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TRUMP: I COULD WIN CALIFORNIA AND NEW YORK IF JESUS – AND – GOD WOULD COME DOWN AS “ELECTION SCOREKEEPERS”

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THE GREAT PROJECTOR

by Vijaya Chandrasoma

“The Great Dictator” (1940), the anti-war political satire, was the first black and white “talkie”, written, directed by and starring the incomparable Charlie Chaplin. Acclaimed as one of the greatest political satires/comedies ever made, it was based on a condemnation of Hitler and Mussolini, and their policies of authoritarianism and anti-Semitism that led to World War II.

Chaplin’s movie had a complementary ideological theme to George Orwell’s 1949 dystopian novel and cautionary tale, “1984”, which predicted what could happen if governments are allowed to manipulate facts to suit their narrative, providing an insight into the fearful choice faced by citizens living under an oppressive regime.

The Germans faced such a choice between authoritarianism and democracy in the 1930s. A choice they made based on the lies of a bigoted monster, Hitler, who, manipulating their patriotism, convinced them that Jews, the real enemy, had been planning the destruction of Germany since World War I. He persuaded them that The Final Solution, the genocide of Germany’s entire Jewish population, deemed to be vermin of impure blood, was the only answer. It was supposed to be an act of self-defense to preserve the glorious destiny of the Fatherland, the Master Race of Europe. The end, they were told, as savagely cruel as it was, justified the means. The tragedy is that many decent Germans pretended to be unaware of the horrors unfolding before their eyes.

Chaplin’s film was released in 1940, when the United States was at peace with Nazi Germany; a time when there was a wave of anti-Semitism in America, in accord with Hitler’s belief that Jews presented a threat to world peace and prosperity.

A fickle summary of the storyline of “The Great Dictator”, is used to draw a parallel with the Germany of the 1930s, and the imminent threat faced by America in 2024.

Chaplin, played the role of a lowly Jewish barber, known throughout the movie as The Barber. He bore a strong physical resemblance to Adenoid Hynkel (Adolf Hitler), the dictator of the imaginary fascist nation of Tomainia (Germany), also played by Chaplin. Hynkel, in collusion with Benzino Napaloni (Benito Mussolini), Dictator of Bacteria (Italy), was ruthlessly persecuting the Jews in Europe.

The climax of a complicated plot featured The Barber, impersonating Hynkel, making an impassioned speech to an adoring crowd of Hynkel supporters, announcing he had a change of heart. He exhorted his soldiers to shed their evil, murderous ways and fight for liberty, uniting Tomainia in the name of democracy.

Speaking as Hynkel, The Barber concluded his masterly epilogue thus:

“Then, in the name of democracy, let us use that power, let us all unite. Let us fight for a new world….To do away with national barriers, with greed, with hate and intolerance….Soldiers! In the name of democracy, let us all unite!”

That epilogue changed the course of Tomanian history. Hynkel supporters realized the dangers of the path they were treading. Forsaking the evil machinations of Dictator Hynkel, Tomainia continued to live in peace and harmony with all its citizens and neighbors.

The last scene in the movie shows Hannah, The Barber’s girlfriend, listening to his message of hope on the radio, saying that “The soul of man has been given wings, and at last he is beginning to fly. He is flying onto the rainbow, into the light of hope, into the future, the glorious future, that belongs to you, to me, and to all of us”. The film reaches its dramatic climax after the epilogue, when Hannah turns towards the brilliant sunlight, and says, “Listen”.

Unfortunately, the Germans didn’t listen. They made the wrong choice, believing the words of a bigoted madman, Hitler, plunging the world into the most violent military conflict in human history, a war that claimed the lives of 20 million combatants and at least 40 million civilians, including the genocide of six million Jews in Nazi gas chambers.

Today, we have a situation in the United States of America approaching the same choice that the mythical Tomainians faced in the 1930s. A situation where we, alas, have no Trump look-alike who can, like The Barber did in Tomainia, impersonate our own bigoted madman and save American democracy.

Wait! There’s hope. We may not need a look-alike or an impersonator. There’s every chance that Trump may destroy himself, at the rate he seems to be speeding towards lunacy/dementia, considering the nutjob nonsense he has been spewing recently. Like Jesus counting his votes! The day Jesus descends to earth, that’s the day Trump goes straight down to hell!

Seriously, though, this is not some drama-filled hyperbole predicting that the choice awaiting Americans next year will either see the continuation of our Great Experiment of Democracy, or plunge our society into the chaos that would have been the fate of the German people had Hitler prevailed in WW II. It’s just the plain, unadulterated truth.

(For aficionados of historical coincidences, Friedrich Trump, born in the Kingdom of Bavaria in Germany in 1869, was the patriarch of the Trump family, The Donald’s paternal grandfather. Born of humble stock, Friedrich too worked as a barber in Munich. He spread the lie that he was related to the Wittelsbach Dynasty, who ruled Bavaria at that time. He repeated this lie so often that his peers believed it, though the fact that he was as dumb as a rock, the village idiot, belied his claims to royalty. And even more coincidentally, he was exiled for the crime of dodging the military draft (bone spurs?) by the Bavarian government, and made his home in New York in the late 1880s.

Friedrich’s genius for transforming a lie into the truth, his cowardice in refusing to serve his country and his monumental stupidity have been the hallmarks of the Trump Dynasty, traits inherited in generous measure by The Donald).

Donald Trump won the presidency in 2016, exploiting the fears of the Christian white majority in the USA of rapid changes in the demographics of the nation, caused by the influx of legal and illegal immigrants, people of color, especially Latin Americans. These dark-skinned aliens are predicted to form the majority of America’s population by 2050, with the resultant erosion of privilege white Americans had enjoyed for centuries.

I am not going to detail the disastrous four years of the Trump administration; his tax cuts of $1.7 trillion which benefited only the super-wealthy; his immigration policies based on race and religion; his cruel policies of family separation of asylum seekers at the southern border, housed in overcrowded camps devoid of human amenities of hygiene and sustenance; his criminal mismanagement of the pandemic which caused avoidable deaths of over 600,000 Americans; and the economy he left adrift, with an explosive rise in the national debt of almost $7.8 trillion.

Nor am I going to dwell on the multiple felonies that Trump has been arrested and bailed, with a current score of 91 felonies in four separate jurisdictions.

The only fact that continues to amaze me is that, in spite of Trump’s obvious acts of corruption and criminal incompetence during his presidency; and subsequent crimes of fraud, sexual assault, sedition, obstruction of justice and espionage hanging over his head after his defeat in 2020; he still remains the prohibitive favorite for the Republican nomination for the 2024 presidency. The Party of Family Values and the Rule of Law tragically transformed into the modern version of Hitler’s Nazi Brownshirts. Swastikas and all.

But I will, very briefly, touch on recent public statements Trump made, which prove his attitude towards elections and abuse of power, and his evil genius for Projection, the old Nazi trick invented by Hitler’s Propaganda Minister, Joseph Goebbels, “accuse your enemy of the same crimes of which you are guilty”.

Last week, at a rally in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, addressing his Evangelist and white supremacist base, Trump made breathtaking statements about US elections, “that I would win even blue states like California and New York if Jesus Christ – and God – would simply come down and act as a scorekeeper for me”. When asked if he would be a dictator if he is reelected in 2024, he said, “Only for one day. I’ll only abuse power on the first day of my second term”.

And he made a Projection for the ages, almost Orwellian in its manipulative gaslighting, comparing himself to President Biden:

“If Joe Biden wants to make this race (for the presidency) a question of which candidate will defend our democracy and protect our freedoms, I say to Crooked Joe – and he is the most corrupt president we’ve ever had – we will win that fight, and win it very big.

“Joe Biden is not the defender of American democracy. Joe Biden is the destroyer of American democracy”.

These statements were met with with wild applause from his Evangelist and White Supremacist base.

The title of “Crooked, Corrupt Joe” has been bestowed upon President Biden by a convicted felon, arrested and on bail on 91 felonies! The mantle of “Destroyer of American Democracy”, again conferred on Biden by an indicted traitor, arrested and on bail for felonies of inciting an insurrection and espionage, who recently stated that he would terminate the constitution if elected – that’s pretty rich, even for Republicans turned Nazis.

Can Trump’s web of deceit and treachery succeed again? Of course it could, but only if Democrats don’t fight back, or keep fighting in ways that were honorable 20 years ago, but are obsolete now and destined to failure.

Democrats have not as yet realized that times have changed, that deception, lies, violence and death threats are now the new normal of election campaigns. If they continue taking knives to a gunfight, unless they stoop to somewhere near Trump’s level – plummeting to his depths is a human impossibility – and use all the criminal and treasonous ammunition they have against him and the Republican Party, they will be outwitted again, like they were in 2016.

The fourth Republican debate was held last Wednesday, which Donald Trump again did not attend. The participants were four Republican hopefuls who were all a distance behind Trump in the polls. The reason commonly given for Trump’s absence at these debates is that he has this huge lead over all his rivals. My opinion is that if he does attend, Republican candidates like Chris Christie, Nikki Haley, even Ron DeSantis will find the courage to attack Trump on his spectacular character flaws and crimes, even at the risk of antagonizing his base, perhaps gaining the support of moderate Republicans.

These are exactly Trump’s criminal and racist blemishes that Democrats should be shouting from the rooftops. There is no lack of ammunition: Trump’s despicable character, senile vacuity and treasonous crimes, the Republicans’ embrace of the white supremacist fears of the Great Replacement Theory, Abortion Rights and Contraception, Gun Control (especially after the 561st mass shooting in 2023 in Nevada last Wednesday), Voting Rights, Climate Change, LGBTQ rights and Gay Marriage, Taxation, Income and Wealth Inequality, the threat to Obamacare, Student Debt. All these rights and more will be under attack in a radical red MAGA (Make America Great Again) Republican administration.

These dangers to democracy under a Republican administration should be highlighted by every Democratic politician, at every available opportunity. And Democrats should not concentrate on winning just the presidency, they should aim at sweeping both Houses of Congress.

America is on the threshold of a struggle for its democratic life. And many decent Americans, like the Germans nearly a century ago, seem to be unaware of the dangers unfolding before their eyes. As Republican Liz Cheney wrote in her recent bestseller, Oath and Honor, “Americans are sleepwalking towards a dictatorship”.



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The heart-friendly health minister

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Dr. Ramesh Pathirana

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.

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A LOVING TRIBUTE TO JESUIT FR. ALOYSIUS PIERIS ON HIS 90th BIRTHDAY

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Fr. Aloysius Pieris, SJ 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 on Nov. 23, 2019.

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.

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A fairy tale, success or debacle

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Ministers S. Iswaran and Malik Samarawickrama signing the joint statement to launch FTA negotiations. (Picture courtesy IPS)

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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