Why people count in Sustainable Development

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has made a strong case for sustainable or eco-friendly development at the Rio + 20 environment summit and this is as it should be because without development thus defined and implemented, at least to a degree, mankind's lot would be highly pitiable. Besides, he has made the very important point, quoting the illustrious Arahat Mahinda Thera, that rulers are the 'custodians' of the earth and its resources and we believe this thought helps to focus on the role of governments the world over in ushering and perpetuating Sustainable Development. In this commentary, on numerous occasions, even prior to the Rio Summit, we have dealt in detail on what Sustainable Development means and also dwelt awhile on its policy implications.

Essentially, Sustainable Development is all about putting humans at the centre of development with an equal emphasis on conserving natural resources. It should be plain to see, that economic activity that is destructive of nature cannot qualify to be seen as development because it blights both human and natural life. Consequently, such activity by humans is self-annihilative and is the very anti-thesis of development and progress.

As pointed out by President Rajapaksa, the concept of Sustainable Development is not alien to the Sri Lankan mind. Being heirs to the finest humanistic traditions inculcated in the Eastern hemisphere, Sri Lankans and their governments would not need to be specially attuned to Sustainable Development and its policy outcomes.

They are part of our cultural heritage and the Mahinda Chinthana, from which our main development thinking derives currently, is very much part of this treasured intellectual capital which is native to us.

We need to focus on these insights as we persist on the path of development. In current times, the North-East is scene to a flurry of development activity and it is plain to see that the state is particularly anxious to increasingly integrate these regions into the economic mainstream.

As this takes place, the state would do well to ensure that the people of the North-East are progressively drawn into the decision-making process because one cannot conceive of Sustainable Development without keeping in mind that human wellbeing is the ultimate aim of all development thrusts. Material advancement for its own sake would defeat this humanistic focus of the development experience.

Over the past few days this newspaper has been reporting faithfully on the development initiatives undertaken by the state in the North-East and it is quite clear that infrastructure- building is very much at the heart of this development drive. There could be no material growth for the provinces in question without the steady development of physical infrastructure and one would not be wrong in saying that the foundation is being laid for a sustained growth process in the North-East.

This is at it should be because over the 30 years of turmoil in the North-East, the provinces did not experience development of any kind and a government which is desirous of fully defeating the separatist sentiment would ensure that real or Sustained Development is experienced by the people of the provinces. This is an essential undertaking because the people must believe that their lives are being qualitatively enhanced and that the Mahinda Rajapaksa administration is the driving force behind this uplifting experience.

The latter message would be best impressed on the North-East people by drawing them into the decision-making process in increasing degrees. The people should be engaged by the state and it is when this is done effectively through a sustainable growth strategy that they would come to value the Mahinda Chinthana and its true import. So, material development needs to go hand-in-hand with an increasing state-people engagement. This is one of the most effective ways of building bridges between the state and the people and sealing national integration.