Features
The turbulent brilliance of “Gia,” world’s first supermodel
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From stardom to shadows, glamour, grit, and a runway tragedy
By Dahami P. Samarathunga
It was the year 2019 and it was one of my habits to visit the local library near my hometown here in Canada whenever I got a chance because, it was one of the quieter places in the city. I remember entering its empty hallways wondering when might have been the last time that someone may have set foot in there because for some reason, though I always felt welcome, there was always a sense of cold and emptiness around the place; as if it has accepted its fate of being unrealized and unnoticed.
During one of my visits, I was intrigued by a title of a book named “Thing of Beauty”, which at first seemed like a romance or some sort of a coming-of-age novel. But I was quite taken aback after carefully going through its faded brown pages with a taped back hardcover realizing it was a biography of “Gia Marie Carangi”, who was once dubbed one the most unstoppable forces in the fashion industry during the late ‘70s and early ‘80’s.
This biography, written by Stephen Fried , who described it as “The tragedy of supermodel Gia”, showing the eerie yet common affiliation between beauty and tragedy in a world which, as some believe, it could often go hand in hand. Gia was widely regarded as the world’s first supermodel, and though some might argue that models such as Twiggy or Janice Dickinson should also deserve to be in the picture, what made Gia such a clear standout seems to be a bit complicated.
She was born in 1960 as the third and youngest child of a family of five in Philadelphia. Her short life on earth resembled elements of a dramedy (drama/tragedy), from success at an early age, skyrocketed to fame, battle with drug addiction and a premature death. In a way, she was like a bird who didn’t really get a chance to spread its wings and fly high for long because it got caught up in the dance of the winds.
Many who knew Gia personally believed her troubled and fractured childhood played a significant role in her addiction and dependence on drugs later in life. As a child, she was often described as a beautiful, but shy girl who was close to her mother. Kathleen Carangi. Gia’s mother, ended her marriage with husband Joe Carangi who was accusing her of being unfaithful and she had enough of his emotional and physical abuse for years.
Many family members believed Gia took the break-up hardest due to her closeness to her mother, having a strained and somewhat difficult relationship with her father. She often said how she felt ignored and unloved by him, as he was always closer to her brothers. ‘I’d try to get his attention and he would reject me by putting me down, making fun of me, teasing me”, she wrote in one of her journals. “He would do this in front of my brothers, I felt like they were better than me and the only difference was they were boys”.
After the separation of their parents, Gia’s elder brothers took their father’s side with Gia being caught up in the middle. Though her father, brothers and family members were quick to put the blame on Kathleen for breaking up the family, Gia was the only one of three children who would still spend time with their mother on weekends when she was only 11-years old.
Gia got her start as a model after a local photographer took a picture of her dancing at a friends’ party in Philadelphia. Shortly after, she began to appear in several local newspaper advertisements, before finally heading for New York at age 17 with the hope of pursuing a career in modeling. Wilhelmina Cooper, a fashion mogul, and a former supermodel took her under her wing and signed her on to “Wilhelmina Models” after being amazed by not only Gia’s beauty, but also her wit and no-nonsense attitude.
After her first major photo-shoot being published in late 1978, Gia quickly became a favourite among many designers and fashion magazines. Vogue described her quick rise to the top of the industry as “meteoric.” She was constantly featured in top fashion magazines such as Vogue and Cosmopolitan throughout late 1970s, and quickly became the face of luxury fashion brands such as “Aramani,” Versace”, “Christian Dior” and many more.
According to Gia, it was all due to not having to deal with any industry ‘vultures.’ “I started working with very good people, I mean all the time, very fast. I wasn’t built into a model, I just sort of became one,” she said.
By age 18, she was earning over 100,000 dollars annually with her modeling, redefining what it meant to be called a ‘supermodel’ at that time. And for a while everything seemed to go in her favour.
In 1980, Wilhelmina unfortunately died of lung cancer, which many believe was what led Gia to use drugs, later leading to severe addiction. Her depression eventually drove her into self-medication (mostly heroin). Wilhelmina was a mentor and mother figure to Gia throughout her career and losing her so suddenly left her heartbroken.
Some of Gia’s colleagues revealed that even though her sudden behavioral changes were noticeable, it was a different culture back then with many young people caught up in the slogan “live fast, die young and have a beautiful corpse.” Her hedonistic lifestyle often included drugs during a time of social, economic, and political upheaval.
Former supermodel Janice Dickinson once revealed her experience working with Gia stating, “she was not a mess like people made her out to be.” She also told a hilarious story on how they first met and started to bond with each other at a Giovanni Versace shoot when she saw Gia’s switchblade knife which she infamously carried around during some of her photo shoots.
Gia was also one of the first openly bisexual models in history. This was certainly brave on her part considering how many others in the industry from that era chose to keep their sexuality under wraps, believing it could potentially hurt their careers in the context of what was then accepted. Shortly after she began using heroin, many designers, magazines, and photographers began to complain of her behaviour, accusing her of being unprofessional. She would often be late to photo shoots and walk out during photo sessions.
But they often had to put up with it as Gia’s popularity showed no signs of waning. However, as time went by, Gia’s addiction was spinning out of control with her eventually developing a reputation as a ‘difficult worker’ in the industry. She was dropped from “Ford Models,” within weeks of being signed on despite her previous success. This sent her career in a downward spiral.
Many in the industry believed she had already blown her chances of remaining at its top as she was later forced to move back with her mother and stepfather in 1981. Even though she was constantly disappearing from home and had gotten into trouble with police a couple of times around then, she was still hopeful of a comeback. Though already blackballed in the modeling scene, interest in her remained due her former glory.
In one of her final television interviews, Gia said she had “a lust for life “and was hopeful about the future despite her addiction.” Though she claimed she had stopped using drugs and was completely clean at the time, it was later revealed to be untrue and affected an attempt to rebuild her somewhat tarnished reputation. However, she did eventually make a comeback in 1982, posing for the cover of “Cosmopolitan” – her last cover appearance for a major American magazine.
An assistants of her longtime collaborator/photographer Francesco Scavullo once mentioned how they felt something was not right saying, “What she was doing to herself finally became apparent in her pictures.”
Gia eventually quit modeling and was admitted to a rehabilitation institution around in 1984. Rob Fay, whom she was close to at Eagleville (Rehab) once said in an interview, “She was different from the other people I met there, she didn’t take any s*** off nobody.” Rob believed Gia had anger towards many things in life because, he knew she was deeply hurt inside. “She stuffed a lot of things down,” he said.
Rob was also one of the very few people who was aware of the sexual abuse she endured in the modeling industry. “She had a rough time with a lot of men in her life. There were times in NY when people just took advantage of her,” he revealed.
Months later Gia, hoping to get back on her feet, decided to move to a new apartment, instead of going back home. She started to apply for regular jobs and was later employed as a salesclerk at a local design store. One of her fellow workers once mentioned how she’d talk about her past occasionally.”She said she had been a model,” he said. “She said she used to be rich but she never said she was a big, famous model.” When her co workers were sirprised upon hearing her revelation, her response was, “Oh, yeah you’d be surprised, but I used to be like this and really beautiful.”
However, by the late 1985, Gia had begun to use heroin again and her condition was getting even worse as she would often go missing for days from her apartment, sometimes involving herself in prostitution to pay for her drugs. She was later admitted to Warminster General Hospital in Pennsylvania to treat symptoms of bilateral pneumonia, which was later revealed to be a complication from the transmission of HIV AIDS, from a contaminated needle due to drug use.
She was again admitted to hospital after being found on the streets severely beaten and raped by a man while she was sleeping outdoors on a mattress in the fall of 1986. She died a month later due to AIDS related complications.
According to her mother, Kathleen, her funeral was a quiet and private one without anyone from the industry
attending. Some of her former colleagues once revealed that most of them in the industry weren’t even aware of her death until much later. The very few who knew about Gia’s condition and demise were upset at her parents not allowing them to visit her at the hospital which made them choose to not attend her funeral.
According to some who were close to Gia in the modeling industry, she had an inherent understanding of how vile the industry could be and knew it wasn’t for the fainthearted. She didn’t seem to care much for the idolatry, praise, and attention she received, because she knew that in the end it was all temporary. But it was no secret that Gia’s short yet impactful career influenced and made significant changes in the modeling industry. It was she who changed the perception of what a super model should look like. Before her, blue-eyed, fresh-faced blondes looking like the girl next door dominated.
But with Gia’s debut in late 1970’s, her dark, melancholic, yet striking features quickly became one of the
most sought after looks in the industry. In late 1980s ‘Elite New York Agency’ signed on an aspiring
young model due to her uncanny resemblance to Gia. This quickly earned her the moniker “Baby Gia”.
She, as Cindy Crawford, later went on to become one of the most iconic models of her era. Cindy once
said in an interview that her resemblance to Gia allowed her to work with many iconic photographers.
“I always kind of feel like I owe a lot to Gia. People loved the way I looked so much like her. It reminded them of her, and that was like an opening like a foot in the door for me.’’ In 1998 Gia’s story was made into a movie, with Angelina Jolie playing the lead role earning her an Emmy nomination.
Gia had unresolved trauma stemming from her troubled childhood, abandonment issues and sexual abuse. “She was also one of those celebrities who met with a tragic end at such an early age.Apart from her battle with personal demons, she was unapologetically herself throughout her careerand this often reflected in her work.”
Iconic photographer Francesco Scavullo once fondly remembered why Gia was always one of his favourite models. “She doesn’t give you the hot look, the cool look, or the cute look,’’ he said. ‘’She strikes sparks, not poses.’’ This could be why almost 38 years after her death, Gia’s imprints, and influence are still persistent in the industry.
Features
The heart-friendly health minister
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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.
Features
A LOVING TRIBUTE TO JESUIT FR. ALOYSIUS PIERIS ON HIS 90th BIRTHDAY
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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.
Features
A fairy tale, success or debacle
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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 . )