Letter.

Letter Published in The National UAE on 8April 22,Sri Lanka is at an inflection point This is about the article Sri Lanka's state of emergency revoked as president loses majority (April 6): it pains me to read about Sri Lanka these days. In the 1950s, it was a model nation, not just for its neighbours, but for many other post-colonial Asian countries. As former Singapore prime minister Lee Kuan Yew once said, Sri Lanka had everything going for it, from a relatively good standard of education, a civil service largely of locals, and experience in representative government. “When Ceylon gained independence in 1948,” Lee said, “it was the classic model of gradual evolution to independence.” Alas, decades-long ethnic strife, economic mismanagement and corruption have put paid to its hopes of becoming an Asian powerhouse – for now. However, I believe in the Sri Lankan people and their ability to pick themselves up. What they are going through now is unfortunate but this could well be the beginning of a new era. The country can yet prove its immense potential. K Ragavan, Bengaluru, India