Singapore lessons for Sri Lanka

SRI Lanka is at a turning point. Until late last year, Sri Lanka was plagued with authoritarian politics, rampant corruption, ethnic chauvinism and a crony-dominated economy. But a presidential election in January this year toppled Mahinda Rajapaksa and his family. Parliamentary elections in August reinforced the people's verdict. This gives Sri Lanka its best opportunity for reform and renewal in almost 40 years.

Lee Kuan Yew says in his memoirs how impressed he was by Colombo when he stopped off briefly in the 1950s. But, a decade later, he got food poisoning on the train, and goats, cows and squatters were encroaching on the golf course. He describes Sri Lankan elections as "an auction of non-existent resources".

There was talk of Sri Lanka becoming the next Singapore when the economy opened up in the late 1970s. Singapore Airlines was brought in to run Air Lanka. But SIA withdrew when it realised political meddling in Air Lanka would not stop. And ethnic riots in 1983 snuffed out expectations of a Sri Lankan renaissance.