Daily Archives: February 6, 2017

Colombo, 04 February, (Asiantribune.com):

Today our country completes 69 years of the freedom from colonial rule (1948 2017). I am very pleased with this occasion to hold this 69thindependence celebration with high dignity, pride and glory.

The 69th Independence Day celebration was held today at the Galle Face Green under the theme of the National Peace, and under the patronage of President Maithripala Sirisena. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, ministers, parliamentarians and diplomats attended the ceremony which also included military parades

Addressing the nation on the 69th Independence Anniversary at the Galle Face this morning, the President said the economic freedom could be achieved through a knowledge based economy with innovative technical skill development. He pointed out that the nation has the capacity and strength of skilled human resources and intellectuals as well as resourceful young generation to carry out such development endeavors.

When we celebrate the freedom, we should talk about what the real freedom is. As far as I know more than 6000 languages are spoken by various nationalities living in the countries across the world. In all those languages the word independence is considered as a significant, incomparable and unconquerable word.

There is a difference between the ideas come into minds when we talk about the freedom during the time our country has been under foreign invaders from 1505 to 1948 and the freedom in the current era.

In 1948, D. S. Senanayake and contemporary national leaders who represented all communities; Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim gave a giant strength to the national struggle for freedom.

During that struggle, there were occasions when our national leaders were imprisoned. Thousands sacrificed their lives for the country and the freedom from 1505 to 1948. On this Independence Day, we should remember the sweet fragrance of the noble sacrifices made by the heroes in that historic era, who sacrificed their lives and shed their blood in the fight against colonial rulers.

During the decades of 1930 and 1940, as a result of the demands made by the leaders of this country, we got rid of some major grievances through the Donoughmore and Solbary Commissions. We succeeded in winning the freedom on the 4th of February 1948.

When we talk about the freedom it is essential to remember the valiant war heroes who fought to save our country from L. T. T. E. terrorism throughout 30 years. They sacrificed their lives. They lost their limbs. They became disabled and their families suffered heavily. Economy was ruined. About 100,000 people including civilians lost their lives. Thousands became disabled. Are the people who lost their lives in the 30 years long war were losers? Are those who saved their lives are winners? I believe that we, who saved our lives from that tragedy, should remember the lessons we learnt.

Today we talk about freedom in a more complex manner than it was discussed in the past. All of us know, at present when we talk about freedom primarily, we talk about a freedom blowing across the sky, including our human freedom, media freedom, the right to expression, right to thought and the right to assemble.

In the process of building our great Motherland as a modern state which is compatible with the twenty-first century, we have to work, giving priority to the political stability and the social development. All of you know that to achieve those goals, it is necessary to strengthen the national as well as religious reconciliation in the country. Specifically, I have to mention that we, as a Government, have given priority in this regard.

I clearly state that even though we receive accolades from locally and internationally for our commitment and determination to establish national reconciliation and peace in the country, there are some opportunistic elements who act against those noble efforts of the Government. I describe those opportunist forces as a section of society who acts against the country.

Today, all of us should commit ourselves to ensure the economic freedom of our country, when we define the word freedom. The knowledge and the ability of the intellectuals and scholars in the country, innovative skills and capabilities, and the efficiency of the skilled workforce as well as the strength of labor of all the people including the farmers and workers plus their commitment is essential to gain economic freedom to our country.

I believe this era as a period where our new generation is extremely interested in obtaining knowledge and the skills in the field of the high technology. I must mention that always as a Government we are giving priority to provide requisite guidance to our young generation to acquire new knowledge to conquer the world also to build this country based on the concept of the knowledge economy.

All of us agreed that to ensure full democracy in the country in this 21st Century, first we should achieve the economic prosperity. In that context, we give priority to our new generation. I should specially mention here the inheritors and custodians in the process of building an innovative economy based on the knowledge, is our young generation.

President Maithripala Sirisena called upon all sections of the society to work with determination and commitment to win economic freedom through achieving the goal of sustainable development and poverty alleviation. This goal will be achieved through the commitment of intellectuals, the strength of the labor force of workers and peasants, active participation of the youth of the nation as well as efficient utilization of innovative human resource force, the President said.

The President said that in the 21st Century, the nations need knowledge based education, knowledge economy, innovative economy, digital economy and in this process the youths should play a pivotal role. Stating that the youth of Sri Lanka has the determination and desire for absorbing new technology and innovative skills, he said that the government would provide all the requirements essential for the youths to obtain that knowledge. The young generation is the inheritors and custodians of the building process of the knowledge based economy.

I trust that the youths, intellectuals, politicians, all other sections of the society would fulfill their responsibilities and duties with absolute commitment and determination to build the Motherland, President Sirisena said.

He said that there is a new meaning in todays freedom as we are talking about a freedom that blows freely across the skies. This is an era in which the human freedom, media freedom, freedom of expression, freedom of thought and freedom to assemble, freely blow across the skies.

The President, pointing out that there are strengths and weaknesses in social democracy and market economy, said that we should understand those strengths and weaknesses in order to adopt a mixed system by obtaining positive segments of both the systems.

He emphasized the imperative need for eliminating corruption, bribery, malpractices, waste and fraud and said it is essential for the politicians and public servants to work honestly and with commitment. When we attempt to achieve economic prosperity, it is essential for the politician to be a character of honesty and commitment. Furthermore I trust the politicians and public servants fulfill the responsibilities and duties honestly and with commitment to build the Motherland.

The President recalled the sacrifices made by all the communities to gain independence during various struggles from 1505 to 1948. We have to remember that sweet fragrance of their great sacrifices with gratitude today.

During the 30-year old conflict to liberate the country from the LTTE, the heroic soldiers made many sacrifices. Hundreds of thousands people sacrifices, lives and limbs and their families also suffered immense difficulties. Economy was ruined. Today we have to ask the question whether all those who died were the losers and all those who are living are the victors. I believe that all of us should learn a lesson from that.

The President pointed out that the governments endeavor for reconciliation and communal harmony has been praised locally as well as internationally. He said that he considers the opportunistic forces that are against reconciliation process as the forces against the country.

President Sirisena called upon everybody to fulfill the responsibilities and duties to build a nation which is economically prosperous, fortified in knowledge and maintains international goodwill.

Soon after President Sirisena's address, the smart parade comprised of tri-service Officers and Other ranks, Police and Civil Security Department personnel, including National Cadet Corps (NCC), dressed in their respective ceremonials was reported by the Parade Commander to the Chief Guest who took the Salute in accordance with military traditions.

Thousands of troops, attired in their ceremonial attire afterwards began their march-past, according their salute to His Excellency, the President, the Chief Guest on the occasion.

Rhythmic cultural troupes, made up of well-known artistes, school students and others from provincial levels added variety and magnificence to the parade as the days programme drew to a close.

Religious dignitaries of all denominations and a massive crowd of spectators witnessed the National Independence Day proceedings in Colombo.

More than two thousand artistes representing Colombo and all other districts in the country, in addition to some five thousand tri-service, Police and Civil Security Department personnel took part in the parade.

Many cultural events and marches by tri forces, police and the civil defence forces colored the event.

- Asian Tribune -

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Economic freedom achievable through knowledge based economy, innovative technical skill development - President - Asian Tribune

The leaders of 15 global brands including Dow Chemical have recommended the replacement of three widely used chemicals made by Dow as part of the Ellen MacArthur Foundations New Plastics Economy initiative.

The foundations new report, "The New Plastics Economy Catalyzing Action," released last month at the World Economic Forum in Davos, recommended replacing polystyrene (PS), expanded polystyrene (EPS) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) as packaging materials globally.

The recommendation significantly couldtransform the plastics industry, setting off a search for replacement materials. The report singled out these three materials as "uncommon" plastic packaging materials whose replacement would make a "huge impact."

Replacement of PVC, EPS and PS would enhance the economics of recycling and reduce the potential negative impact of these materials as "substances of concern," the report said.

Polystyrene has raised occupational safety concerns in its production. EPS foam crumbles readily into small pellets widely found during beach cleanups and in the digestive system of birds and fish that can mistake it for food. PVC has been used for packaging and intravenous medical bags, and contains plasticizers with phthalates linked to a host of health disorders that can damage the liver, kidneys, lungs and reproductive system.

EPS foam may pose a higher risk to marine animals than other plastics due to research showing it can accumulate high concentrations of water-borne toxins.

The signatories include the leaders of Amcor, Carrefour, Coca-Cola Co, Constantina Flexibles, Danone, LOreal, Marks & Spencer, Mars, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, Sealed Air, Suez, Unilever, Veolia and perhaps most significant, Dow Chemical. Dow CEO Andrew Liveris praised the report as "a key step in delivering science-based solutions by providing options that help us close resource loops for plastics." Dow manufactures styrene, polystyrene and vinyl chloride monomer, used in the production of PVC

EPS has been widely used as takeout food packaging but rarely recycled and is often contaminated with waste food, making it harder to recycle. EPS foam may pose a higher risk to marine animals than other plastics due to research showing it can accumulate high concentrations of water-borne toxins in a short time frame. PS has caused decreased reproduction in laboratory populations of oysters and fish.

Several companies have moved to phase out use of EPS foam following the passage of bans and restrictions on foam in more than 100 U.S. cities. At least eight countries also have banned some uses of PS foam.

The MacArthur report also called for a global protocol to reduce the number of plastics in use to those that are least toxic and most recyclable.Its recommendations align with As You Sows long-standing efforts to promote sustainable packaging.

In 2011, As You Sow engaged McDonalds and Dunkin Brands, which were using EPS foam beverage cups, to phase out their use in the U.S. McDonalds agreed to do so in 2013 and opted for paper cups. Dunkin also committed to phaseout but has not yet followed through. Due to increasing concerns about the impact of plastic pollution in the ocean, As You Sow returned this year to ask McDonald's to expand the foam cup phaseout globally, after reports of its continued use in other markets.

Dell has pioneered the use of mushroom-based compostable molded cushions as an alternative to foam.

We also began to query three major e-commerce brands Amazon, Target and Walmart about their use of EPS foam packaging. Dell and Ikea have taken leadership roles in phasing out foam as a packing material.

In announcing its commitment to phase out EPS foam last year, Peter Larsson, packaging sustainability leader at IKEA, stated: "Why should we fill the air in our flat packs with something that is more dangerous than the air itself?"Ikea said its previous use equaled 7,400 trucks filled with foam, equivalent to more than half the volume of the Empire State Building. It now uses recyclable fiber-based packing materials.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos stated in a 2013 letter to customers that no EPS foam is used in its frustration-free packaging, but that likely applies to a small amount of packaging relative to total packages shipped by the company. We are awaiting responses from all three companies about the extent of their use of EPS foam. Dell has pioneered the use of mushroom-based compostable molded cushions as an alternative to foam. The company says 72 percent of its flat-panel monitors and 65 percent of desktops are packaged in foam-free sustainably sourced materials.

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From Amcor to Dow to Veolia, what the 'New Plastics Economy' means - GreenBiz

Adrian Calcaneo

E. Adrian Calcaneo is the founder of the Council for North American Policy, a think tank whose mission is to foster an understanding of the contempora

The Trump administrations proposed Mexico policies regarding immigration and trade will make Americas fears a reality.

Minutes after descending from the golden escalator at Trump Tower, Donald Trump fired the first salvo at what would eventually become one of his favorite electoral targets during his presidential campaign: Mexico. Trump attacked the southern neighbor from two different fronts: immigration and trade. In hisfirst speechas a presidential candidate he stated clearly his adversarial vision of Mexico:

When do we beat Mexico at the border? Theyre laughing at us, at our stupidity. And now they are beating us economically. They are not our friend, believe me. But theyre killing us economically. The US has become a dumping ground for everybody elses problems When Mexico sends its people, theyre not sending their best Theyre sending people that have lots of problems, and theyre bringing those problems with us. Theyre bringing drugs. Theyre bringing crime. Theyre rapists.

On the surface, these two issuesimmigration and tradecould seem unrelated. In reality, these are two policy areas that are heavily intertwined and, along with national security, are the main pillars of one of the United States most important relations with a foreign nation.

The focus on immigration, particularly undocumented, soon gave birth to one of Trumps greatest campaign devices: the building of a wall between the US and Mexico. Taking the issue further, not only was he advocating that the wall be built, but also proposed thatMexico pays for it. Build That Wall became a campaign rallying cry in subsequent months and one of the key promises of the Republican candidate.

The purpose of the wall came along with thepromiseto secure the border and create a deportation force to remove the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants living in the US. Since about half of the undocumented US population is thought to come from Mexico, this narrative quickly added toxicity to the rhetoric that the Trump campaign had toward Mexico.

The electoral benefits of such a stance were evident, as hard talk on immigration remains one of the best ways to mobilize the conservative base. Moreover, adding trade and NAFTA to the rhetoric allowed Trump to break a traditional democratic stronghold and gain support of middle-class workers whose jobs prospects might have suffered due to globalization.

This perception of a southern border being overrun by undocumented people, however, is very different from what the numbers say. The Pew Research center recentlyreportedthat more Mexicans are leaving the country than coming in, and the US Border patrol statistics show that apprehensions at the border, a metric used to calculate undocumented crossings, are currently at a 40-year low. In other words, the facts regarding immigration from Mexico do not match Trumps campaign rhetoric.

Among the most important reasons for this shift is the fact that Mexican population growth has decreased considerably. In 1970, Mexican fertility rate was almost seven births per woman, one of the worlds highest. A couple decades later, about the time where the population born in the 1970s reached adulthood, the US experienced a peak in undocumented immigration from Mexico. The Mexican fertility rate since 2000 has been just above two births per woman and declining. In short, there are simply not enough young Mexican people for the migration levels to return to the levels of the 1990s.

Immigration is usually composed of both push and pull factors. The example of high fertility rates combined with the macroeconomic mismanagement Mexico experienced in the 1980s and 1990s were obvious push factors that led to more Mexican migration to the US. Since the late 1990s, macroeconomic management in Mexico has been prudent and has not experienced any self-inflicted recessions.

Economic growth, while not at the countrys full economic potential, has been consistent and allowed the economy to create enough jobs and stability to produce a pull effect that allowed Mexicans to have other options rather than immigrating to the US. The impact of North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the opening of the Mexican economy to the world were key components of this new Mexican reality.

Regarding trade, Trumps statement that Mexico was killing us economically was the preamble of another great campaign device: the desire to renegotiate or repeal NAFTA. Early in the campaign, NAFTA became one of Trumps favorite targets, often referring to it as the worst trade deal ever.

Along with China, Mexicothrough NAFTAwas blamed for the loss of thousands, if not millions, of US jobs, particularly in manufacturing. Through this anti-free trade rhetoric, Trump was able to tap into the anger of certain strata of the population, particularly those in the manufacturing sector, who saw their factories close and move abroad over the last few decades. This allowed him to break the so called Democratic blue wall and capture the support of people in the rust belt and key states like Ohio and Wisconsin that paved the way for his presidency. Mexico, in the eyes of someTrump supporters, is not only a source of undocumented immigration, but also a country that is taking jobs away from the US.

According to theUS Census Bureau,in the first 11 months of 2016 trade between Mexico and the US reached $482 billion dollars, making Mexico the third largest US trading partner and second largest destination for US exports in the world. As a matter of perspective, during the stated period, Mexico bought more US products than China, Japan and the United Kingdomthe third, fourth and fifth export destinations for the US,combined.

One of Trumpsmain argumentsto support his animosity toward Mexico and China is the current trade deficit the US holds with these countries. The US Census Bureaudatashows that while the trade deficit with China is by far the greatest($319 billion),the deficit with Mexico is much smaller ($58.8 billion) and similar to other US trade deficits with Germany ($59.6 billion) and Japan ($62.4 billion). It goes without saying that none of these three countries are part of NAFTA.

Deficits cannot be solely attributed to free trade agreements. One explanation for President Trumps focus on China and Mexico could be outsourcing. Companies are not known to move US jobs to Germany, Canada and Japan, but there is no denying that this has occurred to some extent with China and Mexico.

However, placing outsourcing to China and Mexico in the same category is a gross misunderstanding of current international trade trends and the benefits of regional integrated supply chains. When a company moves jobs to China, it takes the vast majority of the production chain with it. This makes sense from a geographical standpoint, since production requires proximity to the supply chain.

The case of Mexico is very different. As a general rule, companies moved only part of their production to Mexico. In most cases, it was the low-skilled, labor-intensive portions of the production process. This allowed companies to keep higher-skilled jobs in the US by leveraging the cheaper labor in Mexico to produce parts and other necessary components of production. In other words, by moving some low-skill jobs to Mexico, manufacturers are allowed to keep part of their production in the US as opposed to sending the whole production chain to China.

The results are quite clear. According to theWilson Center, a Chinese export has about 3-4% of US made contents/inputs, while a Mexican export product has, on average, 40% of US made content/inputs. Out of the $270 billion Mexican exports to the US, $108 billionaround 40%eventually end up back in US companies due to the benefits of supply chain integration.

As an example, the number one US import and export with Mexico is the automobile. Due to supply chain integration, cars cross the border multiple times during production. One can argue that there is no such thing as a US, Mexican or Canadian-made automobile but rather a North American one. In the words of President John F. Kennedy: A rising tide lifts all boats.

President Trump continuously boasts his business acumen and credentials. Is it good business to ostracize your second largest customer? Furthermore, supply chain integration with Mexico makes the US and its exports more competitive worldwide. The US Chamber of Commerce states that trade with Mexico supports up tosix million US jobs. A high percentage of these jobs will be put in jeopardy if relations are meddled with. Is it wise to trade those jobs for the estimated 800,000 low-skilled and low-paid jobs that the US lost to Mexico?

As stated, thinking of immigration and trade policy as two different issues is a mistake. Along with national security, these are deeply intertwined and one must be careful to act without considering the implications across all three realms.

Unfortunately, so far this is what Trumps policy toward Mexico appears to be doing. The historical low levels of apprehension at the border, not seen since 1973, hardly justify building a $25-billion wall on the border. Indicating that NAFTA is the main culprit of the loss of manufacturing jobs in the US without mentioning advances and growth in robotics used in manufacturing only tells a small part of the story.

Mexico has made tremendous strides during the last decade toward creating economic incentives to keep its citizens within its borders. A large part of these economic incentives is derived from the burgeoning trade with the US. In 1993, the year before NAFTA was implemented, US-Mexico trade was$81 billion dollars, according to the US Census Bureau. In comparison, through November 2016, yearly total trade between the countries reached more than $481 billion dollars. Mexico made the transition from a natural resource-based economy into one based increasingly on complex manufacturing.

Prosperity in Mexico has several benefits for the US: less undocumented migration, increased security and higher demand for US products. It is hard to find a better example of a win-win-win.

The frontal attack of the Trump administration on this equilibrium, particularly NAFTAand hence the stability of Mexicocould have dire consequences for both countries. A withdrawal from NAFTA could prove disastrous in the short term for Mexico as 80% of its exports are destined for the US. Mexico could easily end up in a steep recession that could cost millions of Mexicans their jobs and sources of income. It is easy to imagine the consequences of what would happen if up to a million maquiladora workers right across the US-Mexico border suddenly find themselves unemployed. If history serves as guide,Mexico will see a spike in organized crime activity and migration to the US.

While the argument has been that current undocumented immigration numbers do not justify President Trumps focus and escalation on the border, his nationalistic vision on trade could end up destabilizing Mexico to the point where people begin migrating north in numbers large enough to make the need for a wall a reality. His proposed policies are, therefore, counterproductive for both the US and Mexico as they could deteriorate this delicate balance to the point that his pessimistic and largely unsupported by facts vision becomes a reality.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Fair Observers editorial policy.

Photo Credit:Ruskpp

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Originally posted here:

Trump's Flawed Logic Regarding US-Mexico Relations - Fair Observer