British High Commissioner James Dauris has proposed five suggestions that would give a boost to Sri Lanka development plan at a recent meeting of Council for Business with Britain (CBB).
The first was that each person had to play a responsible role in encouraging and fostering a favourable climate for entrepreneurial activity and for companies needed to establish and follow principled standards. The second was to promote professionalism, and enhance the level of integrity and ethical business conduct, while pushing the same for the government.
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| James Dauris |
His third recommendation was to encourage competition.
“Freer trade, lower barriers, less protectionism, more dependable enforcement of contracts, simpler property registration rules are some of the keys,” he elaborated.
The fourth was to beat competition by living up to high global standards.
The High Commissioner’s fifth and final recommendation was on the importance of being supportive.
“As senior business managers and leaders, you have key roles to play in holding the government and others to account. Hand in hand with this responsibility goes a responsibility for supporting the government, for sharing the good advice you can give that will inform wise decision-making, for standing with the government when it wants to take sensible steps but is meeting opposition,” he said.
The High Commissioner also asked those present to consider what people in their positions can do to speed the development of a more favourable business climate in Sri Lanka.
“Sri Lanka was ranked 100th out of 190 in last year’s World Bank Ease of Doing Business Index. That’s to say that it wasn’t in the top half which, I’m sure we’ll all agree, is where it needs to be,” he observed.
Dauris was the Chief Guest at the 19th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the CBB which was held at Westminster House and presided by Mark Prothero, Chief Executive Officer, HSBC Sri Lanka and Maldives.
Prothero acknowledged that the last nine months were difficult times for Sri Lanka, especially with the Constitutional Crisis and the Easter Sunday attacks. He noted that the economy was showing resilience, though suggested it would take 12 to 15 months for tourism and leisure to rebound.
Speaking about the CBB’s forward plans, he said, the Council will soon launch the Bilateral Trade and Investment Report, which will encourage bilateral trade between the two countries.
The report was prepared with insight from the CBB membership.
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