Dialogue in Pursuit of Development - Are you looking for one of ...

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solutions, and distributing the material ahead of the meetings to enable an
open and transparent discussion. This dialogue was very much looked forward
to by the donors. During the period for the meetings, the venues for
the dialogue changed to the different district headquarters with a second
day spent at the location for direct field observations. It broadend the content
of the dialogue covered by like-minded donors across the wider community
of expatriate development workers.
The quarterly progress review was capped up at the national level by a
national steering committee at the National Operation Room of the Ministry
of Plan Implementation bringing in the heads of national level organisations
to take up the undecided policy issues that could not be attended to at
the national and/or subnational project levels. All donors, around ten of
them, were also represented. The criss-crossing of experiences and ideas
even from outside the country added to the richness of the content of the
dialogue. One such instance is Sida’s adding Grameen Bank experience to
social mobilisation activities in the Sida supported IRDP. These ideas were
also carried over by the other donor representatives to different forums.
I recall from my government days, a very interesting, but rather odd, role
played by some donor representatives. When I was the second in command
in the government ministry running the IRDP, I cultivated a close understanding
with some visiting heads of mission (in one notable case a World
Bank young professional who was eager and dynamic). I could convince
them on some points on which I could not convince my peers. The mission
heads gladly put the ideas across as if they were their own and, hurrah, they
were accepted as bright ideas by the top boss!
The language was a critical factor, as the proceedings were mostly conducted
in English. The Sri Lankan counterparts were more open than usual
with their limited vocabulary in English in these discussions. They usually
fight shy of speaking in broken English with their local counterparts scared
that they will be laughed at for breaking the rules of the Queen’s colonial
English, but they were quite at ease breaking the tradition and speaking
freely with expatriates, so much so that I have very often been asked by my
Swedish colleagues after I started working for Sida, as to why the locals stick
to English when they speak to each other. I have explained many times to
the Swedes that it is considered discourteous to speak in a language unknown
to them when visitors are present – it arouses mistrust and blocks
the dialogue which is built on trust.
Unlike earlier colleagues from Sweden, the present day aid-workers enjoy
showing that they are quite different from locals even at mere social
gatherings or drinking tea in the embassy staff room! Even if it is only a
person dealing with simple day to day administration in the embassy, it is
helpful to have an attitude of promoting goodwill among people of two
countries. The internal working cultures, built painstakingly over a long period
by Sida, should be continued and developed. Even in the local govern-