Sarath Wijesinghe President’s Counsel former Ambassador to UAE and Israel

Land is precious

Israelis Lived in most hostile conditions at the initial stages

Land is more precious in Israel being a small fraction of Sri Lanka consist of baron land with deserts with no water except Galilee at the extreme corner of the country. Most of the land is state owned and expensive for the citizens sandwiched among enemies right round the boarders. Having evicted from various parts of the world Jews chose to settle down in the Promised Land despite most hostile conditions with no water other facilities and the barren land with no natural resources except the human resources hard work and determination. Environment was harsh, Galilee was swampy, Mountains were rocky, Negav was a desert, settlers have no farming experience, no water and the sabotage of canals and burning was common and rampant. Living collectively was the most logical way to be secured and   Kibbutzim was founded as agricultural villages initially by the ideals of Ancient Sparta particularly in education, industry, agriculture and community living with a mixture of socialist communist model influenced by Russia and Western model influenced by the influx of Jews from the West. Kibbutzim is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture which means gathering or clustering. The potential of Kibbutzim  was gradually extended to dairy poultry industry arms trade  and connected fields that  provided the highest yield from a cow world over  and best poultry output supplied to the rest of the world’s, best and most sophisticated small and heavy  arms and small and heavy arms and ammunitions to the world  except the neighbours and the world sometimes hostile to them. They organized the movement is a more organize way by creating United Kibbutxz movement with a unique bonded arrangements with the private sector and the state ever prepared to help in the field of innovation promotion and Start companies and SMEs. They assumed a more prominent role in military to protect and safeguard the country and borders and protecting themselves by arming themselves with production of arms which a money spinner today. In the 6 day war when Israel lost 800 soldiers 200 of them were from Kibbutzim and Kibbutzins made up 15% in the Israel Parliament. In 2010 there were 270 Kibbutzimin Israel Their factories and farms account for 9% of industrial output worth us 8 billion and 40% of its agricultural output worth over 1.7 billion us dollars Some Kibbutzim had also developed substantial hitch and military industries For example in2010 kibbutz Sasa containing some 200 members generated millions of annual revenue from its military plastic industry. First Prime Minister named father of nation is a product of a Kibbuth as many leading figures in Israel. Education innovations and industrial knowledge is given priority with the practice and in-house knowledge on religious education and the strong culture Israel’s carrying with them for thousands of years. It is told that there are thousands of state and uncollated lands the foreign companies are eying to grab in the guise of developments when the army commander has offered to assist Agro Tec based developments.

World’s most successful community movement

How do we adopt this to our system or any system with modifications and adjustments? In taking optimum use of land in housing, agriculture, industries, productivity and generally development and prosperity? What are main feathers and themes of the concept? Historians have called Kibbutz as the world’s most successful community movement and at one stage Kibbutzniks produced 12 percent of the nation’s exports in Israel shows the success story and how the system is integrated to the national working plan in all areas. The Kibbutz is a major   part of the overall trajectory of the Israel economic revolution. Israel politics is always volatile with controversies infighting and fights with all neighbours with bitter bloody wars which does not deter the developments agriculture or war machinery including manufacture of arms and ammunitions with the help of Kibbtuin movement too. Whether it was socialist develop mentalists or hybrid – the economic track record of Israel was impressive in par with political decisions. For few years she was in the non-alignment movement and shifted to the west for safety in order to fight and live with hostile neighbour’s right round. Original concept of the Kibbutzim was based to a large extent on sled sacrifice as incubators oneself sacrifice of its members Now that some have been transformed to large companies and the products of Kibbuths have reached the top which includes the father of the Nation theorist Prime Minister the originality may have slowed down but the nation still maintains Kibbuths as promoters on agriculture, industry and still incubators of the progress on diversified areas. Israel Jews crossed a huge desert in modern times to meet more desert and had to discover the richest of scarcity They invented new methods of living kibbutzim Moshavavin development of towns drilled and laboured and demanded much from themselves, they then turned to technology using Kibbutz as incubators they have no option but to proceed which is the success story with determination. Today they are not resting – they are enjoying and progressing despite the eternal struggle with the neighbours selling the products to the world over as leaders on technology and agriculture setting an example and on advisory capacity to her admirations. President Rajapaksa during the visit to Israel and Palestine with official meeting s with the President and Prime Minister of Israel and Prime Minister of Palestine (privilege is given to President USA Sri Lanka  and few world leaders due to complicated political climates to visit two conflicting countries simultaneously) There is a Buddhist Temple in Israel with few meditation centres with their intellectualism and it is time for us to be a party to show the olive leaf to conflicting parties for a settlement and for us to follow steps on rapid developments using their experience and knowledge with the great religions we are blessed with.

Land does not expand or multiply and limited to a land area of the nation in a country multiplying the   population at a rapid rate. Land is a precious to Israel’s as the land for them is limited having fought two thousand years to achieve the goal to reach the small Promised Land they are in possession today.   Land is very precious to us in Sri Lanka as the land area is limited and the population is rapidly increasing with invasions by invaders from time to time. We should not ruin destroy, misuse or alienate   valuable land for the construction of houses of inferior quality with law quality materials resulting destruction and waste of and valuable land. Best use of the land must be taken in construction and development whether privately owned or state owned. Land alienation, distribution and use for developments should be carefully scrutinized with strict laws, rules and regulations. This is the case in India, Israel, UK, and many parts of the world facing shortage of lands.  Very valuable estates are fragmented against law to block into small plots to give away the peasants with a part of the expenses for construction of a house of his choice and the pocket, and a closer look will show the criminal waste of valuable land otherwise could have been made use for construction of proper houses or any other use on productivity and maximum use. It is alleged that more funds are utilized for propaganda work on housing projects. Invariably the land given to peasants is either sold to a third party or the house is not constructed in majority cases is a known fact to an average citizen. It is time for us to adopt a novel system or a successfully tested concept known as Kibbutz” clusters (innovated in Israel) linked with agriculture, innovations, industry as incubators of start-up companies SMEs and multinational companies. With great success in development which has brought Israel to great heights on housing, innovations, agriculture and achieving success as a world power with the help of only human resources properly and scientifically utilized. A citizen can witness this sorry state either sides of the road and may hear sad stories on the plight of the valuable lands given on some criteria. Majority of Land in Sri Lanka is State owned, Company Owned, or encroached lands leaving the citizen a limited number due to the planned acquisitions of property  done by the British to the presents by acquiring  thousands of acres of land for few shillings forcibly which is on record. Fragmented lands to the Udagama’s” are lands belong to the state or may sometimes lands of archaeological importance and significance according to news reports with  allegations of being white elephants  of little use to the tenants.  Other countries instead of distributing lands condominiums with clusters and stories of houses are constructed scientifically with facilities for recreation, sports, saving land and making the best use of the land providing shelter to many with comfortable life. Udagama programme should be terminated forthwith to be replace by Kibbuths type of housing complexes linked to agriculture innovations education industry and community living for families and children to live study and work together in a commune with collective aims and ambitions for the development of the nation we love. By doing so the inmates will possess quality houses, goo quality of life, education on innovations industries and many areas including the children in house with freedom to be on their own, Kibbuths in Israel started small have now winded up with major Agriculture Farms, Dairy Farms Industrial Estates which one can witness by browsing the net on  the subject. We can adopt the concept with modifications to suit us with the experiences and the knowledge acquired on agriculture and innovations.

The author could be contacted on sarath7@hotmai.co.uk

Bilateral talks with President Mahanda Rajapaksa (currently Prime Minister) with President Simon Peres then President (2014) President Simon Peres is a product of a Kibbutz