Brightest and the best top 5% of Sri Lankans are running the country. No denying.

And this is the best they can do. Accept that.

Okay. So there is this myth going for decades that educated and qualified people are not getting the proper position in Sri Lanka. That the politicians and their henchmen is the cause for the corruption, waste, crimes, lawlessness and failure. They always have a politician there to blame, whether it's ravi, tilvin, mahinda, ranil, sajith, sarath or whoever comes next.

Understand this currupt politicians and their criminals are a byproduct of works and the inability of the qualified and eduated lot of Sri Lanka. They're not the cause of the misery.

Almost 98% of the Sri Lankans go to school.
Almost 98% of the Sri Lankans can read.
From that the brightest and best 5% come with top marks in the tougest exams and go to university and they come out with degrees and diplomas from Colombo, Peradeniya, Jayawardanapura, Moratuwa, Sabaragamuwa, Ruhuna, UK, USA.

Where did those top qualified and educated graduate 5% go? In the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s? Did they dissapear? Did they all migrate to USA? (Nope. Even today check the people who are migrating around you. Are they the best and the brightest people among you? Make an assessment. You'll see it's like almost a random sample of people, not the best and the brightest. So you might have to think twice the next time you say something like the brain drain blah blah.)

The simple answer is they are in the proper positions, in the government, departments, banks, central bank, BOI, CPC, stock market, urban development authority, electricity board, courts, police, universities as commissioners, directors, engineers, architects, supervisors, economists, scientists, planners, advisors, leaders, regulators, judges, police inspectors, professors, educators, teachers, lawyers. Yes those are all coming from that top 5% of qualified and educated people of the democratic and socialist republc of Sri lanka. Your best of the best. Who can deny that? So why would somebody say qualified and educated people are not given the right position and that politicians and their henchmen are doing everything?

Why are there no buses after dark, no timetable, each bus run by their own business, that we have to jump at the bus halt when the bus slows down, or need tetanus injections while travelling from the dirty and unmaintained trains, buses in Sri Lanka? Why? The central transport board, the railway department, bus deports are planned, run and supervised by those people from the top 5% of Sri Lanka? Is the politician responsible for the bus which is wasting in the bus depot because a fan belt is broken? For cleaning or running plan? For driver or bus conductor code of conduct?

Do you blame the roads are not properly built, they break down weeks after they pour some tar and sprinkle some sand and charge the full amount worth of building a proper normal road that could last a decade? Why those road developement authority, urban developement councils are all full of commissioners, engineers, city planers, architects from that top 5%. Your brightest lot. Proud work of your Lankan engineer. Rejoice their technological marvel. Trees sprouting out of the middle of the carpeted road. Your Sri Lankan engineer planned it, did it, supervised it, assesed it.

Does the electricity break down? You think there's no planning? Why the CEB is managed by planners, engineers, directors who are the top 5% of Sri Lanka. You have trouble with the oil? Why? You engineers, officials are testing the oil, they are maintaining the refineries, oil routes, transportation and distribution. Your qualified and educated top 5% lot is running your petrol and diesel distribution. You think Susil and his friends are doing all of it with buckets and their trucks?

Is there something wrong with the central bank policies, is it run by unqualified unproper people? Why? All the economists, scientists, accountants, planners, directors even the top man is one of the 5% brightest and best who is coming out of your distinguished universities. Who prepared the Z score? Was it the work of a thug appointed by a pradeshiya saba manthri?

Who is in the supreme court, all sorts of courts, police? Are they not the educated and qualified people? Why is then the criminals not behind bars? God, whose preventing these people from doing their duty? Who is in the CID? Martians? Only thing these qualified and educated lot has to do is follow the process written in pages. They have the power given by their position to do just that. It is their duty. That's why they're paid. Aren't they all qualified and educated top 5%?

Do you know what? Even many of the politicians are coming from that top 5%.

Even those literate 99% are the people who vote and select their representatives. Didn't the criminal got the most votes in Sri Lanka? You mean 99% of the votes are fraudlent?

Take any fraud, criminal activity, blunder. It was either done by a qualified and educated 5% of Sri Lankan or it was preventable or supervised or approved by the qualified and educated 5% of Sri Lanka. They did it.

So what's going on when the best and the brightest lot of Sri Lanka is planning, supervising, executing the development of Sri Lanka? What else can Sri Lanka do?

This is one suggestion. So if this is the best top 5% of Sri Lanka can do, then the best thing to do is to hire Sri Lankans only as labourers and manual workers and import the top positions from somewhere like Korea. How about that? That may work. Take the old British constructions, roads, draingage systems in Colombo. They withstood for centuries without maintenance until local people took over them, stopped maintenance because they hade been planned and supervised by the British with Sri Lankan labourers. We should do just that.

Yes, accept this. This the what your top 5% brighest and the best qualified and educated lot can do all these years when Sri lankans called the shanties the Korea. Singapore was the same just less than 50 years ago. Check out the Olympics medal table and see where Korea is. Accept the facts. That's the first step in finding a solution.
Again remember brightest top 5% of Sri Lanka is doing this. No denying. Check that out.

(I have deep respect for all the great and bright people who didn't even go to even primary school, but learned by themselves and become great humans. Just like Lincoln)

1. All degree holders are not among the best in any country. Not only in Sri Lanka.
2. Some degree holders are among the best in any country. Not only in Sri Lanka.
3. All non-degree holders are not among the best in any country. Not only in Sri Lanka.
4. Some non-degree holders are among the best in any country. Not only in Sri Lanka.

That is the universal truth. Not a new thing.

seek wrote:1. All degree holders are not among the best in any country. Not only in Sri Lanka.
2. Some degree holders are among the best in any country. Not only in Sri Lanka.
3. All non-degree holders are not among the best in any country. Not only in Sri Lanka.
4. Some non-degree holders are among the best in any country. Not only in Sri Lanka.

That is the universal truth. Not a new thing.

You can have exceptions. What I'm saying is that the best and brightest lot are in the planning and execution. They have not disappeared, they're IN. But nobody blames the qualfied and the educated. You can't say it's only some of them when all of them are there.

Now I just realized it's not 5% of Sri Lankans. I think it's 5% of the students in schools that go to universities. So it must be very fewer than that. The best of the best.

While I appreciate your writing AJ, would also appreciate if you could use your time to write some things directly related to stock market as this an equity forum. I am sure many will appreciate it more and your knowledge will be more useful to them that way. I am not asking to stop writing your opinions on the country or the system, but am asking you to divert more of your time and energy ( which you have) to topics related to equity which might do more benefit in the present context.

BTW, I really do not appreciate you using the word "your" always excluding yourself from the system. Again I ask are you not Sri Lankan? I presume you are.

ex : "This the what your top 5% brighrest and the best qualified and educated lot can do all these years"

aj wrote:

seek wrote:1. All degree holders are not among the best in any country. Not only in Sri Lanka.
2. Some degree holders are among the best in any country. Not only in Sri Lanka.
3. All non-degree holders are not among the best in any country. Not only in Sri Lanka.
4. Some non-degree holders are among the best in any country. Not only in Sri Lanka.

That is the universal truth. Not a new thing.

You can have exceptions. What I'm saying is that the best and brightest lot are in the planning and execution. They have not disappeared, they're IN. But nobody blames the qualfied and the educated. You can't say it's only some of them when all of them are there.

Now I just realized it's not 5% of Sri Lankans. I think it's 5% of the students in schools that go to universities. So it must be very fewer than that. The best of the best.

good but you have missed few things

* My ancle has a chemistry special but he is working for a Bank (bcs of salary)
* not all the Educated people are Brainy
i think that 5%, wrong diversification

Universalgoal wrote:
good but you have missed few things

* My ancle has a chemistry special but he is working for a Bank (bcs of salary)
* not all the Educated people are Brainy
i think that 5%, wrong diversification

Good that you mentioned. But it's nothing to do with what you have learnt it's just you are the brightest selected what matters. For example I was in software engineering field. I know one of the best software engineer had a degrees in agriculture and he built a framrwork which everybody else was and still is using. One engineer had a degree in dancing. And many had degrees in electrical engineering I know of. What matters is they are all intelligent and do their duty. Your uncle was a bright 1% of the country because he got selected and did the chemistry special.

aj wrote:

seek wrote:1. All degree holders are not among the best in any country. Not only in Sri Lanka.
2. Some degree holders are among the best in any country. Not only in Sri Lanka.
3. All non-degree holders are not among the best in any country. Not only in Sri Lanka.
4. Some non-degree holders are among the best in any country. Not only in Sri Lanka.

That is the universal truth. Not a new thing.

You can have exceptions. What I'm saying is that the best and brightest lot are in the planning and execution. They have not disappeared, they're IN. But nobody blames the qualfied and the educated. You can't say it's only some of them when all of them are there.

Now I just realized it's not 5% of Sri Lankans. I think it's 5% of the students in schools that go to universities. So it must be very fewer than that. The best of the best.

How do you say best and brightest lot are in the planning and execution.? How do you measure best and brightest? How do you pick them, Do we have performance based heirachy or ladder in gov institutions.

For ex:
Is Mr. Cabral the best and brightest person to get the top post in CB? If yes/no who should get the credit/blame?

There can be some exceptions but always not the most qualified person get the top position. Sometimes he is an educated henchman of the minister. Sometimes, it is non-educated henchman of the minister. Take the example if hedging deal. The chairman of CPC has not passed even O/L.

Anyway, It is better to discuss this matter with a Sri Lankan? as slstock mentioned with a person addresses 'our' issues?

seek wrote:
How do you say best and brightest lot are in the planning and execution.? How do you measure best and brightest? How do you pick them, Do we have performance based heirachy or ladder in gov institutions.

For ex:
Is Mr. Cabral the best and brightest person to get the top post in CB? If yes/no who should get the credit/blame?

There can be some exceptions but always not the most qualified person get the top position. Sometimes he is an educated henchman of the minister. Sometimes, it is non-educated henchman of the minister. Take the example if hedging deal. The chairman of CPC has not passed even O/L.

Anyway, It is better to discuss this matter with a Sri Lankan? as slstock mentioned with a person addresses 'our' issues?

The measurement for the best and the brightest is because they were got selected for universities, did their diplomas and degrees while the rest 98% could not. That's the objective measurement human society use. may have limitations. So Sri Lanka has this selected few in the higher positions. They're the top 5% whether it be seniors of the central bank, treasury, stock market, bank, police. They're there because they are the selected 5% and the best Sri Lanka could make.

The best and brightest person does not go to the top position. This is a group working together. Not a shepherd and the cows thinking. May be Sri Lankan brain is conditioned to be just that from the university. To be a slave and wait for the command or stay silent like cows until butchered. If you're working at a successful company check if the manager is the brightest of the lot who knows the business. Nope there're many bright cases throughout. But if you have a lot of dumb people doing dumb things then your company would fail. But you will have a few dumb and thieves in the company anyway, even then company will succeed.
What this means is that the Sri Lanka in this case has the brightest lot that the Sri Lanka was able to create for these decades and they're planning and executing the country. It's not a shepherd and cows, it's a group. Central bank is not Caba. He's only one single element. Where is the rest.

I have to agree with aj with his points. Eg, Sri Lankan economy is virtually controlled by Dr. PBJ. According to some sources he is the most influential to MR with regard to economy. There is no doubt that he is one of the top qualified and most experienced proffesional and I can not name a better persont for that position. But he has delivered below the expectations of a veteran of his calibre. Onother example, If any one arguing Sri Lankan university out put is not up to the standards, then it's blame should directly go to the academics who ran the system for years. As aj correctly pointed out it s not the duty of minister to reform the academic programmes but he will only sign in and authorize it.

Then the big question is " Have the best of the best of Sri Lankans who also got the maximum benefit of free education and other previllagers done their duties?" Then the answer would be a big NO.

aj wrote:

seek wrote:
How do you say best and brightest lot are in the planning and execution.? How do you measure best and brightest? How do you pick them, Do we have performance based heirachy or ladder in gov institutions.

For ex:
Is Mr. Cabral the best and brightest person to get the top post in CB? If yes/no who should get the credit/blame?

There can be some exceptions but always not the most qualified person get the top position. Sometimes he is an educated henchman of the minister. Sometimes, it is non-educated henchman of the minister. Take the example if hedging deal. The chairman of CPC has not passed even O/L.

Anyway, It is better to discuss this matter with a Sri Lankan? as slstock mentioned with a person addresses 'our' issues?

The measurement for the best and the brightest is because they were got selected for universities, did their diplomas and degrees while the rest 98% could not. That's the objective measurement human society use. may have limitations. So Sri Lanka has this selected few in the higher positions. They're the top 5% whether it be seniors of the central bank, treasury, stock market, bank, police. They're there because they are the selected 5% and the best Sri Lanka could make.

The best and brightest person does not go to the top position. This is a group working together. Not a shepherd and the cows thinking. May be Sri Lankan brain is conditioned to be just that from the university. To be a slave and wait for the command or stay silent like cows until butchered. If you're working at a successful company check if the manager is the brightest of the lot who knows the business. Nope there're many bright cases throughout. But if you have a lot of dumb people doing dumb things then your company would fail. But you will have a few dumb and thieves in the company anyway, even then company will succeed.
What this means is that the Sri Lanka in this case has the brightest lot that the Sri Lanka was able to create for these decades and they're planning and executing the country. It's not a shepherd and cows, it's a group. Central bank is not Caba. He's only one single element. Where is the rest.

Are you trying to say all this due to the fault in our education system? If correct person is not chosen to universities then the problem is with our A/L exam. If graduates can’t work then the problem is with our university system. Finally it is all about attitudes and how you apply what you learned.

seek wrote:
Are you trying to say all this due to the fault in our education system? If correct person is not chosen to universities then the problem is with our A/L exam. If graduates can’t work then the problem is with our university system. Finally it is all about attitudes and how you apply what you learned.

No sir. What i'm saying is this is the best Sri Lanka can do because they have picked the top 5%, not today but for ages, and that best of the best are running the engine. This is the best Sri Lanka can do. But Sri Lankans blame the politicians and their henchmen because they're always there like sun and moon. May be stopping the blame for the byproduct I wrote earlier, all Sri Lanka could see the real situation that this was the best they can do.

aj wrote:

seek wrote:
Are you trying to say all this due to the fault in our education system? If correct person is not chosen to universities then the problem is with our A/L exam. If graduates can’t work then the problem is with our university system. Finally it is all about attitudes and how you apply what you learned.

No sir. What i'm saying is this is the best Sri Lanka can do because they have picked the top 5%, not today but for ages, and that best of the best are running the engine. This is the best Sri Lanka can do. But Sri Lankans blame the politicians and their henchmen because they're always there like sun and moon. May be stopping the blame for the byproduct I wrote earlier, all Sri Lanka could see the real situation that this was the best they can do.

OK. That means we are on the peak and there is no further development from here. If we want go further we have to hire foreign professionals to top posts (you Korean example) because our top 5% doing their best at the moment. (Hmmmm good thinking by the way )

seek wrote:OK. That means we are on the peak and there is no further development from here. If we want go further we have to hire foreign professionals to top posts (you Korean example) because our top 5% doing their best at the moment. (Hmmmm good thinking by the way )

I wouldn't say it's a peak. I would say Sri Lanka was always on the ground, never performed, just blaming the politicians and their henchmen for everything because it's the only thing that won't change like the sun and the moon. But understand it's just a byproduct not the cause
In 2008 and when asian crisis when other countries were falling, I heard people say Sri Lanka won't fall because it's already in the ground, there's no where to fall. That's what I heard.
Just to note that brining in the Koreans was sarcasm. But it's good solution, I think.

when the sri lankan stock market was performing brilliantly no body was speaking about this so called less than perfect standards of duties by this so called the brightest 5% of sri lanka. i can see that most of these and previous bitter remarks started to appear during the long bear cycle. if you feel sad and depreesed by the poor performance of sri lankan stock exchange, before looking at those who are qualified by the normal standards to hold various positions of the state, look at your own qualifications and your own performance as investers.

Those who have paper qualifications think they are best among those who have not qualified. Those who don’t have paper qualifications thinks they are the best because they have practical experience.

Those who could not enter to state universities think all degree holders are ‘Pothe Gura’ and don’t have any practical experience and cannot work.

Those who entered to universities and got the degree think all others are ‘Matto’ and should work under their command.

This is the human nature and the way most are thinking.

But it is not the reality.

aj wrote:

The measurement for the best and the brightest is because they were got selected for universities, did their diplomas and degrees while the rest 98% could not. That's the objective measurement human society use. may have limitations. So Sri Lanka has this selected few in the higher positions. They're the top 5% whether it be seniors of the central bank, treasury, stock market, bank, police. They're there because they are the selected 5% and the best Sri Lanka could make.

S B Dissanayake is a BSC Hons Graduate
Bandula Goonawardena is a MSC Hons Graduate
Prof. G.L a PHD Holder

Brother Stop joking ..

seek wrote:Those who have paper qualifications think they are best among those who have not qualified. Those who don’t have paper qualifications thinks they are the best because they have practical experience.

Those who could not enter to state universities think all degree holders are ‘Pothe Guras’ and don’t have any practical experience and cannot work.

Those who entered to universities and got the degree think all others are ‘Mattos’ and should work under their command.

This is the human nature and the way most are thinking.

But it is not the reality.

Oops. I'm afraid I can't say I ever met "single person" who say any of those statements in my life, as far as I can remember. None.
I have heard people say that there should be qualifications for politicians which I don't agree, what use is that when you look at all the people with qualifications are doing or not doing already. We already have doctors, lawyers in politics.

Just to make it clear, only reason I got this tertiary education as a measurement is it is a valid measurement. That's why we give marks to subjects and select the best students to advance to the next level, world over. It's an objective measurement. There are lots and lots of people who didn't go to school but are brilliant. Some of these brilliant people could not go and for some the education grading system did not match for their abilities.

RIO wrote:


S B Dissanayake is a BSC Hons Graduate
Bandula Goonawardena is a MSC Hons Graduate
Prof. G.L a PHD Holder

Brother Stop joking ..

Sorry. I didn't get the point.
Yes they're the best and brilliant top most less than 1% (5% of the students). The best Sri Lanka can do and they're at the top.

If foreigner read your article they will totally misunderstand the situation. Do you really think that these havoc created by the so called educated and bright 5 %. No its not.

aj wrote:
Singapore was the same just less than 50 years ago. Check out the Olympics medal table and see where Korea is. Accept the facts. That's the first step in finding a solution.

who brought up the Singapore and Korea.. it is the political leadership.

aj wrote:

seek wrote:Those who have paper qualifications think they are best among those who have not qualified. Those who don’t have paper qualifications thinks they are the best because they have practical experience.

Those who could not enter to state universities think all degree holders are ‘Pothe Guras’ and don’t have any practical experience and cannot work.

Those who entered to universities and got the degree think all others are ‘Mattos’ and should work under their command.

This is the human nature and the way most are thinking.

But it is not the reality.

Oops. I'm afraid I can't say I ever met "single person" who say any of those statements in my life, as far as I can remember. None.
I have heard people say that there should be qualifications for politicians which I don't agree, what use is that when you look at all the people with qualifications are doing or not doing already. We already have doctors, lawyers in politics.

Just to make it clear, only reason I got this tertiary education as a measurement is it is a valid measurement. That's why we give marks to subjects and select the best students to advance to the next level, world over. It's an objective measurement. There are lots and lots of people who didn't go to school but are brilliant. Some of these brilliant people could not go and for some the education grading system did not match for their abilities.

That reveals your narrowed sample and less exposure.

This is my first post .

Lemon brothers Led by best finance analysts and Economist in USA. Enron audit was done by the BEST Audit experts in the world and all most all the wall street best analysts like JP morgan And bla bla came up with positive valuations before the collapse. Even Just be4 2 weeks of the collapse. Those companies were bigger than Sri lankan total yearly Economic out put Value.

these people may be the World top 5% educated cream. No validity in ur post at all......

Any 3rd word country is facing those mentioned problems. Those are basically created by Power distance and the uncertainty which is some wt reduced now. We need to pass this crap Era at least by now. Dont blame any body u do ur part. So called Malaysia also developed after the war they had until 1969 .

Then What AJ pointing is that sri lankans cant do any thing ne? Then what about India Packistan they all have the same problems u mentioned in the first post. India is far below us only thing is they have a very big economy. Then wt about Africa.

It is just another phase of the evolution.......Ur post is good and it opens another end of the story which should be discussed. But the discussion should be not bias .
Brain drain is a big problem for SL due to the uncertainty we had and now due to the political power distance.
Any way........
Thanks.

This is a very complex & vast subject to discuss as I find pros and cons in every direction.

Regarding the bright people. Yes I do agree with you. Majority of them are currently working in top level government & private sector jobs.
But the problem in government sector top level is, You cannot implement any innovative ideas quickly. It’s a very long and tiring exercise to execute any bright idea good for the country..
On the other hand top level government officers do not work as a team. If someone tries to implement new things, there are 100s trying to knock him down.
At least 20, 30 out of this 100 people are political henchmen. In 3rd world countries you have to accept that government institutes cannot be run independently. No matter how bright these people are, they cannot go against the politicos. Sri Lanka Police is gifted with highly talented officers but why cannot they implement the rules ( which already there for many years). Because they are scared about our politicians.

We need strict and forward thinking politicians in senior level. As a nation we are not motivated enough change things on our own as we already know that it can bring misfortune to your career. Leadership has to come from top level politicians. They have to be role models. We need to strong characters not “pathola” type politicians. Unfortunately we have a bunch of old, very laid back politicians in top level. For the sake of their experience in politics, any government has to offer them highly responsible sectors in the economy.

OK

1) Which 3rd world country we have these so called well knowledgeable politicians .

2) Which 3rd world country we see good governance.

3) Which 3rd world country, we see a good transparent legal system.

Dont come up with one incident..........

Dont compare USA and UK living styles with SL Or India. until country get developed , people dont become free thinkers 95% of the society suffers from crap political and other decisions taken by powerful authorities. This is CAPITALISM...First we should build the economy. then can talk about human rights, Animal rights, transparency, an all. Top 5% is there every where.....

This post is not even remotely relevant to this forum.
But since your line of thought blame university grads,
Is Doctors are not doing their job rite?
Is Lectures/Teachers are not teaching?
Is Engineers are not working in this country?

Common man, stop this foolish talk.
I'm an Engineer, I know nearly 400 of my fellow batch mates.
They are all employed, working hard and doing their max for this country.

Giving all this talk, I would like to know your academic achievements.
The first lesson I received at the university was Engineering Ethics.
For this very day I've been driven by those ethics.

Don't think that educated people should be responsible for your miserable life.
They are silently doing their job. If I'm not true,
You should see dying people all over the roads.
You should not get any power to your home.
You should not be able to make a phone call.
You should not see any highrise buildings and the list goes on.

The bed rock of my question is what the hell have you done in your capacity?
If you don't have any capacity, then you have proved my point.
Those who talk don't work mate...

Dileepa wrote:This post is not even remotely relevant to this forum.
But since your line of thought blame university grads,
Is Doctors are not doing their job rite?
Is Lectures/Teachers are not teaching?
Is Engineers are not working in this country?

Common man, stop this foolish talk.
I'm an Engineer, I know nearly 400 of my fellow batch mates.
They are all employed, working hard and doing their max for this country.

Giving all this talk, I would like to know your academic achievements.
The first lesson I received at the university was Engineering Ethics.
For this very day I've been driven by those ethics.

Don't think that educated people should be responsible for your miserable life.
They are silently doing their job. If I'm not true,
You should see dying people all over the roads.
You should not get any power to your home.
You should not be able to make a phone call.
You should not see any highrise buildings and the list goes on.

The bed rock of my question is what the hell have you done in your capacity?
If you don't have any capacity, then you have proved my point.
Those who talk don't work mate...

And those who work don't talk mate