Sri Lanka crisis
It is appropriate to view the ongoing turmoil in Sri Lanka as an unprecedented economic disruption caused by internal, external and global factors. The island nation has gone through situations, may not be as dire as in earlier times. But then for a time it outsourced its policy to the Chinese and shrugged off its institutions.
The robustness of systems and institutions and acumen in policy making must rank high for fundamental sustainability. In China, both were one-linear. While it helped advance economic prowess, its policy rigor has led the nation to leave it unharmed in a pandemic. The United States has been prone to frequent policy miscalculations, but its institutions have been provided with the potential to refocus. Back home, even acceptable policies lack transmission because institutions have less responsibility. It is the strength of the institutions we establish that sustain nations in adversity and must take precedence, without which leaders and policies tend to follow the curve.
R Narayanan,
Navi Mumbai
The coming days are very important for Sri Lanka. The country has a catch-22 situation: fresh elections cannot be tolerated; Nor can it happen without leadership. The next leader or form of leadership or president has his hand in shaping things, which is acceptable to people and global institutions.
India has to watch the situation carefully.
Balasubramaniam Pavani,
Secunderabad
The developments in Sri Lanka indicate the intensity of the anger of the people. The disgraceful departure of the Rajapaksa family also reflects the poor state of governance in the country. Indeed, developments in Sri Lanka will certainly come across as a classic warning note of the performance or destruction of other countries suffering similar crises in their economies. They should understand the importance of giving accountable governance to the people.
G Ramasubramaniam,
Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh
Djokovic’s victory
Novak Djokovic winning his seventh Wimbledon title is a testament to his fitness and hunger for excellence (‘Sports’ page, 11 July). He may have had a rough start to the year with a failure at the Australian Open, but Djokovic has proved that he has moved on and has big goals in mind. Tennis fans must have been disappointed to see Rafael Nadal back. Let us celebrate tennis regardless of our loyalty.
Subhash Balakrishnan,
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada