As the Governor of Central Bank. I was one of the team to liberalise the Sri Lankan economy. We wanted to see Sri Lankan investments grow. Unemployment was at an all time high at 24% and it required a drastic reduction. That could be accomplished only by attracting foreign capital and allowing local capital to flourish. The Central Bank played a vital role in this exercise.

Our main concerns here are to counter propaganda and have our point of view heard in the Congress. I was also instrumental in trying to get a caucus established through our Sri Lankan community in the U.S.

South Asia has a lot of conflicts – but despite that we can have co-operation. The legacy of mutual distrust, inherited from the past, must go. Economic factors would play an important role in creating a new ambience. Once the economic factors become dominant, the political issues will recede in the background. People will be the ultimate sovereigns – they will command the rulers what to do. It would be ideal to see Chambers of Commerce, NGOs, and intellectuals – all get together and work towards a unified co-operation scheme.

In today’s globalisation, South Asia tends to remain aloof. If the South Asian countries do not participate in the process of globalisation, they will be left behind. Countries have disappeared from this earth because they were not pragmatic enough to take up the challenges. South Asian countries will have to take up these challenges and work out a programme for fast and rapid development – and that is when all these differences will vanish.