Book: Engineering, Industry and the Future of Sri Lanka Author: Dr Sarath Obeysekera Publisher: Sarasavi Bookshop Review by Athula Ranasinghe This is one of the fundamental questions emerging from ‘Engineering, Industry and the Future of Sri Lanka’, the latest publication by Dr. Sarath Obeysekera, former Managing Director of Colombo Dockyard PLC. Bringing together 55 articles previously [...]
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This is one of the fundamental questions emerging from ‘Engineering, Industry and the Future of Sri Lanka’, the latest publication by Dr. Sarath Obeysekera, former Managing Director of Colombo Dockyard PLC. Bringing together 55 articles previously published in national newspapers, the book is far more than a collection of writings on engineering and industry. It is a provocative invitation to rethink how Sri Lanka approaches economic development, industrialisation, productivity and national progress.
The central message is both straightforward and compelling: Sri Lanka cannot secure a sustainable economic future without strengthening its industrial and engineering capabilities and developing the capacity to convert ideas, resources and opportunities into productive economic activity.
One of the book’s distinguishing features is that Dr Obeysekera does not merely identify problems. He seeks practical solutions in areas such as industrialisation, investment, vocational education, marine development and engineering. His approach is that of a practitioner who has spent much of his professional life dealing with organisations, projects, and technology, manpower and industrial challenges. His experience as a former managing director of Colombo Dockyard, former chairman of the Sri Lanka Land Reclamation Board and his international exposure in the oil and gas industry give his observations a valuable practical dimension.
A recurring theme is the need to move beyond policies, committees and declarations towards implementation. Sri Lanka has produced no shortage of policies and recommendations; the enduring challenge has been translating them into results. The author, therefore, stresses institutional performance, workplace productivity, export earnings, investor confidence, efficient public institutions and the reduction of unnecessary bureaucratic intervention. Can a country aspiring to industrialise afford to underutilise its engineering and technical capabilities?
The same argument extends to vocational education and skills development. Industrialisation requires not only engineers and managers, but competent technicians, craftsmen and skilled workers. Human-capital development must, therefore, be closely aligned with the needs of industry. This is an issue that deserves serious attention from policymakers, educational institutions and industry leaders.
Although the title may initially attract engineers and industrial professionals, its readership need not be confined to them. Policymakers, entrepreneurs, economists, managers, academics, vocational educators and young graduates can all find ideas worthy of reflection.
The book is particularly timely as Sri Lanka seeks to move from economic stabilidation towards genuine economic transformation. Stabilisation is essential, but it cannot by itself create a productive industrial base, generate sufficient export earnings or provide meaningful opportunities for the younger generation.
A practitioner’s voice in the national debate
What ultimately makes Engineering, Industry and the Future of Sri Lanka significant is the voice behind it. Dr Obeysekera writes from experience rather than from an exclusively academic standpoint. His ideas may occasionally invite disagreement—and that is precisely why they deserve attention.
Sri Lanka has no shortage of discussions about economic recovery. What it increasingly needs is a serious national conversation about building a productive, industrial and technologically capable economy. At a time when the country is searching for a new economic direction, this is a conversation that should not be ignored.
Engineering, Industry and the Future of Sri Lanka is, therefore, recommended reading for anyone interested not merely in how Sri Lanka can recover from its economic difficulties, but in how it can build an economy capable of sustaining prosperity in the years ahead.
(The writer is a productivity specialist.)
Print Edition – The Sunday Times, Sri Lanka
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