The President, Board of Management Club

Ladies and Gentlemen :

As all of you assembled here are no doubt aware the science and art of management is of increasing importance today in developing a country such as ours.

It is encouraging and commendable that the Sri Lanka branch of the Chartered Management Institute is engaged in promoting management skills through Seminars, Workshops and other allied mechanisms.

Good and efficient management is needed for progress in any field in both the private as well as the public sector. It is necessary therefore to create a heightened management consciousness in both sectors, as the two sectors are inter dependent.

I am also happy to note that your organization is not unaware of the plight of the less fortunate amongst us, in this case the disabled. There are, I am informed, an estimated one million seven hundred thousand of disabled people in Sri Lanka . Your project to help enable the disabled primarily through creating a public awareness of their plight is, I must say, highly commendable. Your aim to make Sri Lanka a “Disabled Friendly Nation” is noble.

With the best will in the world the state cannot do everything by itself. Socially conscious organizations such as yours are of great help. The nation needs you, and I wish you well.

Your program for helping the disabled envisages disabled friendly public places and offices and a disabled friendly infrastructure together with a continuing awareness program. It is expected to cover counseling parents, public education through schools, training centres and career guidance.

To achieve all this you would no doubt need sponsors in addition to those partners you already have. I feel confident that there will be no lack of good hearted people who will come forth to join you in this worthy cause.

The Sri Lankan membership of the Management Club, I am told, constitutes two hundred and eleven, most of whom are senior management professionals holding positions of leadership in some of the larger national and blue chip organizations in Sri Lanka . These are positions of influence in the world of commerce and in society. When eminent people such as these are concerned about the plight of the disabled, I am sure the less fortunate of their brethren can hope for some action that would help them to lead a more comfortable existence.

As I said earlier, the state cannot do everything alone. And I am indeed glad that representatives of the private sector, such as you, have revealed a social consciousness in stepping out to help those in need.