Features
Horse Racing in Sri Lanka
by Vijaya Chandrasoma
In October of 1987, the government agreed to a visit by a team from the New Zealand Export Import Corporation, to explore the possibilities of the resumption and development of horse racing and breeding in Sri Lanka. Horse racing was a popular sport in Sri Lanka during the 1950s, with a beautiful race course in the heart of Colombo. The Sport of Kings had all but disappeared from the Sri Lankan scene with the banning of the importation of racehorses and laws against gambling imposed by the nationalist purists of the then SLFP government. Laws that were observed in the breach in all other forms of gambling as long as these political hypocrites were duly and handsomely compensated.
Our neighbors, India has a well-established racing and breeding industry, with stallions imported from all over the world. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, did not breed horses, and horse racing was conducted using only imported horses. With the foreign exchange crisis of the late 1950s, the import of racehorses was prohibited, and horse racing in Colombo died a natural death. A very poor standard of pony racing continued during the “April Season” in Nuwara Eliya, when the elite in Colombo escaped the extreme heat to vacation for a couple of weeks in the year-long Spring climate of the hill country. The Nuwara Eliya racecourse provided a backdrop to the exhibition of dresses worn by Colombo’s ageing socialites, failing miserably in their efforts to emulate the fashions of Royal Ascot.
The tour of the New Zealand team was referred to the Ministry of Lands and Land Development, which included Mahaweli Authority. Minister Dissanayake chose me to liaise with the New Zealand team. Not a difficult choice, because I had an almost encyclopedic knowledge of British horse racing and race courses, knowledge gained at the cost of dissipation of family wealth which continues to the present day.
The New Zealanders visited Nuwara Eliya, which boasted a racecourse in a beautiful environment in the heart of the town, but sadly lacking in the basic amenities essential to the operation of a successful race course. Facilities like ample barns for trainers to house their strings of horses, breeding sheds, training tracks and a modern totalizator. Whether it had the potential for transformation into even an average racecourse acceptable to international horse racing aficionados was debatable.
However, the Mahaweli Authority had identified a piece of land near Katana, on the west coast of Colombo about five miles north of the international airport. The land was ideally suited for the construction of a first class, New Zealand/American style of a flat, dirt track with a circuit of about one mile. These types of flat dirt racecourses are the norm in the world today, and they have adjacent flat grass courses to be used a few races per week. These courses are sadly lacking in the beauty of the classic racecourses in England and France, like Epsom and Ascot in England and Longchamps and Chantilly in France. These beautiful exclusively grass courses are contoured to the undulations of the land, with tracks of manicured grass. The huge disadvantage to these grass topped courses is that a race meeting cannot last for more than five days, tops, as the grass gets cut up by the constant battering of the hooves of the horses six, sometimes eight races a day. So each grass track runs about six meetings per year at intervals used to repair the damaged grass. Dirt tracks, on the other hand, can be used for months on end, and have become increasingly popular over the years. Katana was planned to be such a dirt track, with an adjacent grass track to be used sparingly, with elaborate stands and totalizators to be built for the spectators.
New Zealand, though of the same physical size as the United Kingdom, has a population of about five million, compared to the U.K.’s population of over 60 million. However, the number of race tracks in each country is about the same, New Zealand with over 50 racecourses to the U.K.’s 60.
New Zealand has a glut of racehorses, stallions, broodmares they are desperate to export to developing nations. They also have a sophisticated totalizator software industry which they can also trade as a sine qua non for the development of a racing industry in Sri Lanka.
What they did not know was that their project was dead in the water from the outset. There was no way the Sri Lankan government would get involved in the development of a horse racing industry in the middle of an ethnic war. Minister Dissanayake perhaps thought that it was a project that could be looked into after the end of the ethnic hostilities. No one could predict that it would take 20+ years of terror and violence to reach the final conclusion of the war.
However, in spite of the continuing ethnic violence, the New Zealanders left Sri Lanka with high hopes. A few weeks after their visit, we received an invitation from the Export Import Corporation of New Zealand for a representative of the Authority to visit New Zealand, to study the resources they possessed to develop the industry in Sri Lanka. In their letter of invitation, they had mentioned me by name as the person they thought most likely to be of mutual benefit from such a tour, as they had been impressed by my knowledge of the subject. While I discussed with the Minister the futility of the tour as there was absolutely no chance of the project reaching fruition in the immediate future, I was hopeful for his ultimate approval of the invitation, as it would not cost the Sri Lankan government a penny. All expenses were to be hosted by the New Zealand government.
So my dream of the ultimate working holiday came true. I traveled via Singapore to Wellington, where I was accommodated in the corner suite at a Hyatt in downtown Wellington.
Our job was to thrash out a proposal for the introduction of a horse racing and breeding industry in Sri Lanka. I was really impressed with the work habits of my New Zealand counterparts. A car picked me up from my hotel at 7.45 a.m. and we were on the job in the Conference Room of the Corporation, working on the terms of the proposal to be submitted to government of Sri Lanka. We worked solid till about 1.00 p.m., repaired for a boozy lunch. My New Zealand counterparts returned to the office to check on any urgent developments and faxes, and then called it a day. Now that’s a workday that will appeal to everyone,
New Zealand also proposed to import into Sri Lanka brood mares and stallions to start off a breeding program, based initially in Nuwara Eliya, ultimately moving to Katana, when that facility was ready for operations. They provided blueprints for the racecourse, stands and the ancillary facilities necessary for a first class horseracing and Totalizator operation. Finances were not discussed in detail. These would follow after the Cabinet of Sri Lanka’s government approved the project on principle.
The New Zealanders were excellent hosts, and on the evenings they did not have plans for me to visit some of the tracks in the environs of Wellington, notably the world class Trentham racecourse, they wined and dined me in great style in their homes.
We also took a plane to Auckland, where we spent two days touring the racecourses in Auckland and training facilities available in that city. My hosts had decided to travel back to Wellington by road, a 400-mile drive, stopping en route at Rotorua, where we visited a horse trainer’s facility, including the breeding shed. I was privileged to watch a stallion mating with a broodmare in the shed. Sadly, the whole operation lasted under a minute, and the mare gave a kick of frustration to the stomach of the stallion as he was dismounting her. Slam, bang, thank you, ma’am. Some things never change, no matter the species.
After two of the most enjoyable weeks I had spent in my life, I was ready to return, armed with the formal proposal to be submitted to our government. I had decided to change the routing of my return journey to take in stopovers at Melbourne and Bangkok. I had friends in Melbourne, and really enjoyed myself in their company for a few days in that beautiful city.
I had second thoughts about Bangkok, though. The only extramarital sex I have ever had was listening, ears pricked, to the sexual adventures of friends who had spent time in Bangkok. My ex-wife was also aware of the reputed lewd attractions of the city which had special appeal to dirty old men. If I had spent a couple of days in Bangkok, the suspicion of bad behavior would never fade, even had my actions been pristine. So I made one of the few intelligent decisions of my life, canceled the detour to Bangkok, and returned to Colombo on the direct Melbourne to Colombo Qantas flight. I was even able to buy my ex-wife a nice gift with the money I had planned to spend “sightseeing” in Bangkok.
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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