fair and free’ elections on our island of serendipity. People in Sri Lanka have not forgotten how the UNP was told by one of its former leaders to “win by hook or crook”. It was that unfortunate 1982 election, and win they did, much to the detriment of Sri Lanka as a country. Most people naively believed that politicians would not stoop as low as the UNP did.

Vote rigging and intimidation of people who turned up to vote and other unsavoury practices can be dated back to the UNP regime, from 1977 onwards. By and large, election rigging was not a rampant practice until this forgettable era.

While I desist from holding my breath for fair elections this time round, I acknowledge that many improvements appear to have been made in the electoral processes over the years. These include the efforts to get smarter with voter registrations and stop the blatant thuggery and intimidation of voters, especially in rural areas.

We must spare no effort in conducting free and fair elections in Sri Lanka.

But I am digressing from what I have to say, which is the role of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) and associated Research & Development (R&D) in this election. Sri Lanka has reached a crossroad in this regard. Either we sink or swim; it depends on higher productivity, on all fronts, to save the debt-ridden economy and people, and if anyone tells me that can be done without STEM, they’d be wrong.

STEM emerged as an acronym in the 1990s in the USA and some other developed economies as the cry went out to modernise school curricula and bring science, technology, engineering and maths to the centre of education. Not that these countries ever forgot Arts, Culture and Humanities, but it was a central acceptance as a Technological Era was rapidly unfolding.

Developed countries quickly realised that without STEM, human progress would be curtailed. Unfortunately, Sri Lanka and many other developing countries took another decade or so to embrace STEM as a central tenet in their economic drivers. But it is not too late, thanks to the very nature of STEM. The ideas of Science & Technology transcend boundaries, and smart people adopt them to create successful enterprises.

Turning to the political issues burning in Sri Lanka — have people realised that the major political aspirants and the hastily cobbled “alliances” have no STEM policies? Or, if they do, where are they? All we hear, day in and day out, is useless political rhetoric, relentlessly rolled out by halfwits, on how the decayed nation can be saved by IMF, Chinese and Japanese Loans!

Even the so-called ‘experts’ in economic matters are absolutely clueless as to how developing countries actually ‘develop’. It is not loans that save a nation. It is STEM and the productivity achieved by its applications that have been the proven pathway.

It is clear to me that very few — if any — in those parties and alliances have a credible Science & Technology background. If they did, would they not make an effort to place the country on the right path to some recovery, economically, politically and socially? What can we expect of an assembly of pedestrian people as in the current Parliament? It is singularly our people’s misfortune (bad Karma).

Dare I say that the greatest majority of the current crop in the Parliament will fall under an “illiterate” category when compared with Australia, Canada, USA, Japan, South Korea, EU countries and Singapore. We would be foolish to think that the type of politicians people have chosen and are sitting in the current Parliament will use STEM to steer the country out of the mess we are in. However, I am well aware that the voting public is not stupid; most are well aware of how untrustworthy and ‘illiterate’ most politicians are. Yet, most seem numbed and disenchanted to some degree. Elections are the opportunity to have their say.

The less we talk about the clowns and jokers called “ Viyathmaga “ who destroyed the country, the better for all of us. It is a sad joke that some of those fellows, including Nalaka Godahewa and Channa Jayasumana, are still in those political groups. The SJB lost the plot when a few of them were expediently roped in. If they ‘pioneered’ anything, it was the decay, bankruptcy and downfall of the country.

The “Viyathmaga” professionals, academics and entrepreneurs need to look at themselves. I checked their Manifesto again. STEM hardly gets a mention. Suffice it to say that “Viyathmaga”, launched in April of 2017 by Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who was “Kicked Out” by the people, was a huge misadventure. Its activities were supposed to ‘make a deep impact in the political, social perspective of the citizenry’. Indeed, it did! Not the way they expected!

I’ve often wondered in those dark and tumultuous periods — Did anyone in that lot know about Sri Lanka’s global Commitments concerning Sustainable Development? Did they care? Probably not, simply because of ignorance, arrogance and ‘we-know-it-all’ attitude.

Can the NPP Fill the Void?

According to the Nature article (Plackett, 2024), ‘research in most countries suggests that the voting public thinks that government support for science is important, yet that rarely translates to science policy being a significant issue on campaign trails’. In this sense, the aspirant parties in Sri Lanka, especially those lagging behind in opinion polls, should take heed. Do they really have anything to say about STEM?

In contrast, I notice, with some interest, that the NPP has been rolling out discussions with Engineers, Scientists, Doctors, Economists, Accountants, Social Scientists and other high-class Professionals, either resident in the country or overseas. Large numbers of expatriates in developed countries appear to be excited and pitching their tents with the NPP, not least because they seem to offer a genuine ‘alternative’. The attraction is galvanised by the backing given by a highly educated expatriate community, which is significant.

The NPP, if they win the Presidential and General Elections, will likely receive the support of a large ‘galaxy of stars’, including some world renowned ‘experts’ in their respective fields of endeavour. Collectively, working within the umbrella of STEM, these ‘experts’ know that they ‘do not have to reinvent the wheels’. The ‘wheels’ of STEM, driving prosperity, are already well-advanced and available for adoption.

What is needed is a dedicated effort to systematically apply STEM to solving societal problems, including how to consultatively coordinate, manage and utilise the biological and non-biological resources the country has.

On the issue of STEM for a future Sri Lanka, I read with interest a grand opening and launching of Research & Development (R&D) Policies has been planned for the 29 of June. This would leave all other political aspirants struggling for answers. Thus far, apart from a few woeful murmurs on ill-conceived ideas, such as nuclear energy and Adani wind farms, I see no evidence of any other party having even the capacity to engage with people on the spectrum of topics that the NPP has covered in their policies.

The NPP policies, on the other hand, seem to innovatively seek solutions that are most relevant to solving problems, such as wildlife-human conflicts, drinking water quality and water supply issues, waste and land degradation and a myriad of other environmental problems. The R&D portfolios being rolled out appear to boldly focus on what is achievable as well as what MUST be achieved — for the sake of the country. This also includes adaptation responses to climate change, agricultural innovations to sustainably increase food supplies, reducing greenhouse gases and renewable energy.

As the Nature article says: ‘ The geopolitical landscape of 2025 could look very different from that of today, and it will have an impact not just on how science is funded, but also on which international collaborations will flourish or flounder ‘.

Therein lies a word of caution for the also. Enthusiasm aside, if the NPP comes into power, their STEM R&D Policy package and related policies on Agriculture, Science & Technology, Medicine, Engineering, Climate Change, Education, Arts & Culture, and Social Change will need to be funded.

In my international experience, this is not an unsurmountable task, as shown by the examples of countries that are rapidly developing their economies through STEM education and applications. The best examples in our region are India, China, Pakistan, Turkey, Vietnam and Malaysia, with Indonesia not far behind.

Many African countries, and even Nepal, in our region have been prospering and making rapid advances through internationally funded Science & Technology programs. Sri Lanka can learn a lot from these countries, as they too, have political turmoils. One difference is that most countries have highly qualified professionals representing the people.

Global Engagement and R& D Collaborations Are a MUST

May I say that, with the correct level of global engagement, there is plenty of global funding available for ALL of the above and more. Some could be long-term loans; others are outright grants (such as those from the RAMSAR Secretariat or Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation). The evidence is glaring that Sri Lanka has so far failed to capitalise on such global opportunities.

As a Journal Editor, I can’t find many articles that I can give as examples of definitive research ‘collaborations’ on previously mentioned subject areas and topics with International funding groups. It is something that Sri Lanka’s new generation of intellectuals should think about. Perhaps the NPP is doing that, given that they have indeed attracted a large group of national and international intellectuals in all fields of endeavour. The time is upon the bright Sri Lankans abroad who have ‘mastered’ STEM to help the country get back on its feet.

Sri Lanka has no track record to be proud of concerning global engagement on many matters. Our country has been a signatory to Agenda 21 ( Rio Conference, 1992), which launched the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)and many of its updates. Millennium Development Goals came about in the Year 2000, and its updates have been occurring every five years with the expectation of ‘leaving no one behind’. What a tragedy that our nation forgot all that. We have ‘left’ more than half the population ‘behind’. Poverty is rampant on the island, but hardly any parliamentarian goes to any village to see it!

Sri Lanka is a signatory to achieving sustainable development, under which we ought to be engaged with the rest of the world on topics such as Poverty alleviation, gender equity, women’s empowerment, protection of women and children from slavery and exploitation, protection of endangered species and biodiversity hotspots, and the like. One needs to add to this list climate change adaptation, including energy transformations to renewable energy, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), protection of groundwater resources and oceans, recycling of waste, etc.

In the last 20–25 years, if our country’s attention has been on such topics, there should be ample evidence and reporting on our progress, which I cannot find. Some people will say that the terrorist war was a distraction. Yes, it was, but there was plenty of time after that to get things back on track. Have we not squandered those opportunities?

One of the fundamental issues I have been pushing for is for any future government to have the discipline and rigour to report on our achievements on all of the SDG targets. It MUST be one of the primary functions of the Ministry of Science & Technology and ALL Institutes and organisations that come under the Ministry. There are 17 targets to report on. The tools and mechanisms to follow are clear, with assistance provided to any country, organisation or group wishing to avail themselves of the tools.

New SDG targets have been set for 2030, including emission reduction targets. Even wealthy countries like Australia and Canada are not doing well on some of the main targets and are constantly reminded to do better. My gripe is, where is Sri Lanka in this dialogue? At best, we seem to have an ad-hoc approach to any of the previously mentioned topics. Most of the staff in our scientific organisations that I have spoken with do not seem to know these global commitments or are helpless to do anything because of a lack of government leadership.

Research & Development in Sri Lanka has been uncoordinated and with low accountability for at least five decades. R&D activities also fall under various Ministries and Departments, with hardly any national attempt to collate data and information and prove how such government-funded activities contribute to national development. The primary drivers for any research are also poorly discussed, as evident in innumerable articles.

Most research-oriented institutions (NARA, RRI, TRI, and CRI, to name only a few) have had proud histories dating back many decades. Many have felt the pressures of politicisation, which have weakened their performances. One gets the feeling that most are crying out for more governmental support and less interference in delivering their mandates.

In my view, shared by many former academics, is that several institutions are redundant and may require re-thinking and re-alignment to well-set National targets and expectations. I must emphasise that it would be folly to undermine the capacities of a large number of existing institutes, the incumbent staff and resources, as well as their national contributions. What a new R&D Portfolio MUST do is to re-assess and re-prioritise ALL such institutes. If required, some should be amalgamated. Also, to emerge from this dark period, in terms of productivity and commitment, we must ask for more from those institutions.

A well-focused R&D National Budget is one of the surest ways of stopping the brain-drain, to which the NPP has made a visible commitment. What we must aim to do is to actually ‘reverse’ the process of brain drain. Given our extraordinary natural wealth (both biotic and abiotic resources), that should be achievable while engaging with the expatriate community.

It is my hope that in a future Sri Lanka, out citizens will learn the value of global engagement on all matters, including the environment, climate change and other challenges we face as humans living on a fragile earth. The elections in 2024 will decide Sri Lanka’s future.

The NPP aspirants appear to have hit upon the very central idea that STEM and related R&D are simply the wheels upon which the country has to come out of the mire. Economists and accountants will continue to dabble in numbers. Some will steal the country’s wealth and elections by ‘hook or crook’. But the 22 million population needs sustainable solutions and productivity increases, which will only come from Science & Technology advancements.

We must embrace any party that has a plan in this regard. My current reading is that NPP is the only party that has put STEM and R&D as the central tools to help emerge from the darkness that has enveloped the country for, dare I say, three decades.

*Professor Nimal Chandrasena (formerly, Department of Botany, University of Colombo), Editor-in-Chief WEEDS, Journal of the Asian-Pacific Weed Science Society nimal.chandrasena@gmail.com

Originally published at https://www.colombotelegraph.com on June 27, 2024.