Features
One of the better American Presidents – Jimmy Carter
Worldwide attention is riveted on the incomprehensible tantrums of tricky, tentacular, truculent, tenacious, tweeting Trump. Only one reason for his staying on in the White House and not attempting civility and even a reluctant handing over of the presidency can be adduced: not being right in the head. But remember he got the highest number of votes of any defeated presidential contender. He is also backed by hordes of white Americans and Republican Senators. He is such a contrast to Biden. Obama is a diamond to this clump of coal while John Kennedy and Bill Clinton glisten in spite of their minor flaws. To me the greatest of our times, barring Obama, is Jimmy Carter. He was no outstanding president, but his humanity shone forth. Of the five living U.S. presidents, Carter is the longest-lived president, the longest-retired president, the first to live 40 years after his inauguration, and the first to live beyond the age of 95. He and Rosalyn celebrated their 74 years of devoted marriage on July 7, 2020.
He was not known very well beyond the State of Georgia when he came forward as Democratic contender against Gerald Ford, but served well as 39th Prez from 1977-81. He was the man with most heart and continued after retirement to work in social projects. His greatest achievement is co-founding the Carter Center advocating human rights for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.
Sites in Atlanta
I have a son living in Atlanta, Georgia, so would spend holidays with him. While he worked I went around, spending hours in the Carter Center, libraries and the small museum in the ground floor of the house down Peach Tree Street where in the basement, Margaret Mitchell wrote her one and only novel, a best seller for all time no sooner it was out. My son’s flat is bang opposite Fox Theatre but the film of Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind was first screened in another cinema. However the hotel where Clarke Gable and other stars stayed for the grand opening night is adjacent.
Seeing the 39th President
Imagine the wonder of what my son did during one of my holidays with him.
“Would you like to go to Plains and see and hear Jimmy Carter in the Baptist church there?”
Wouldn’t I just love it! It was a weekend when the Prez and wife were to be in Plains and one had to reserve seats in the Maranatha Baptist church on-line. So on a Sunday in September 2008, we attended Sunday School conducted by the President (even ex-presidents of the US are addressed as president).
A friend of the Carters first laid out detailed do-s and don’t-s in a friendly manner; following specified protocols was important. The main section in the church was reserved for visitors while the pews on either side were occupied by neighbourhood congregation; the well groomed women ‘Steel Magnolias’ in their elegant hats. Carter and wife walked in and he took his place below the simple alter. He said he and Rosalyn had returned from building houses in Africa. Then he got down to the business of the day, first asking those out of State to indicate themselves. Egged on by persons seated near us, I did so and said, “Out of country – Sri Lanka.”
His welcome was warm and he added, “We are saddened by the fighting over there in your island home. We pray for your country.” More surprising was when we were allowed to take photographs with the First Couple. We had been instructed not to speak to either, not to thank him, not to wish him, but just get the picture taken (which a person did) and move aside since so many wanted to do this. When my son and I went beside the couple, Carter spoke to me: (Surprise! Surprise!) “You are from Sri Lanka. Beautiful island. We wish you well and the country.” I had to thank him didn’t I, notwithstanding strictures? I wasn’t wearing sari. Maybe my brown skin was the telltale clue for recognition.
James Earl Carter Jr. was born on October 1, 1924 to peanut farmer Earl Carter and Lillian of Peace Corps to India fame. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1946 with a BSc degree and joined the US Navy, where he served in submarines. His father died in 1953 and Carter left his naval career and returned home to take up the reins of his family’s peanut-growing business. Carter inherited comparatively little due to his father’s forgiveness of debts and the division of the estate among the children. His sister took him on a blind date and he fell in love with his partner of the foursome, Rosalyn Smith and married her in 1946 and had three sons and Amy. They were 21 and 18 years of age when they married.
He joined the Democratic Party and rose to serve as a Georgia State Senator from 1963 to 1967 and as the 76th Governor from 1971 to 75. He opposed the political climate of racial segregation and supported the growing civil rights movement. An interesting tale resides here. When his mother was nogt around, the child Jimmy was cared for by a black sharecropper’s wife – Mrs Rachel Clarke. Carter admits she was one of the strongest influences in his life.
Preserved sites in Plains, Carter’s home included
The high school which he and Rosalyn attended; the farm in which he grew up; the hospital where his mother was a nurse and the small railway station that was the headquarters of his presidential campaign are now preserved sites under the aegis of the American National Park Service. The high school is a Jimmy Carter museum.
After the Sunday School service, my son drove me to Carter’s family farm. Pictures and voice presentations (Carter’s voice describing rooms in the house and the adjoining store) give the visitor a very clear picture of the life he led in his father’s 350 acre farm — extremely tough and necessitating long hours working behind a plough or gathering produce. They ran a store and invariably people wanting oil, sugar, flour or whatever would arrive during the time the Carters were at lunch. It was Jimmy who interrupted his meal to attend to the sale.
The impression that comes across is that of the closely knit family of two boys and two girls; very religious and almost uptight in upbringing. His father bought a radio when radios were luxuries and thus often, the house verandah would be full of neighbours come over to listen to some important news or speech. (All Southern houses have these open verandahs to beat the summer heat, with rockers and a swing). The toilet was converted to a water closet when Jimmy was a teenager, and still to be seen was a suspended bucket with holes in its bottom and a tap above which made do for their shower.
Plains had only one eatery naming itself Mother’s Diner. The Carters are supposed to be frequent visitors, though the food is limited in scope. Cheap though. They have built a far from sumptuous house close to the farm, where they live with guards around when they visit Plains. We peeped in as we passed the closed gate.
We stayed the weekend in The Plains Historic Inn and Antiques, exquisitely quaint, capturing in full measure the spirit, tone and atmosphere of this tiny Southern American city which incredibly threw up a president of the United States. The inn has seven theme rooms above the hall which displays and sells antiques, local crafts and books by and of the Carters. Each room was furnished in the style of a decade of Carter’s life, from the 1920s through the 1980s. For instance, the ’60s room has its bed, sofa, writing table and even bathroom fixtures in the 1960s style, posh though. LIFE magazines of the decade are on the bedside table and two books of the 60’s era. Prominently placed on the double bed was a wooden tray with two packets of peanuts, the major product of Plains. The breakfast area, where cereal, fruit juice, cookies and fruit are available for guests to help themselves to when they please, leads to a large verandah with rockers. It was sheer magic sitting out with a brilliant half moon above, or even in the afternoon, overlooking a lovely garden and the railway line and its quaint station which is now of historic interest, having been the headquarters of Carter’s presidential bid. The headquarters of Habitat for Humanity International is close by, so also the Andersonville Civil War Village, which too is a national historic site.
Carter quotes
Jimmy Carter has thirty books authored by him, apart from articles et al. Here are a couple of what he has said, pertinent to now; maybe said before the latest disgraceful calamity.
“I’ll never tell a lie. I’ll never make a misleading statement. I’ll never betray the confidence that any of you had in me. And I’ll never avoid a controversial issue.”
“Republicans are men of narrow vision, who are afraid of the future.”
“We’ve become now an oligarchy instead of a democracy. I think that’s done the worst damage to the basic moral and ethical standards of the American political system ever seen in my life.”
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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