Features
13 MORE EUROPEAN CITIES – PART “A” – Part 51
CONFESSIONS OF A GLOBAL GYPSY
By Dr. Chandana (Chandi) Jayawardena DPhil
President – Chandi J. Associates Inc. Consulting, Canada
Founder & Administrator – Global Hospitality Forum
chandij@sympatico.ca
The Last Leg
Having returned to London from the University of Surrey in Guildford, I had my final meeting with Larry Wilson. As my United Nations (UN)/International Labour Organization (ILO) Fellowship Coordinator for the United Kingdom (UK), Larry did an excellent job in looking after all my logistics and supporting my learning and travelling within UK. By end of March, 1982, Larry had become a friend of mine.
Larry was curious to know what I would be doing during the final 15 days of the fellowship period marked for leisure. I told Larry that I intended to further explore Continental Europe by train travelling to 13 more cities with my wife. He was impressed with my desire to travel more in Europe. As Larry knew about my recent travels during the fellowship, he asked me, “Chandi, didn’t you already cover around 38 cities in Italy, Switzerland, France, Scotland and England over the last 11 weeks?”
He then expressed his amusement, “I have never met anyone who travelled so much during an UN/ILO fellowship. Where are you off to now?” I informed him, “short visits to Belgium, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, West Germany, Denmark, Austria, France and then back to England to catch our return flight to Sri Lanka.”
We picked our train route mainly to visit and stay with three families from Denmark, Germany and Austria, who made special trips to Sri Lanka to attend our wedding in 1980. They were all guests of Hotel Ceysands in Sri Lanka who became dear family friends after their respective first visits to Sri Lanka in 1977. It is a Sri Lankan custom to visit and thank all friends and family who attended a couple’s wedding.
During my research for the last leg of our European trip, I read how 137 years ago in 1845, the London-Dover-Ostend train and ship service began as a novel transport system connecting UK to the continent. Around the turn of the century (in the year 1900) the long train connection known as Ostend-Vienna-Orient Express had been promoted as a luxurious journey.
Over the decades, the London-Dover-Ostend train and ship service continued with various partner companies such as SeaLink and P&O (the service was discontinued in 1993). We wanted to experience this cross-European travel adventure. On March 28, 1982, boarding the London-Dover-Ostend train and ferry service we commenced our 15-day extended European trip.
Eurail
We used Eurail passes to travel across Europe. It was the most flexible way to travel by train within Europe. There was no need to pre-book as there were many trains daily between each city and the next destination. The train service in most European countries was efficient and very punctual. The Eurail Pass, introduced in 1959 was formerly known as Europass or Eurorail Pass. In 1982, this rail pass permitted unlimited first-class travel through 17 European countries on nearly all railroads and several shipping lines (now in 33 countries). The Eurail Pass is available to non-European residents, and the Interrail is available to Europeans.
Ostend
We reached Belgium, early in the morning. In 1982, the population of the country was nearly 10 million. It is known for medieval towns, renaissance architecture and as the headquarters of the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The country has distinctive regions including Dutch-speaking Flanders to the north, French-speaking Wallonia to the south and a German-speaking community to the east.
With a population of 67,000, Ostend is a medium sized city, but an important gateway to Europe. It is known for its sea-side esplanade, including the Royal Galleries of Ostend, the pier and fine-sand beaches. Ostend is visited by many day-trippers heading to the beaches, especially during summer months. After a quick walk around, we boarded a train to the capital of Belgium – Brussels. We reached our next destination within 90 minutes.
Brussels
Brussels had a population of nearly 1.7 million in 1982 or 17% of the total population of Belgium. Over the centuries, Brussels had grown from a small rural settlement on the river Senne to become an important city-region in Europe. Historically Dutch-speaking, Brussels saw a language shift to French from the late 19th century. English is spoken as a second language by nearly a third of the population.
Since the end of the Second World War, it has been a major centre for international politics and home to numerous international organisations, politicians, diplomats and civil servants. Brussels is the de facto capital of the European Union (EU), as it hosts a number of principal EU institutions, including its administrative-legislative, executive-political, and legislative branches.
We did a three-hour city tour and tasted an impressive gastronomic offer Brussels is known for. The main attractions included its historic Grand Place, and the Museums of Art and History. Due to its long tradition of Belgian comics, Brussels is also hailed as a capital of the comic strip. From a very young age up to now, I have been an ardent fan of the comic character Tin Tin and his creator, Georges Remi (Hergé), both Belgian. Twenty-four original Tin Herger books have been translated into 110 languages with over 270 million copies sold. Indeed, Tin Tin has been a true Belgium export since 1930, as famous as its chocolates.
Amsterdam
After a near three-hour train ride from Brussels, we arrived at our night stop, the capital of the Netherlands – Amsterdam. Although it was our first visit to this country, we were well exposed to Dutch words, names, laws, food, culture, architecture, forts, and canals in Sri Lanka. The Dutch presence in Sri Lanka (formerly known as Ceylon) and control of a major part of the island lasted 138 years, officially from 1658 when the Dutch expelled the Portuguese, until 1796, the year of the British occupation commenced. However, the first Dutch encounter with the island dates back to 1602. Growing up in the Bambalapitiya Flats in Colombo four, I had many Burghers friends, who were proud of their Dutch heritage.
It was surprising that in 1982, many tourists were calling this country ‘Holland’. The Netherlands consists of 12 provinces, two of which combined make up Holland, so referring to the Netherlands as a whole as Holland is wrong but it is a common mistake made by many. The origin of the correct name is interesting. Within the Roman Empire, the word Netherlands was used to describe people from the low-lying (nether) region (land). The term was so widely used that when they became a formal, separate country in 1815, they became the Kingdom of the Netherlands. This unique country of which almost a third is situated below sea level, is known for its flat landscape of canals, tulip fields, windmills, art and cycling routes.
In 1982, the country had a population of around 14 million, with a million living in the capital city. Amsterdam was founded at the Amstel, that was dammed to control flooding; the city’s name derives from the Amstel dam. Originating as a small fishing village in the late 12th century, Amsterdam became one of the most important ports in the world during the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century. It also became the leading centre for the finance and trade sectors. The city is also well-known for its nightlife, red light districts and festival activity, with several of its nightclubs among the world’s most famous.
Early the next morning we did a three-hour city tour, which included the Rijksmuseum – the national museum and the house where Jewish diarist Anne Frank hid during the Second World War. My all-time favourite artist is Vincent Van Gogh, and I was not satisfied with the short visit to Van Gogh Museum. I had to wait for many more years before I was able to spend a full day at this great museum.
My next trip to Amsterdam was after 18 years in 2000 to present at the seminar and attend the convocation of the Business School of the Netherlands. I did so as an Associate Professor of their UK based global consortium for action learning – International Management Centre Association (IMCA).
Hamburg
We arrived at our next night stop – Hamburg, close to midnight after a long, seven-hour train ride from Amsterdam. In 1979 I visited and stayed in a German city – Frankfurt, twice. Apart from that I was exposed to the German culture as I studied for three years at the Ceylon Hotel School, which was run mainly by West Germans. I also studied German for a couple of years, but having lived in West Germany for a few months in 1978, my wife spoke better German.
In 1982, out of West Germany’s 61 million population, 1.6 million lived in its largest city – Hamburg. Before the 1871 unification of Germany, Hamburg was a fully sovereign city state. Its rivers and canals are crossed by around 2,500 bridges, making it the city with the highest number of bridges in Europe. Aside from its rich architectural heritage, the city is also home to notable cultural venues and concert halls. As we had a tight schedule and had to reach our friends in Denmark, before that night, we did not spend too much time in Hamburg.
Flensburg
Just over two hours from Hamburg, we reached a mid-size German city with a population of 88,000 that was very close to the Danish border. Historically, Flensburg had been a part of Denmark and had been the second biggest port in the Kingdom of Denmark (after Copenhagen). There was still a considerable Danish community in the town as high as 25%.
Aabenraa
After a 90 minutes train ride from Flensburg, and crossing the Danish border, we reached a small city of around 15,000 population – Aabenraa (Åbenrå), where we planned to spend two nights with our friends, Helga and David. It was nice to meet them after two years since their last visit to Sri Lanka. “This is Joe, our son, who looks after our farm.” He introduced their only family member who had not been to Sri Lanka. He owned a boat business and Helga was a home maker who also worked on their nearby farm.
Denmark is a Scandinavian (Norway, Sweden, and Denmark) country with a little over five million population. The term Norden refers to the three Scandinavian countries plus two more – Finland and Iceland. These five form a group of countries having affinities with each other and are distinct from the rest of Europe. Having been a part of Germany in the early twentieth century, Aabenraa had a large German population. Because of its deep harbour, Aabenraa, has been an important fishing and shipbuilding town since the Middle Ages. Fishing and various small factories provided occupations for the population. We liked the small-town ambience of Aabenraa.
Next morning, we did some long walks around their farm, sightseeing and visits to the town with Helga, David and their pre-teen daughter, Anker. After that, when we sat at a nice local coffee shop to have brunch, David asked if we would like to do anything special. I said that we would love to take a train to the capital city and take a photo in front of the iconic ‘Little Mermaid’ bronze statue, before our departure the next day from Denmark. “Not a good idea. The duration of a train ride one way from Aabenraa to Copenhagen is over four hours. With a city tour and interesting stops, you guys will need at least two days for Copenhagen”, David discouraged us.
“You guys have planned too many places to visit in Europe in a two-week period! Next time, please stay with us for at least a full week, and we will show you most of Denmark,” Helga suggested. I regret that we decided to return to West Germany without visiting Copenhagen, a city I have yet to visit after 40 years.
Next day before our departure, they drove us past some narrow inlets of the sea. We stopped at a very long and wide beach called Strand Åbenrå, for a picnic. When I became worried that we will miss our train to Essen in Germany, Helga said, “No worries, friends. There are over 12 trains a day from Aabenraa to Essen, each taking less than 12 hours.”
To be continued… on ‘13 More European cities – Part B’, on next Sunday.
by Dr Gotabhya Ranasinghe
Senior Consultant Cardiologist
National Hospital Sri Lanka
When we sought a meeting with Hon Dr. Ramesh Pathirana, Minister of Health, he graciously cleared his busy schedule to accommodate us. Renowned for his attentive listening and deep understanding, Minister Pathirana is dedicated to advancing the health sector. His openness and transparency exemplify the qualities of an exemplary politician and minister.
Dr. Palitha Mahipala, the current Health Secretary, demonstrates both commendable enthusiasm and unwavering support. This combination of attributes makes him a highly compatible colleague for the esteemed Minister of Health.
Our discussion centered on a project that has been in the works for the past 30 years, one that no other minister had managed to advance.
Minister Pathirana, however, recognized the project’s significance and its potential to revolutionize care for heart patients.
The project involves the construction of a state-of-the-art facility at the premises of the National Hospital Colombo. The project’s location within the premises of the National Hospital underscores its importance and relevance to the healthcare infrastructure of the nation.
This facility will include a cardiology building and a tertiary care center, equipped with the latest technology to handle and treat all types of heart-related conditions and surgeries.
Securing funding was a major milestone for this initiative. Minister Pathirana successfully obtained approval for a $40 billion loan from the Asian Development Bank. With the funding in place, the foundation stone is scheduled to be laid in September this year, and construction will begin in January 2025.
This project guarantees a consistent and uninterrupted supply of stents and related medications for heart patients. As a result, patients will have timely access to essential medical supplies during their treatment and recovery. By securing these critical resources, the project aims to enhance patient outcomes, minimize treatment delays, and maintain the highest standards of cardiac care.
Upon its fruition, this monumental building will serve as a beacon of hope and healing, symbolizing the unwavering dedication to improving patient outcomes and fostering a healthier society.We anticipate a future marked by significant progress and positive outcomes in Sri Lanka’s cardiovascular treatment landscape within the foreseeable timeframe.
by Fr. Emmanuel Fernando, OMI
Jesuit Fr. Aloysius Pieris (affectionately called Fr. Aloy) celebrated his 90th birthday on April 9, 2024 and I, as the editor of our Oblate Journal, THE MISSIONARY OBLATE had gone to press by that time. Immediately I decided to publish an article, appreciating the untiring selfless services he continues to offer for inter-Faith dialogue, the renewal of the Catholic Church, his concern for the poor and the suffering Sri Lankan masses and to me, the present writer.
It was in 1988, when I was appointed Director of the Oblate Scholastics at Ampitiya by the then Oblate Provincial Fr. Anselm Silva, that I came to know Fr. Aloy more closely. Knowing well his expertise in matters spiritual, theological, Indological and pastoral, and with the collaborative spirit of my companion-formators, our Oblate Scholastics were sent to Tulana, the Research and Encounter Centre, Kelaniya, of which he is the Founder-Director, for ‘exposure-programmes’ on matters spiritual, biblical, theological and pastoral. Some of these dimensions according to my view and that of my companion-formators, were not available at the National Seminary, Ampitiya.
Ever since that time, our Oblate formators/ accompaniers at the Oblate Scholasticate, Ampitiya , have continued to send our Oblate Scholastics to Tulana Centre for deepening their insights and convictions regarding matters needed to serve the people in today’s context. Fr. Aloy also had tried very enthusiastically with the Oblate team headed by Frs. Oswald Firth and Clement Waidyasekara to begin a Theologate, directed by the Religious Congregations in Sri Lanka, for the contextual formation/ accompaniment of their members. It should very well be a desired goal of the Leaders / Provincials of the Religious Congregations.
Besides being a formator/accompanier at the Oblate Scholasticate, I was entrusted also with the task of editing and publishing our Oblate journal, ‘The Missionary Oblate’. To maintain the quality of the journal I continue to depend on Fr. Aloy for his thought-provoking and stimulating articles on Biblical Spirituality, Biblical Theology and Ecclesiology. I am very grateful to him for his generous assistance. Of late, his writings on renewal of the Church, initiated by Pope St. John XX111 and continued by Pope Francis through the Synodal path, published in our Oblate journal, enable our readers to focus their attention also on the needed renewal in the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka. Fr. Aloy appreciated very much the Synodal path adopted by the Jesuit Pope Francis for the renewal of the Church, rooted very much on prayerful discernment. In my Religious and presbyteral life, Fr.Aloy continues to be my spiritual animator / guide and ongoing formator / acccompanier.
Fr. Aloysius Pieris, BA Hons (Lond), LPh (SHC, India), STL (PFT, Naples), PhD (SLU/VC), ThD (Tilburg), D.Ltt (KU), has been one of the eminent Asian theologians well recognized internationally and one who has lectured and held visiting chairs in many universities both in the West and in the East. Many members of Religious Congregations from Asian countries have benefited from his lectures and guidance in the East Asian Pastoral Institute (EAPI) in Manila, Philippines. He had been a Theologian consulted by the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences for many years. During his professorship at the Gregorian University in Rome, he was called to be a member of a special group of advisers on other religions consulted by Pope Paul VI.
Fr. Aloy is the author of more than 30 books and well over 500 Research Papers. Some of his books and articles have been translated and published in several countries. Among those books, one can find the following: 1) The Genesis of an Asian Theology of Liberation (An Autobiographical Excursus on the Art of Theologising in Asia, 2) An Asian Theology of Liberation, 3) Providential Timeliness of Vatican 11 (a long-overdue halt to a scandalous millennium, 4) Give Vatican 11 a chance, 5) Leadership in the Church, 6) Relishing our faith in working for justice (Themes for study and discussion), 7) A Message meant mainly, not exclusively for Jesuits (Background information necessary for helping Francis renew the Church), 8) Lent in Lanka (Reflections and Resolutions, 9) Love meets wisdom (A Christian Experience of Buddhism, 10) Fire and Water 11) God’s Reign for God’s poor, 12) Our Unhiddden Agenda (How we Jesuits work, pray and form our men). He is also the Editor of two journals, Vagdevi, Journal of Religious Reflection and Dialogue, New Series.
Fr. Aloy has a BA in Pali and Sanskrit from the University of London and a Ph.D in Buddhist Philosophy from the University of Sri Lankan, Vidyodaya Campus. On Nov. 23, 2019, he was awarded the prestigious honorary Doctorate of Literature (D.Litt) by the Chancellor of the University of Kelaniya, the Most Venerable Welamitiyawe Dharmakirthi Sri Kusala Dhamma Thera.
Fr. Aloy continues to be a promoter of Gospel values and virtues. Justice as a constitutive dimension of love and social concern for the downtrodden masses are very much noted in his life and work. He had very much appreciated the commitment of the late Fr. Joseph (Joe) Fernando, the National Director of the Social and Economic Centre (SEDEC) for the poor.
In Sri Lanka, a few religious Congregations – the Good Shepherd Sisters, the Christian Brothers, the Marist Brothers and the Oblates – have invited him to animate their members especially during their Provincial Congresses, Chapters and International Conferences. The mainline Christian Churches also have sought his advice and followed his seminars. I, for one, regret very much, that the Sri Lankan authorities of the Catholic Church –today’s Hierarchy—- have not sought Fr.
Aloy’s expertise for the renewal of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka and thus have not benefited from the immense store of wisdom and insight that he can offer to our local Church while the Sri Lankan bishops who governed the Catholic church in the immediate aftermath of the Second Vatican Council (Edmund Fernando OMI, Anthony de Saram, Leo Nanayakkara OSB, Frank Marcus Fernando, Paul Perera,) visited him and consulted him on many matters. Among the Tamil Bishops, Bishop Rayappu Joseph was keeping close contact with him and Bishop J. Deogupillai hosted him and his team visiting him after the horrible Black July massacre of Tamils.
Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement
By Gomi Senadhira
senadhiragomi@gmail.com
“You might tell fairy tales, but the progress of a country cannot be achieved through such narratives. A country cannot be developed by making false promises. The country moved backward because of the electoral promises made by political parties throughout time. We have witnessed that the ultimate result of this is the country becoming bankrupt. Unfortunately, many segments of the population have not come to realize this yet.” – President Ranil Wickremesinghe, 2024 Budget speech
Any Sri Lankan would agree with the above words of President Wickremesinghe on the false promises our politicians and officials make and the fairy tales they narrate which bankrupted this country. So, to understand this, let’s look at one such fairy tale with lots of false promises; Ranil Wickremesinghe’s greatest achievement in the area of international trade and investment promotion during the Yahapalana period, Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (SLSFTA).
It is appropriate and timely to do it now as Finance Minister Wickremesinghe has just presented to parliament a bill on the National Policy on Economic Transformation which includes the establishment of an Office for International Trade and the Sri Lanka Institute of Economics and International Trade.
Was SLSFTA a “Cleverly negotiated Free Trade Agreement” as stated by the (former) Minister of Development Strategies and International Trade Malik Samarawickrama during the Parliamentary Debate on the SLSFTA in July 2018, or a colossal blunder covered up with lies, false promises, and fairy tales? After SLSFTA was signed there were a number of fairy tales published on this agreement by the Ministry of Development Strategies and International, Institute of Policy Studies, and others.
However, for this article, I would like to limit my comments to the speech by Minister Samarawickrama during the Parliamentary Debate, and the two most important areas in the agreement which were covered up with lies, fairy tales, and false promises, namely: revenue loss for Sri Lanka and Investment from Singapore. On the other important area, “Waste products dumping” I do not want to comment here as I have written extensively on the issue.
1. The revenue loss
During the Parliamentary Debate in July 2018, Minister Samarawickrama stated “…. let me reiterate that this FTA with Singapore has been very cleverly negotiated by us…. The liberalisation programme under this FTA has been carefully designed to have the least impact on domestic industry and revenue collection. We have included all revenue sensitive items in the negative list of items which will not be subject to removal of tariff. Therefore, 97.8% revenue from Customs duty is protected. Our tariff liberalisation will take place over a period of 12-15 years! In fact, the revenue earned through tariffs on goods imported from Singapore last year was Rs. 35 billion.
The revenue loss for over the next 15 years due to the FTA is only Rs. 733 million– which when annualised, on average, is just Rs. 51 million. That is just 0.14% per year! So anyone who claims the Singapore FTA causes revenue loss to the Government cannot do basic arithmetic! Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, I call on my fellow members of this House – don’t mislead the public with baseless criticism that is not grounded in facts. Don’t look at petty politics and use these issues for your own political survival.”
I was surprised to read the minister’s speech because an article published in January 2018 in “The Straits Times“, based on information released by the Singaporean Negotiators stated, “…. With the FTA, tariff savings for Singapore exports are estimated to hit $10 million annually“.
As the annual tariff savings (that is the revenue loss for Sri Lanka) calculated by the Singaporean Negotiators, Singaporean $ 10 million (Sri Lankan rupees 1,200 million in 2018) was way above the rupees’ 733 million revenue loss for 15 years estimated by the Sri Lankan negotiators, it was clear to any observer that one of the parties to the agreement had not done the basic arithmetic!
Six years later, according to a report published by “The Morning” newspaper, speaking at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) on 7th May 2024, Mr Samarawickrama’s chief trade negotiator K.J. Weerasinghehad had admitted “…. that forecasted revenue loss for the Government of Sri Lanka through the Singapore FTA is Rs. 450 million in 2023 and Rs. 1.3 billion in 2024.”
If these numbers are correct, as tariff liberalisation under the SLSFTA has just started, we will pass Rs 2 billion very soon. Then, the question is how Sri Lanka’s trade negotiators made such a colossal blunder. Didn’t they do their basic arithmetic? If they didn’t know how to do basic arithmetic they should have at least done their basic readings. For example, the headline of the article published in The Straits Times in January 2018 was “Singapore, Sri Lanka sign FTA, annual savings of $10m expected”.
Anyway, as Sri Lanka’s chief negotiator reiterated at the COPF meeting that “…. since 99% of the tariffs in Singapore have zero rates of duty, Sri Lanka has agreed on 80% tariff liberalisation over a period of 15 years while expecting Singapore investments to address the imbalance in trade,” let’s turn towards investment.
Investment from Singapore
In July 2018, speaking during the Parliamentary Debate on the FTA this is what Minister Malik Samarawickrama stated on investment from Singapore, “Already, thanks to this FTA, in just the past two-and-a-half months since the agreement came into effect we have received a proposal from Singapore for investment amounting to $ 14.8 billion in an oil refinery for export of petroleum products. In addition, we have proposals for a steel manufacturing plant for exports ($ 1 billion investment), flour milling plant ($ 50 million), sugar refinery ($ 200 million). This adds up to more than $ 16.05 billion in the pipeline on these projects alone.
And all of these projects will create thousands of more jobs for our people. In principle approval has already been granted by the BOI and the investors are awaiting the release of land the environmental approvals to commence the project.
I request the Opposition and those with vested interests to change their narrow-minded thinking and join us to develop our country. We must always look at what is best for the whole community, not just the few who may oppose. We owe it to our people to courageously take decisions that will change their lives for the better.”
According to the media report I quoted earlier, speaking at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) Chief Negotiator Weerasinghe has admitted that Sri Lanka was not happy with overall Singapore investments that have come in the past few years in return for the trade liberalisation under the Singapore-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement. He has added that between 2021 and 2023 the total investment from Singapore had been around $162 million!
What happened to those projects worth $16 billion negotiated, thanks to the SLSFTA, in just the two-and-a-half months after the agreement came into effect and approved by the BOI? I do not know about the steel manufacturing plant for exports ($ 1 billion investment), flour milling plant ($ 50 million) and sugar refinery ($ 200 million).
However, story of the multibillion-dollar investment in the Petroleum Refinery unfolded in a manner that would qualify it as the best fairy tale with false promises presented by our politicians and the officials, prior to 2019 elections.
Though many Sri Lankans got to know, through the media which repeatedly highlighted a plethora of issues surrounding the project and the questionable credentials of the Singaporean investor, the construction work on the Mirrijiwela Oil Refinery along with the cement factory began on the24th of March 2019 with a bang and Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and his ministers along with the foreign and local dignitaries laid the foundation stones.
That was few months before the 2019 Presidential elections. Inaugurating the construction work Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the projects will create thousands of job opportunities in the area and surrounding districts.
The oil refinery, which was to be built over 200 acres of land, with the capacity to refine 200,000 barrels of crude oil per day, was to generate US$7 billion of exports and create 1,500 direct and 3,000 indirect jobs. The construction of the refinery was to be completed in 44 months. Four years later, in August 2023 the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by President Ranil Wickremesinghe to cancel the agreement with the investors of the refinery as the project has not been implemented! Can they explain to the country how much money was wasted to produce that fairy tale?
It is obvious that the President, ministers, and officials had made huge blunders and had deliberately misled the public and the parliament on the revenue loss and potential investment from SLSFTA with fairy tales and false promises.
As the president himself said, a country cannot be developed by making false promises or with fairy tales and these false promises and fairy tales had bankrupted the country. “Unfortunately, many segments of the population have not come to realize this yet”.
(The writer, a specialist and an activist on trade and development issues . )
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