As a result of foreign invasion to our country, we were accustomed to most western habits and customs. At the same time, white people stole our precious resources and persuade our people to follow the western culture. Then, the prosperity of our small island gradually faded away as they had taken many of the precious and natural resources to their countries. The arrival of western culture to our country leads our people to wear trouser and shirt instead of our national dress as well as to degrade our own products as they were accustomed to appreciate western products.
The best thing we can do to prevent this situation is
we should value and appreciate our own products and help to promote Sri Lankan
products among ourselves by avoiding foreign products. When we develop the
attitude on our products we can develop as a country because we can save a
great amount of money which were used to import products. Then gradually we can
label our country as a developed country as well as to create our own national
identity in the world as Sri Lankans. So, let’s try to develop our country by
valuing and buying our own products with positive attitude towards Sri Lankan
products.
Devaluation of Sri Lankan products and inventions, what you are pointing out through this article, is one of the most important topic we should talk although discourses are not happening about. We do not want to go far away, just recalling the new inventions which were invented around the whole country during the Covid19 virus(first wave), one can understand that Sri Lankans have an effective innovating ability and creative brains. However, the matter I could see is, there is nobody to promote them or admire those inventions. It is proven at the voice of inventors who have to wait much time until they receive patent for their inventions. But as a developing country,what can we do is, get the best use of these inventions and inventors standing up alone as a nation. Then only there will appear an answer for the heavy debt crisis.Also, that will be a profitable answer for spending money for abroad. Thus, I think it is the time to hand over the country for the people who think newly and creatively without eradicating fresh thoughts in them.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your argument here. To enhance the value of products made in Sri Lanka, first of all, it is compulsory to create an effective and efficient marketplace within Sri Lanka, because a product is nothing for its innovators without a considerable profit. Thereby, it is essential to limit the percentage of imports in order to make a space for Sri Lankan products. It is not only about valuing and buying our own products, but also about changing the economical system of the country.
ReplyDeleteIt is true that as Sri Lankans, we are accustomed to foreign habits and customs in many a way. That's why Sri Lanka is regarded as the most westernised country in the south Asia, superficially at least and this combined with the widespread use of English and huge tourist industry. Sri Lankans tend to imitate foreigners in order to make their lifestyle more attractive. It is because, we don't know the value of our precious culture.As a result, Sri Lanka is still a developing country not a developed country. According to my opinion, we should not imitate westerners,we should live according to our culture building our own identity.Then we can live as proud sri Lankans.
ReplyDeleteI too agree with your suggestion because in order to gain a good demand the better marketing place is compulsory. But I would like to add one point there, because I have witnessed some situations where goods specially cloths made in Sri Lanka is highly valued overseas such as Great Britain and France for their best quality. So what we can assume that one of the main barriers for the own Sri Lankan goods market is minority complex we have within us as a country.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your argument mentioned here, but I would like to add my idea regarding this matter. According to my point of view, what I believe is, degrading of Sri Lankan products by Sri Lankans is because of the attitudes they have. As you have mentioned, we are a colonised and westernized nation. Western countries promotes their products in Sri Lanka down-grading valuable products here, but today's condition has changed: even foreign countries know the value of Sri Lankan products and there is a profitable market in those countries. Unfortunately, Sri lankan cannot identify the vast amount of quality of our products and they are blind from the reality: by upholding "made in Sri Lanka " as a country we can go a long way. So, first, attitudes of the Sri lankans must be changed. A trust must be cultivated in their minds regarding the quality of Sri Lankan products. If we do so we will be able to create a new chapter in foreign markets with the tag of "made in Sri Lanka".
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