Islamic finance: Alleviating poverty in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has been heavily engaged in solving the civil armed violation in the country for the last three decades and the government was finally able to put a full stop to the conflict two years ago. This victory, alongside continuous initiatives for economic development, has led the country to perform well in the South Asian region since the end of the war. This has brought new hope for the future of Sri Lanka, including minorities such as Tamils, Muslims and others.

Background

However, the reality is that Sri Lanka is very poor and is still a developing nation. The country’s poverty level has not been resolved even though it has been continuously focused on by the government, non-government organizations (NGO) and individual initiatives, all of whom are striving to address the cause and find a solution. A wakeup call was given by the IMF in 2009 regarding the poverty level of Sri Lanka. As per IMF estimates, Sri Lanka’s GDP per capita is US$2,041. This makes it the 119^th out of 180 countries in terms of global wealth. The GDP measurement fails to state how this wealth has been distributed within the country, however.

As per the government’s recent figures, 15% of Sri Lankans are living under the poverty line. The official poverty line is LKR3,087 (US$30) for a month, based on the household expenditure of an individual.

The poverty can be divided into sectors such as urban, rural and estate sectors. The diagram above shows the corresponding figures. Although there is one remarkable poverty alleviation program initiated by the government,

called Samurdhi, catering to almost 1.6 million poor people in Sri Lanka, The statistics indicate that there is a stunningly unequal distribution of wealth in the country. As per the research studies, 10% of the population holds approximately 40% of the wealth. This is evidenced by the Gini Index of wealth distribution, which states that Sri Lanka is the 27^th most unequal country in the world in terms of wealth distribution.

How can Islamic finance play a role?

In order to solve the issue of poverty, there are some initiatives that have been taken by Islamic finance institutions (IFIs) in Sri Lanka. Even though it has not yet reached the villages, some of the Muslim NGOs and IFIs are already in the market and striving continuously. As per Islamic principles, wealth should be distributed equally among people, and Islamic principles clearly state how this wealth should be managed,  distributed and protected. If the zakatA tax that is the duty and social obligation of every Muslim. This as the fourth Pillar of Islam. (obligatory charity of 2.5% of wealth) is well-managed and distributed among all groups (as specified in the Quran), the poverty level and the inequality gap will eventually reduce in the island.

Apart from this, Islamic finance can spread wide its hands and invite the people of Sri Lanka to benefit by way of Islamic micro finance. This can be 

done via various business models as per Shariah law. Islamic microfinance can be achieved through different products such as Musharakah, Mudarabah and other structures. Innovative Islamic microfinance products can become more visible and viable to cater for the poor people and alleviate their suffering. 

This richness of the classical Islamic legal framework could produce another Grameen Bank (according its founder Yunus Khan) in Sri Lanka soon.

Conclusion

The country’s economy bounced back in 2010, reflecting the post-war optimism and the global recovery from the financial crisis. The GDP growth is estimated to be around 8% (compared to just 3.5% in 2009), based on a positive outlook for healthy growth. Despite Sri Lanka’s high achievements in social indicators, the healing process will take double the time if the causes are not properly treated.

Muath Mubarak is the director of studies and corporate strategy at First Global Knowledge Center, Sri Lanka and he can be contacted at [email protected] or muath@ firstglobalgroup.com.