Features
75th Independence Anniversary: What the president cannot say
by Rohan Pethiyagoda
Like you, I’ve been watching the elaborate preparations that the government’ has been making for the Independence Day celebrations, spending hundreds of millions of rupees on an extravagant display of power, apparently without a care in the world that poverty has reduced many children in this country to just a single meal a day. I’ve been thinking, if I were the president, how would I address the nation on this occasion. Well, here goes:
My fellow citizens: Today we celebrate 75 years of Independence. For 350 years, from the death of the last King of Kotte, Dom João Dharmapala in 1597 and until 4 February 1948, we were colonized by foreign powers. Nationalists often say that colonialism is the reason for our country’s predicament. I remain to be convinced of that. There is no doubt that Sri Lanka was once a great nation, a great civilization. Until the end of the Polonnaruwa period 800 years ago, Sri Lanka was a small but prosperous country, a powerhouse of agriculture, architecture, art, engineering and innovation, additionally blessed with a culture that was deeply rooted in the Buddhist tradition. We were the Singapore of South Asia back then.
But then, our civilization collapsed. This is no great shame. After all, all great civilizations must one day decline. Just look at the Greek, the Roman, the Islamic civilizations, for example. By the time the Portuguese took over, our island was fragmented into four warring kingdoms. It was a right royal mess. Meanwhile, on the other side of the Palk Strait, India had reached the apex of its flourishing. By 1600, India was producing 22.5 percent of global GDP, compared with just 9% today, despite its massive population. There is almost no evidence of similar flourishing in Sri Lanka at that time. When the colonials got here, we were at our weakest, most vulnerable; we were ripe for the picking. So, it’s about time we stopped harping on about what a great and noble past we used to have. It doesn’t matter anymore. We need to live in the present.
There are some people who argue that colonialism was a good thing. I disagree. Like slavery, colonialism is always bad. But we have to face the fact that by the end of the colonial period, by 1948, Ceylon was the most prosperous country in Asia. We had a thriving, export-orientated economy. We had a manageable population of just seven million people. We had a superb infrastructure of roads, railways, ports and airports. We had a 16-year history of universal franchise, of democracy, an independent judiciary, an excellent civil service, a secular constitution, free education, and even a positive balance of payments. Britain actually owed us money, back then.
But we had our weaknesses too: an unsustainable rate of population growth (population has tripled in these past 75 years) and there was also a lack of industrialization. Our political leaders, our early prime ministers, were drawn from the highest echelons of society. They came from affluent families and had excellent educational backgrounds. After all, four of the first five attended St Thomas’s College, which was my old school as well. All of them had since 1931 been groomed for leadership by the British through the mechanism of the State Council. And then, in 1948, they finally got their hands on power, the absolute power that comes with sovereignty. And all of them, in my opinion at least, were abject failures.
And it took them just 10 years, a single decade, in which to reduce it all to rubble. From the very outset, political parties had to outbid each other to get votes. If you didn’t offer a generous welfare package, free education, free health, free rice, free electricity, free stuff, all of it spiced with a pinch of anti-Tamil bigotry and class warfare, you simply couldn’t get elected. People also demanded 21 days of paid leave, 84 days of paid maternity leave, and more than 25 paid public holidays every year. In short, lots of free stuff and as little actual work as possible.
And once you got that free education, the government had to even create a free job for you in the state sector, and pay you a pensionable salary, to retain your political loyalty. Every election was reduced to an auction, an auction of votes, and the votes went to whichever party made the highest bid. And to give you more stuff— දියව්! දියව්!—us poor politicians had no alternative but to borrow more and more money. Where else was the money to come from? As a result, there has been no year in the past 40 years in which government debt has been less than 70 percent of GDP. It is now well over 110 percent. We borrow more than we produce. In fact, I think the last time in our history that we had a primary fiscal surplus was in 1955, the year I was born, 67 years ago. Few indicators say it better than the exchange rate. In 1948, the cost of a US dollar was just Rs 3.32. Today it is, as you know, more than Rs 370, a devaluation of 11,000 percent.
We politicians learned very early on that when it comes to subsidies, you simply can’t mess with the electorate. We learned that even though we are stupid and ignorant, you are even more stupid and ignorant. The inability of the UNP government to continue the wartime rice subsidy in 1952, for example, precipitated the great ‘hartal’, a general strike, bringing the UNP government to its knees and causing Dudley Senanayake to resign. Anxious to get back in favour with the electorate, in February 1956, Sir John Kotelawela promised to make Sinhala the sole official language. SWRD Bandaranaike followed suit, and for his bad luck, the poor chap won the general election that year. The Official Language Act was signed into law just three months later. It was very simple: “The Sinhala language shall be the one official language of Ceylon.”
This effectively disenfranchised both the Tamils and the Burghers, and by 1958, just ten years after Independence, race riots reduced the country to ashes. The Burghers were quick to pack their bags and emigrate to Australia. Even John Kotelawala, the father of the UNP’s Sinhala Only policy, got on a plane and took up residence in England.
The man simply had no shame. And now you’ve gone and named a university in his honour. What were you thinking? The Tamils struggled on for another quarter century, and then, they too ran away, to just about any country that would have them: Canada, Switzerland, Australia, England, the United States. Now, finally, even the Sinhalese are running away to join their Tamil brethren, by the planeload.
Meanwhile, from the 1950s onwards, we nationalized everything: transport, schools, hospitals, newspapers, banks, hotels, plantations, petroleum, shipping, insurance, the lot. And when there was nothing left to nationalize, we created new monopolies, state corporations, to compete with the private sector and, in effect, to destroy it. We did these things because it was the only way we politicians could give you those jobs that you wanted, that you felt entitled to, in the state sector. Through nationalization, we confiscated jobs from the private sector and gave them to you. And as chairmen and directors of these so-called state-owned enterprises, we appointed our unemployable relatives and our political cronies. And now you blame us because these so-called enterprises are unprofitable and inefficient. Can you really blame us? It is, after all, what you wanted. How else could we give you those jobs? And now, if we try to privatize any of these once more, you get all hot and bothered and you start protesting. You cut off our legs at the knees and then you ask us to run a marathon and become Singapore.
But of course, it hasn’t been all bad. Your life expectancy, for example, has increased by 30 years since Independence. Just about every household in Sri Lanka is now connected to the national electricity grid. We’ve got rid of most of the diseases that made our grandparents’ lives a misery. Our rice production increased from just 1.8 tons per hectare at Independence to 4.5 tons per hectare by 2015, making us a net exporter of rice for the first time in 500 years. And then of course, Gotabaya Rajapaksa came along and destroyed it all. Perhaps most importantly, despite all our troubles we managed to retain a semblance of democracy, the ability to change governments peacefully.
But what is the value of free health when almost half our children our undernourished? Of what value is free education when a quarter of all students fail their O levels and more than a third fail their A levels? And when almost no one can pass without expensive private tuition, anyway? And that’s just the ones who stay on in school. According to UNICEF, almost 60% of our children drop out of school by age 17, before their A levels. And what is the value of democracy when the vast majority of those you elect to office are thugs, crooks, and morons?
Now, 75 years after Independence, all you can do is to patriotically sing the praises of Mother Lanka for her rolling landscapes, her lofty hills, and her misty valleys. That’s all we have left to crow about. Having started near the top of the Asian rankings in 1948, we’ve been overtaken by one country after another. Of course, you can curse us politicians for the mess in which the country finds itself. But when it comes to looking for whom to blame, isn’t it time that you too, looked in the mirror? Maybe you need to point the finger at yourself as well.
Sri Lanka’s predicament is not the just fault of its politicians. It is also your fault. For once in your life, learn to take some damned responsibility. Ayubowan.
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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