Roping the Army for Development Tuesday, 05 October 2010 00:00

http://www.dailymirror.lk/print/index.php/editorial/106-editorial/23322.html

Roping the Army for Development
Tuesday, 05 October 2010 00:00
By defeating the world’s most sophisticated terrorist organization the Sri Lankan forces proved their mettle – that they are indeed a world class team.
When the war became a thing of the past suddenly there was a question – as to what these one time heavy fighters would do next. Confined to their camps without the usual ‘hard work’ the military personnel were grappling with several issues as regards getting used to the new, mundane life. Many found this sudden drop in stress levels quite uncomfortable.
However this indeed should not have been the case.
Harnessing the energies of soldiers for development work in the areas where a devastating war was fought has been a traditional practice of many nations including Sri Lanka. In the contemporary world Russian, the US and Chinese soldiers are known for their contribution for the development projects in their respective countries.
As such one hopes that Army Commander Jagath Jayasuriya, who on Sunday outlined the reorganizing plan of the Army, would take this – the possible contribution of the Army to country’s development – also into consideration when mapping out the programme.
Lieutenant General Jayasuriya had declared that under the reorganizing plan an army division will be established in every district in the country. If the defence authorities can put the divisions in touch with the line ministries and get the army personnel engaged in the development projects in the districts the country certainly can reap many benefits. It goes without saying that it has been the practice of many ministries to hire foreign companies for project work on account of efficiency and focus. Given the skills displayed by the army so far especially in the construction field one wonders what prevents the authorities from making use of the talents of the respective regiments – for instance the services of the three engineer services regiment which are headquartered in Panagoda. The Engineer services regiment is especially known for its skills for building construction, maintenance, electric and drainage system work.
While saving a lot of money that would otherwise have gone overseas, this move will also keep the spirits of the forces up – with all vying to reach their new targets. The energies that were once used to fight the war could now be used to build the nation making the Army too very much part of the development process.