Features
Zeitgeist and extremism often overlap
by Kumar David
“We learn from history that we do not learn from history” – Hegel
The term extremism in modern usage is associated with intolerance, violence and hatred of “others”. This is the sense in which it is used when referring to ISIS – jihadism – white-supremacists in America (Alt-Right, KKK) and what is called Sinhala-Buddhist racism. Minority community intolerance is equally abhorrent. This is a usage with which leftists and liberals are familiar. A different broader phenomenon is appreciation of one’s cultural heritage and the accomplishments of forbearers. Archaeologists, ethnographers (Paranavitarana), historians (GC Mendis, Leslie G’wardena), writers/dramatists (Martin W’icks and Sarachchandra) who exult in the glories and the miscarriages of the past are custodians of culture without a trace of irrational nationalism; they are free of hostility to the “other”. Zeitgeist, or spirit and mood of the times reflected in the thoughts of a community, is an interesting term. It denotes a trait that all human societies manifest. But then isn’t Nazism a manifestation of spirit and mood of Germany and of the German people in the 1930s?
So the zeitgeist of an epoch can also be a dreadful thing. Contrast the renowned intellectuals I just adverted to with, say, Gunadasa Amarasekara, Nalin de Silva and Sarath Weerasekara all tokens of the zeitgeist of this unhappy moment. The preferential votes cast for Weerasekara 328,092, Weerawansa 267,084 and Gammanpila 136,331, in the Colombo District in 2020 denote a depraved extremist zeitgeist that overcame our people at that time. Gandhi said “If there is an idiot in power, it means those who elected him are well represented”. Victor Ivan in July 2021 says: “The dream implanted in Sinhala Buddhists was that the journey to utopian Sinhala Buddhism will peak after the victory of the 2019 Presidential and the 2020 Parliamentary elections. Instead of utopia what they have got is dystopia; a failed state, stinking, degenerated, corrupt and bankrupt”. Since my readers are well-versed in the story of this Island let me focus this column on the outside world.
Would it surprise you to learn that Woodrow Wilson, a great American president to some, was a racist? Don’t believe me; ask the students at Princeton where he was President from 1902 to 1910. They are demanding erasure of his name. See “The Racist Legacy of Woodrow Wilson” by Dick Lehr, Atlantic 27 November 2015 (web https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/11/wilson-legacy-racism/417549), and “Woodrow Wilson was extremely racist — even by the standards of his time” by Dylan Matthews: (https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2015/11/20/9766896/woodrow-wilson-racist).
This is all well-known among American intellectuals. Was Woodrow Wilson a racist even beyond the zeitgeist of his times? My unequivocal answer is yes. On the other hand what about Justice Wigneswaran former Chief Minister of the Northern Province who believes that Tamil is the oldest language in the world (in his reckoning oldness equates to goodness as with mouldy cheese and Premier Crux wine)? He considers all things Tamilian the apogee of civilisation. I am inclined to call this zeitgeist, which brings a rush of blood to some Tamilian veins, harmless crankiness not pernicious extremism (some of you understandably may disagree).
Zeitgeist is an infrequently used term and I would have preferred to avoid it, but there is no adequate and plain substitute. It was coined in the 1830s from the German words Zeit meaning “time” and Geist meaning “spirit” to illuminate the poetry of J.G. Herder and the discourses of G.F.W. Hegel, though to the best of my knowledge neither used the term. Herder’s intellectual influence is immense, much more than recognised these days:
See: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/herder/
Matthew Arnold used it in 1848 to denote the social anxiety of Victorian England, but it was Tolstoy’s boringly long discourse in the closing section of War and Peace that put the concept (not the word) into the intellectual vocabulary. Tolstoy rejected the Great Man Theory of Leadership and held that leaders and the features they exhibited were products of social circumstances of the time and conjuncture in which they lived. Hence zeitgeist came to be understood as the intellectual, cultural, and moral climate of a period – the spirit of an age; the collective outlook of a period and a people. The word ethos is unsuitable because it is more long-lived, culture means something else and consciousness is too politically focussed; hence I plummet for zeitgeist in this essay.
Nationalism is the potent intellectual vehicle that lubricated the material forces of commerce, industry and the market in the creation of modern nation states from about the time of the English Revolution of the 1640s (or 1688 if you prefer). This is not a history column so no ways can I find another 1,000 words to expand on this theme so I will limit myself to one general comment and one example. The comment: Broadly speaking and in the context of the epoch spanning the period from the mid 17th to the mid 20th Century, nationalism has often been a positive nation building force – exceptions of course are numerous.
The example I have picked is the Turkey that Kemal Ataturk and the “Young Turks” crafted in Anatolia on the rubble of the Ottoman Empire after WWI. Nationalism was the intellectual glue that cemented a modernised, emancipated, westernised and secular Turkish nation-state which still holds together, Erdogan’s Islamic illiberal-ism and despotic efforts notwithstanding. But even within that progressive zeitgeist there was much murderous ultra-nationalist extremism. I am referring to the genocide of Armenians domiciled in the Anatolian peninsula and the ruthless suppression of the Kurdish people. Did you know that the words Kurds and Kurdistan were banned by the government for a long time, and that it is still illegal to use Kurdish as a language of instruction in private and public schools? Those who demand use of more Kurdish are branded as terrorists – wonder whether Sarath Weerasekara had his early training in Ankara? Some 30,000 Kurds have been killed since the 1930s in suppressing protests and uprisings, Kurdish villages have been set on fire by the army and many attempts made to starve the Kurds. [En passant, did you know that the great warrior sultan Saladin (Salah ad-Din) was a Kurd not an Arab?] So you see even in the case of Kemalist Turkey, the kit-bag of even modern, progressive, secular nationalism overflows with the remains of human cadavers.
The intellectual classes of Sri Lanka especially the English educated, and English proficient in the majority, despise Sinhala-Buddhist Nationalism (SBN) – also Tamil and Muslim nationalism. But the local scene is an aside in today’s column. Where does the red-line fall between healthy SBN (nationalism that as in Kemalist Turkey denote integration, social fitness and economic well-being) on one side and extremism (the more the blood, monks and thugs on the street now, the richer the electoral harvest next), on the other? Zeitgeist can be a token of society’s values and mores or it can an accessory to conflict. Consider the 2013 Utter Pradesh riots (Muzaffarnagar and Kairana) in India, one of more than 100 outbreaks of communal rioting since the Armageddon of Partition (just web-search “Religious riots in Independent India”). Modi’s role was no less depraved than JR’s in the 1983 Black July carnage.
Across Asia and Africa murder and mayhem, rape, arson and genocide are recurrent. Alt-Right racism is on the rise, globally. The simple answer to the red-line question is “Do not seek it in erudite theory, seek in in practical events”. And another part of the answer is that in the May 2014 elections Modi’s BJP won 71 of 80 seats in UP. For the first time in the history of Independent India, UP a 200 million population state with 31 million Muslims, did not send a single Muslim to the Lok Sabha! It is a First Past the Post system and the BJP secured a mere 42% of the poll. The Zeitgeist of Hindu culture flows as smoothly as the Ganges into Hindutva, the bedrock of anti-Muslim confessional extremism. If you say that the mythical Rama was probably a village thug in a remote hamlet in UP you are inviting a lynching.
A significant convergence of zeitgeist and extremism is Alt-Right in the USA. A great deal has been said about polarisation in America so I can keep it brief with quotes from two of Alt-Right’s most noted theoreticians, Richard Spencer and Jarred Taylor. From Spencer, the suave populist and the ever well-spoken and smart populist, I offer you: “Race, culture, ethnicity and religion are the most real things”, “We don’t want to be, nor should we be one country”, “The ideal of a white ethno-state is a grand goal” and “Black athletes are not a part of white identity. I would ban (American) football”. Taylor, the intellectual-theoretical voice of the movement and the organiser of the American Renaissance Conference, theorises about: “The rise of white consciousness”, “The right of whites to defend their specific interests” and complains that “Whites are the only Americans not allowed to be proud of who we are”. This zeitgeist percolated into burning torches in the Charlottesville August 2017 white-supremacist riots
A visit by European Alt-Right leaders to Kashmir highlights the solidarity of the all these movements. In October 2019, 23 Members of the European Parliament’s (MEP) far-right visited Kashmir, two months after India usurped the state’s autonomous status. They included MEPs from France’s National Rally (National Front) and Germany’s Alternative für Deutschland. They had been granted access to Kashmir though foreign journalists and Indian politicians were barred and the Modi government imposed an internet shutdown.
I must not overstate my case. The zeitgeist of a nation or of a people can be about things that do not overlap ethno-politics. It can be about how things are done, food, clothing, and of culture as repository of a social totality. What’ is the zeitgeist of Iceland for example? My friend Jayantha is going berserk after someone sent him a video from the Icelandic Government saying it will pay single men to come, live there and cohabit with its gorgeous women (Wow the pictures! Wow the wenches!) And free beers too! All lies; otherwise my cousin Prem would be packing his bags to join J.
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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