Human Resources

People are a problem, we’ve had a huge brain drain, not merely intellectual, but at all levels, including skill levels, a company executive said. Deshamanya Lalith de Mel, speaking to Benchmark recently said, “If you get a better socio-political environment or a perception of that, then, we will hopefully, have a reverse brain drain.
But we have huge potential, we have not reached anything like saturation in development in any sectors. There area few sectors that were struggling last year, mainly export-oriented sectors. But they will pick up,” de Mel assured.
He said that private sector investors look for returns, that’s the name of the game.
Elaborating further, de Mel said, “So the first and most important thing is what is their perception of the socio-political scene in the future-a major factor.
Now, if that is positive the other two things that influence investment are access to capital and people. I don’t think capital is a problem. If you look at the I.P.O.s they are all subscribed. So there is capital.
Commenting on the potential for the tourism industry and the loftytargets that have been set, de Mel told Benchmark Special Correspondent Ms. Savithri Rodrigo: “I’m enthusiastic about tourism having beenconnected with it for so many years. If you look at it simplistically, we get 500,000 tourists; Thailand gets 12 million; Malaysia gets 13 million. Now, what we have to offer in terms of a product benefit is certainly equivalent to what Thailand and Malaysia can provide. We can argue that it’s a better product because it’s ‘more accessible.’ So that’s the potential. But pursuing it is a hard task.”
“The hotel industry will require collaboration. You need the major hotel chains to come in. It is image, after all. Maldives has a great image because lots of major chains and boutique hotels are there. So we need the same thing to create the image. I think the funds will come if there are two things, one is there has to be a feeling of political stability. The other is people. So, yes, there is great potential. But you can’t just clap your hands and get it. It’s a hard ride.
But it’s something worth pursuing because basically the proposition that we have is a very exciting one,” de Mel argued.
He also said that when one talks about potential and the future, the question is what will the private sector do?
“This is a private-sector-owned economy. That isn’t only the big firms and the chambers. There are a lot of small and medium-sized companies.
And beyond that there is agriculture, fisheries, gem mining, the entirety of tourism and the retail network. It is all private-sector owned.
So when you talk about potential and the future, the question is what will the private sector do?” He added.
The widely watched business TV programme is presented by LMD and produced by the wrap factory.