SLEN Podcast with the President of IESL
Eng. (Prof.) Ranjith Dissanayake
Juner 2024 |SLEN PODCAST
In the twelveth episode of the SLEN Podcast, Eng. Suran Fernanado speaks with the President of the Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka, Eng. (Prof.) Ranjith Dissanayake, about “Engineering and the Future of the Country.”
Eng. Suran Fernando :
You are listening to IESL SLEN Podcast, featuring a wide range of conversations on diverse engineering and non-engineering sectors of national importance. I am Eng. Suran Fernando and today, for our 12th podcast, we have invited a very special guest. He is none other than the President of IESL, Eng. Prof. Ranjith Dissanayake. He is a Senior Professor in Civil Engineering at the University of Peradeniya. Other than his commitment to IESL, he holds quite different roles simultaneously both in academia and the construction industry. Let us warmly welcome Eng. Prof. Ranjith Dissanayake for today's discussion.
You became the President of the apex body of engineering in Sri Lanka quite recently. Before that you were a Vice Present of the same institution for several sessions. You are becoming the President of IESL in a period where the national economy of the country is at a crisis and at a time the role of engineers in the nation building is vital and seriously expected.
Could you briefly explain what are your plans, as the President of IESL, to contribute to uplift the economy of the country from the current state?
Eng. (Prof.) Ranjith Dissanayake:
I always believe. Especially any country in the developing base, Engineering input is the most important input country needs. Therefore, We must train the engineers, we must change the attitude toward the countries development. There I see that the present situation in this country, We are a economy where we import most of the thing to this country while we export only the few things. Still, like the tea rubber and cocomut and maybe recently added governmet factories, of course gem and different sections are there. But most of them, some of them are, We sell the raw material. Therefore it is very, very important using the engineering input. We must start production. Of course when we talk in lengthy. It is very, very important to change the policies to this end. Of course, I'll talk to that. First, we as engineers must become entrepreneurs and whenever, whatever coming from the Research Institute and universities, we call them, as innovation of whatever the product. We must try to link with the industry or the entrepreneurs. We must make sure that there will be the production in this country. Therefore we as engineers must help in one way for the production while helping national building in the infrastructure and other facilities, so therefore. I would like to draw attention towards the engineers to make them as a good engineers as well asthey later become the entrepreneurs and they will engage in the universities and finding out the innovation and with the help of the industry is how we are going. That is why we started the new forums like the entrepreneurs form whereby we are trying to bring the academia and industry. Together with the with the, the possible, the engineers who would like to go to the start up make sure that through that we we try to address the national issue like similar way we are thinking about other issues that we have with several issues so that yesterday we were discussing about. And the power sector reform. So we try to see bringing the people who are preparing the the draft and the those who has experience and being all of them together, IESL will see which direction we should go. That is how I see IESL should go forward. Thank you.
Eng. Fernando :
Throughout the past, every year, a portion of engineers produced by the country migrated to different advanced countries either in search of better salaries or better living standards. That was the common pattern for the last few decades.
However, the current situation is very alarming. During the last year the number of competent engineers who left the country was significantly higher and sadly the same trend is continuing. Will this situation affect our nation at large? As IESL what are the actions that you have either implemented or planned to initiate to address this critical issue?
Eng. (Prof.) Dissanayake :
True. the situation is same because it said that the nearly 100 people you interview maybe 57 people want to leave the country. Some of them may never, never come back, of course the. There was economic crisis. There's a less. the opportunities. So people leave the country. it is. It is obviously. But it is not only Sri Lanka but it happened many other countries. Some period. Korea, Malaysia, India. But of course when there is an opportunity, people leave that location and go to the different locations. You can't, You can't. You should not stop it, because why not stop in? There will be more frustration among the among the youth. But, but what we have to do. We have to make sure that the our country. Policies and law and order. The corruptions and these things should be reduced. And with that you have to target for the developent. When these people, even those who left, when they see this development, they may come back with, of course, technology and the money that will help the development of the nation also. Then. with the time, people see that there are oppertunities and good salaries and good benefit and so forth. They will stop because you can't do anything uh forcefully. You should make the mechanism where people appreciate the shrilankan people understand there is a future, they will stay in the country. For the, for the development, therefore, therefore you can't, you can't do anything. Only thing that we have to do is that we have to make sure that the country will go for the development past then and there are only people stay and then the people who left will be asset to the country, they will come back to the technology as well as the Funding so that will that that happened underline Korea that that is happening like India we have to look at this of course sad part is that there we are having the free education system that in the common man money is the money that we use for our education. But we leave without paying anything to the country. that is the sad part of that is also the that is why we may be having the more more private universities like no, no. Those who spend their own money and leaving them they go for the some of them might after few years time they might come back to the Sri Lanka that. That is how I look at this problem. Thank you.
Eng. Fernando :
Your involvement on the Sustainable Built Environment, either as an academic or as an entrepreneur in the field of civil engineering, is quite extraordinary.
Could you please explain us why we need to make our constructions in a sustainable manner in the context of today’s Sri Lankan construction industry?
Eng. (Prof.) Dissanayake :
My statement has a logical logical explanation. So how it is I prove it logically? We we I said repeatly I am saying that the engineering. Input is crutual for the countries development. Because the any country development infrastructure is very, very important. Product development is very, very important. Then only other professional has a better, better playground to play, can be socialized, medical, whatever, whatever it is. So without making sure that the infrastructure is there. Whoever come into the system, they cannot play. There's no infastracture. Then they they will, they will disappoint, but they might leave the country or whatever. So somebody want to have the dancing class, of course we need the auditorium. We engineers have to create these. Then the people won't come. There's no proper transport system that transport. Likewise there's a there's a big part of the engineering import required for the development of the any nation. Then when I look at the IMF report recently produced. the released it never talk about engineering. It talk about the the invest on the return. On the investment, but that is the key and the of course the now we have the corruption indexes 36 that has been increase. And it is said that the law and order is very good and very particularly says the the policies. Like they never talk about the good policies sometime whatever the policies, the consistent policies, the people can adjust. You can't change the policies can tomorrow and day after tomorrow. And the benefit of the few people, no, whatever the policies tax structure. Everything should be consistent for a given period. When I look at this. I see that this have to be done by the politician. That is why I thought while we are thinking of the engineers and designers, engineers and consultant engineer as a entrepreneur engineer, as a sustainable engineers, global engineer, it is very, very important on top of that. Engineer has a politician. Therefore we engineers must very recently get into the politics. Maybe that is why I said some situation uh 50% of the cabinet ministers of Singapore Parliament, those who are engineer the engineers, has a better ability in terms of logical thinking and so forth. Therefore we when the development forces this logical thinking and various things and the strategic move is very important. Therefore at the pace of developing. We must make sure that the engineers are in the politics. but ones the country develop, I don't see that it is not that case. We must go for the different kind of people. That is why my statement might say that we have to train engineers to become the politician too, because it is a crucial according to IMF. Thank you.
Eng. Fernando :
In your first presidential speech at the Annual Sessions, you highlighted the importance of creating ‘’Engineer Politicians”. You further said engineers should think like politicians who are the creators of the policies of a country.
It’s a fact that, in some developed countries, a big portion of the country’s cabinet of ministers are engineers. However, in this part of the world, politics seems to be not a place for professionals.
Do you believe that, by engaging in active politics, engineers can do a far better service to the country? Or else, by joining politics, will the engineers too fall into the same vicious political system?
Eng. (Prof.) Dissanayake :
Why sustainability is very very important because the we are in in a right now in the world the way that we are going we cannot survive on the one earth. right now also maybe 1.5 earth or something like that calculation as there therefore we are we are really stressful on the some of the raw materials So we are the people who basically engineers are the people who use the raw because if you do not use the sustainable concept that efficiency and and the circular economy and so forth, we cannot survive. That is why didn't we have to go to the green entropronourship because if you know. Go over a business which needs a lot of water energy and so forth. The cost of the production will be very high, so there won't be a market. If you go for the product it is as less the water, less energy, less material and so forth that has a better that is what my self working on the area like using fly ash to produce the brick like this it's a waste material so there's waste converted to the valuable material these are the therefore engineer must plan as the green engineer sustainable engineer must always whenever we he think about this project. always think about the energy efficient, how we get the daylight, how to get the rainwater harvesting cross ventilation and of course with the help of tactics and so forth. Wherever we can give our input as an engineer, as a big part that we play, we have to give. Because people, they don't understand what is sustainability we have to learn and educate people about these sustainability. when I look at the larger the reason economic crisis also because we did not have to sustainable model in this country. We we were very sustainable. I'm somebody who came from the village I know our village people did not depend anything that they they had almost everything. But this urbanization and coming towards the cities, we try to depend more and more other thing, not only others, which are comming from other countries of the world. So therefore we go to the point where we didn't have enough money to pay the, the, the, the, the required money for the fuel and so on. That is why people who are in the queue that mean basically we were not sustained. therefore without going to sustainability otherwise the cycle may repeat one day because the only solution is that we have to go for the susainability
Eng. Fernando :
Dear President, As the current President of IESL with a wealth of experiences as an academic, an educator, entrepreneur what is your final message to the young engineers on their contribution towards the engineering industry and national interest?
Eng. (Prof.) Dissanayake :
My final messages to the. Young engineers. When you kind of start your career to become an engineer. We had the economic crisis. So even my age, I looked at it as an opportunity rather than the crisis. when there is a crisis. There are so much of oppertunities we used to think about it. You can start a new business, new way of thinking and enhance your knowledge in different way, Therefore rather than look it as a problem crisis, look is that opportunity. There are so many opportunities are coming around you. This is now we have gone to the bottom that we have no option other than the this country to be developed. I'm very much sure there's none. No way we can go down because we are in the bottom. We have only go up when we go up. There are so many opportunities are there. I have been to the many developed countries. Of course you can become a part of the system and live, but here you don't have to be a part of the system, you can create the system. Mainly there are so much. Therefore, rather than frustrating, make this is good opportunity. They are pretty of area that need to be fixed. Be part of it. You can afford. You want to become entrepreneur, So the opportunity is there. if you want to become a become a manager. That is all the opportunities there and if you want as. Politically, of course, that opportunity for the politics of so many opportunities are there. Of course, if you think that this is not the right country for me to I want to migrate and have be a part of the developed society, it is. It's not OK I'll give my recommendation. But I'm in the life and the happiness is not. What is the around It is your mind. And it is you. I'm talking about the being in the most of the countries in this world. I am so happy and passionate as soon as I landed in this country. I never leave. I had plenty of oppertunities I never leave. But I'm not telling you not to leave. But this is me. I enjoy every second of this life. Even there is no fuel, I enjoy, my life. Why I appreciate this country. I love this country. This is the country I was born. This is the country gave me. Anything that. Everything. Why should I leave? This is the time I should be in this country. I should do something for the common man who helped my education. Who, who? Who? They are suffering. Why should I leave? I should not leave. But whenever they are, they are. They are. They are enjoying. I might leave temporaly, but. But not not for this is the country for me. So this is the one I'm thinking like if you can think the similar way this country can be, let us get together. Whether you live in this country, those who live in and those who are here little get together and try to see the difference and this country where be positive. Be positive. We can turn this economy. It is not a big, a big economy to turn and this is not a difficult country. We are island. It is fortunate we are we are blessed with anything and everything other than the money, so we can change it. When you go to the any country either winter either many, many problems are that you don't have any problem. You can live under a tree through out the year. You are blessed with anything and everything you have. So let's get together whether you leave it or not. Let's get together and develop this country. Thank you so much.
Eng. Fernando :
Thank you very much Prof. Ranjith Dissanayake, the President of IESL for spending your valuable time to share timely insights based on your vast experience.
Eng. (Prof.) Dissanayake :
Thank you for giving the opportunity. I really appreciate because some of the thoughts that I was thinking I have to tell to the engineer. This is a good opportunity for for me to express my real feeling towards IESL the country and the life. Therefore I believe these opportunity for me. Thank you so much for having in this time. Thank you.
Eng. Fernando :
We wish you all the success in your future endeavours. Have a great day.
