GSM Asia Pacific

Chairman of the TRC Sri Lanka, Secretary to HE President Mahinda Rajapakse

If you read about leadership, one attribute is more important that any other. That is influencing. If a leader cannot influence, he is not a leader. Let me say that, of all the technologies in the world, ICT and telecommunications have been able to influence our lives. Therefore, it is a leader. Group in telecommunications in Sri Lanka has been phenomenal. This is one area we have done very well. We have been liberal in our thinking, we have been open to dialog. And also there have been people now and in the past that have had progressive thinking.

Technology is important as far as people are concerned. If it doesn’t benefit people, technology is of no use. Technology has had great influence, some positive, some negative. Positive: it has had great influence in literacy, helped people who are sick because we can reach the best doctors anywhere in the world. Negative: if you look at some of the most gruesome terrorist attacks, mobile has been the backbone for that. Because of that, the TRC and regulators have been forced to impose certain regulations. For the safety of the public we have had to bring a certain regime into force.

Thanks to Hans, I carry a Blackberry which enables me to somewhat manage my office even from here. We should thank people who have taken the time and research to bring these things to our population. I should like to speak about one technology which reaches the masses. This is the government call center, the GIC with the shortcode 1919. This allows people to reach government, right now, in all three languages can access government and find very authentic information. Today we get something like 3,500 calls per day. Many years ago when I joined the public service in the late 70s, I worked in immigration. That was the time the Middle East and West opened for work. There were many people who didn’t know how to obtain a passport. Once I met someone who had travelled over 200 miles to Colombo. He had no way to stay in a hotel, but he stayed in the corridors of the Colombo Railway Station. He came to me to ask me how to get a passport. He had to come all that way to get that information. This is where ICT and telephony have helped us to make peoples lives better.

Today all the telecom companies cooperate to make our peoples lives better. They have understood that government and private sector have to work together to make peoples lives better. Private sector may have a profit motive, but they also have Corporate Social Responsibility. Let me congratulate all the telecom and ICT companies who have done a great deal to bring about solutions to peoples problems. No business, if not in the hearts and minds of people, will be able to go forward. This is an area where ICT and mobile telephony has really scored. Today over 11 million people in our country use mobile and land telephones. I look towards a day when we have the best teachers in one place and let them disseminate knowledge through ICT and telephony.

On that note, let me welcome all delegates and guests.