President's Message

Dear Members and Readers,

As the tradition dictates, the initial President’s Message is dedicated to the inaugural speech of the newly inducted president delivered at the AGM of the institution. Following is the Transcript of the inaugural speech made by the incoming President at the Annual General Meeting held on October 30, 2021.

It is with deep gratitude and humility that I begin my tenure as the President of the 116th session of IESL. My election to this office by our members is a great honor and a privilege. I assume the duties and responsibilities of this office with enthusiasm and dedication. I also reiterate my commitment and obligation to its code of conduct.

Our prestigious professional body has a long-established history. In 1906 we were an association. In 1956 we became an institute. In 1996 we became the Institution of Engineers of Sri Lanka. It is important that we see the differences here. Because an institution is an establishment that has a history and a legacy. Today we have 23,684 members on our roll as recorded in this AGM.

Before I go any further, I want to thank the outgoing President Eng. K P I U Dharmapala for his services, and I look forward to his continued support in the next council as well.

Our great profession has ascended to a pre-eminent position today due to the effective stewardship of technology by engineers for the benefit of society. Because of our ability to master the technologies, we have become a great civilization. Engineers play a crucial role in developing the architecture, design, and operation of technological systems that drive our economic, social, and behavioral engines. This exalted position gives our profession a leadership role to shape a better society in partnership with other stakeholders. Our tremendous position of influence should be utilized with stakeholders from all other sectors. It need not be engineers only.

Our country is going through a very challenging time due to the pandemic situation, and we often turn to our spiritual leaders for guidance during such periods. I would like to present to you two quotes from such a spiritual leader, Lord Buddha.

“No one saves us but ourselves. We ourselves must walk the path.”

“It is easy to indulge in the mistakes of others. It is difficult to recognize our own mistakes.”

I believe this is a time to get inspired by such wisdom. One says we will have to find the solutions on our own. The other says to focus on ourselves and improve ourselves first.

I believe that this is a time to get acquainted with such wisdom. Therefore, we must have to provide ethical leadership by utilizing our talents, innovativeness, and our influential role in society to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure, industry, and commerce. The most important thing is to provide exciting and challenging opportunities to our young engineers to innovate and make our country prosper. The key is to have the younger generations lead the way with guidance from the seniors. Our future depends on the younger generations’ ability to do the right thing and be innovative and solution oriented.

We must also find ways to make people’s lives more fulfilling. Development without fulfillment is of no use. We must also rally together with other stakeholders to be better stewards of our planet. It is all about sustainable development.

Professional and ethical conduct has to be our way of life. We must take up our responsibilities with a sense of duty to our country, particularly at a time like this, and with a sense of urgency. This is the calling of this time for us as engineers and professionals. So how can we get there?

In my election statement, I pledged to lead our institution to achieve three objectives. Interestingly these themes align well with our past presidents and future presidents.

1. Strong Members
Helping our members through education and professional development is needed in this rapidly changing, highly technological society. Changes happen very fast, whether they are good or bad.

2. Service-Minded Leadership
It is important to open opportunities to our members who possess a strong service mindset by developing leadership, decision-making, communication, and professional skills. A great example of this is our JIY and YMS committees. They have improved tremendously. Therefore, junior leadership must be ready with a service leadership mindset to serve others. We all should focus on developing a strong service mindset.

3. National Influence
IESL must become a more influential stakeholder in national development. It has been taking place for the past one or two years and must continue in the years to come. That will be the case.

These objectives are broad. If we embrace them as an institution, we will eventually achieve them. It will take some time, but it is important to stay the course.

I propose to set up a collective leadership culture that can help us take shared responsibility in deciding on the changes we need to make. The vision that ends in achieving our objective must be very clear to the people contributing to the cause, whether they are members of the organization or not. Embracing a collective leadership culture is crucial if we are serious about making changes within the IESL. It is a giant adaptation in this rapidly changing landscape where the keywords are agility and adaptability. If we are focused on the destination, that’s where this collective leadership culture should come in and decide on how to create the changes needed. So, when we have to change fast, we will not be out of focus. Most importantly, this approach allows us to foster the development of future leaders and individuals with a high service mindset and committed to the long-term sustainability of the IESL.

Achieving these three objectives will require a focused, collective effort from all of us. It will require a commitment and an ethical and professional approach. If we collectively embrace this objective, we can position ourselves to play an influential role with the other stakeholders in the country. That is the need of the hour.

A vital part of making our profession a beacon of hope is effective communication to the citizens of our country. This we have initiated in the last year or two to promote awareness of important issues of this time among engineers and the general public. Such communication must be done systematically, and everything should be based on sound ethical approaches and scientific evidence. This process will take time, and there will be no quick fixes. If you all embrace the importance of this endeavor, we can take the first step with assurance. Together with the 2021/2022 council, we can make a difference if we commit to it.

I already mentioned about JIY and YMS. We have begun to focus more on Provincial chapters for them to prosper and grow. We must look at how to help them. We must also look at how we can establish a culture of entrepreneurship. How can we help the younger generation do the right things? We are working on the national engineering education policy. We must review them and see how we can collaboratively come up with the best policies for the country. Our overseas chapters must be engaged properly so that they can contribute more. We must walk with them to make a difference in Sri Lank as well.

Our strength is what we are doing in the education sector, accreditation, and recognition within the organization. This must be strengthened, and it must be carried out professionally. We must discuss with senior members of the public and private sector entrepreneur groups, business owners, and those who make policy decisions. We must have regular engagement with them. A collective leadership culture requires a sensible dialogue, not debates or arguments.

Finally, you, the Members, are the heart and soul of this institution. I take this opportunity to invite you to join me in shaping the institution’s collective leadership culture, where we strengthen our Members through technological advancement, and the service-minded leaders are taken to the forefront, respecting for who they are and what they are. Then they become national influencers on various matters by engaging with the industry champions.

It is my honor to have the opportunity to serve as your next president. Thank you very much for the opportunity and I humbly accept it. Thank you very much. ආයුබෝවන්.

 

Eng. Arjuna Manamperi

President – 2021 /2022