Sustainability with Profitability is Possible

To me, sustainability in here is the sustainability of the regeneration and keeping the quality of national resources like water, air, forest, soil, biodiversity etc for our future generation without making any harm to existing human health.

Here I would like to talk about a best example from Malaysia ie, Sunway company, with my short time observation.

When I talk about our campaign against neo liberal economics to my colleagues, I remind them that, we are not against Market or Private sector. They (Market / Private Sector) must take care of sustainability.

But especially state must invest for essential services, means state investment in education, water, shelter, food, electricity, and communication etc. These are fundamental for nation and equality building in a society.

In short, we call them public sector. I am not against the private investment in essential services, but in all these essential sectors, there should be the supremacy of public / state investment.

In last four days, I was participating in a conference in Sunway University Malaysia on Planetary Health. There we talked about climate change, we give priority to environment. But in planetary health, we should give priority to human health. E.g., air quality of the Dhaka is the major cause of lung cancer of the city dwellers, It means rather then planting trees in roof top, we must eliminate all old vehicles, who are emitting high level black smokes, we must control all the construction work who creating all the dusts / particles etc. In Coxsbazar there are high prevalence of cancer, pesticide use in dry fish must be a reason in this regard as we the Coxsbazarians often takes dry fish curries.

On 16th April during dinner, I hear the speech from Dr Jeffry Chea the owner of the Sunway group of companies.

He has been well considered that he was successful in integrating sustainability and profitability through his business.

He established the Sunway city in a dilapidated land of 800 acres which was used for mining. Now, there are lake, residences, water and sewerage treatments plants, hotels, universities, shopping malls, sky trains but with a lot of trees, with regenerations of natures.

Dr Jeffry's foundation has contributed billions of $ as scholarships and to UN funds. They have around 11 thousand employees. Among them Bangladeshis are not less then 1 thousand. His Sunway University is no 1 private university in Malaysia.

In one of my face book post yesterday, there at least three world renowned Bangladeshi scientist are teaching there. I have been inspired by Dr Jeffrys sentence, i.e., “I aspire to inspire you all until I expire” off course for a sustainable planet.