Features
PATRIARCH OF THE PRESS
by ECB Wijeyesinghe
The Ides of March are coming. Let them come. But before that fateful day, let us eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow, Herbert A. J. Hulugalle (whom God preserve) will celebrate his 81st birthday.
In the kingdom of journalists where Old Mortality takes a premature toll, Hulugalle, who is universally regarded as the grey eminence of the profession, has managed to thumb his nose at the Psalmist and to retain his enthusiasm for life.
When men younger than himself, with the ball-points running dry, are turning to get on the shelf, the Patriarch of the Press is busy at his typewriter rattling off the eventful story of his boyhood in the hamlet off Kurunegala where his father was the President of the Village Tribunal. When Herbert Alexander Jayatilaka was born on March 10, 1899, his grand-uncle, Adigar Hulugalle, summoned the astrologers, as was and is the custom even today among some Christian families. While the wise men conferred and cast his horoscope, they were horrified by the unusual features that appeared to dot the landscape of his life. Judging by the extraordinary position of the planets at his birth, young Herbert was built to defy convention all along the line.
His mother, a very conservative lady from the proud old Rakkawa Seneviratne clan was greatly worried. She was a devout Buddhist and had a little more faith in the occult sciences than her husband who was a Christian. She was a small-made woman who believed in maintaining the traditions of language, race and religion. Her husband was a domineering and sceptical six-footer, who wished to be known as a progressive. While the other people in the village went about in a hackery, Herbert’s father even at that distant period, rode an enormous Harley Davidson.
As President of the Village Tribunal this mode of transport gave him an immediate sense of importance and power even if he could not aspire to be a Dissawa or an Adigar like his uncle. According to his horoscope Herbert was destined to be a cross between Marco Polo, the Italian, and Ibn Batuta, the Arab. He had the characteristics of both men. Together with the inquisitive traveller’s lust for knowledge he had the scholar’s gift of describing his adventures in limpid prose, untouched by journalistic jargon.
HOROSCOPE
For once the astrologers were right. The young man who was groomed to be a Kachcheri clerk, was sent to Trinity College, the nursery of Kandyan chieftains. After a short spell under Fraser and Senior, he proceeded to S. Thomas’ College where he studied Science but narrowly missed the University Scholarship. He was beaten by M. V. del Tufo, the rotund but brilliant son of an Italian lady photographer. Then he took another unexpected step. Instead of building on his scientific foundation to become a doctor, he joined the Law College. He also read widely, and it is recorded that his knowledge of British politics and personalities. for a Ceylon boy fresh from school, was phenomenal.
When he took to journalism it was like the proverbial duck taking to water. Meanwhile he passed out as an Advocate and D. R. Wijewardene, who was just then dreaming of being the Napoleon of the newspaper world made Herbert his aide-de camp. He joined the staff of the Daily News in 1918 when the paper was only a few months old and stuck on patiently for 30 years. For 17 of these tempestuous years he was the Editor of the Daily News. He worked in close association with his Boss and together they moulded and mirrored public opinion until Ceylon attained her political freedom.
After that, of course, he was Ceylon’s first Information Officer and our Envoy in Rome and Athens. He has also written nearly a dozen books covering a wide range of topics, but his two biographies – those of D. R. Wijewardene and D.S. Senanayake – will probably be his most valuable contributions to the history of Ceylon.
EARLY DAYS
When Hulugalle joined the Daily News there was no Editor as such. The clever Jaffna lawyer, A. V. Kulasingham, obliged Wijewardene by sitting in the editorial chair and dictating his leaders to one of the junior members of the staff. Kulasingham was a facile writer, but not a newspaperman in the broadest sense. His sentences, according to Hilaire Jansz, the old Lake House stalwart, marched across and down the column with a certain staid dignity.
One of the things that amused the early inhabitants of the Daily News was the confusion created among people who came to the building and saw Herbert Hulugalle at one desk and Hilaire Jansz at the other. In their youth there was a striking resemblance between the slim Kandyan from Kurunegala and the gaunt Dutch Burgher from Dehiwela. Even their wives would not have been able to tell them apart. Luckily, they were not married at the time.
Both men, however, were endowed with a keen sense of humour and enjoyed the fun at being called the Heavenly Twins or the Dolly Sisters (then the rage in London). Even to Editor S. J. K. Crowther they were like Tweedledum and Tweedledee and he once reprimanded Hilaire for a mistake made by Herbert. Crowther was full of apologies later for not being able to tell the difference between a blue-blooded Kandyan and a red-blooded Dutch burgher.
As the years passed, old Father Time played havoc with Herbert’s head and the resemblance between the two men receded with their hairlines. Crowther left the Daily News in a huff owing to a potty dispute, but he retained the highest respect for Hulugalle who succeeded him as Editor. He even made him one of the executors of his Last Will and Testament.
TRAVELLER
Like the eminent Indian diplomat, K. P. S. Menon, Hulugalle had an irrepressible itch to wander throughout the world. One of the first things he did when he had saved up a little money was to take a slow boat to Palestine and the Isles of Greece whither he went later as Ceylon’s envoy. There was something about the Jews and their way of life that fascinated young Herbert. Perhaps this was partly due to his interest in the Old Testament prophets, but he carried his studies into the modem age and there was not a single Semitic celebrity with whose career he was not familiar.
Once, while roaming about in Syria he got off the train and asked a taxi to take him to Thomas Cook’s. The swarthy driver, with grizzled beard and stained teeth, drove on merrily for a couple of hours before he suddenly applied the brakes and asked Herbert to get down. “Is this Thomas Cook’s?” asked Herbert in mild protest, because there was no office in sight. “Yes, this is Damascus,” growled the driver who had brought him far, far away from his destination. The Arabs pronounce Damascus in the French style and “Damas-coos” can sound very much like Thomas Cook’s when spoken rapidly.
After his visit to the Holy Land and a close study of the Scriptures, it occurred to Herbert that it would be better to marry than to burn. About this time he had the good luck to fall in love with a good woman.
Her grand-father was a millionaire. So was her father at one time. but he had lost a vast fortune owing to a series of unwise investments. It was with a heavy heart that he had to part with his magnificent mansion, Regina Walauwa, in Thurstan Road, to appease some of his creditors.
When Herbert met Lillian.,her father, T. H. A. de Soysa was practically in penury. But the daughter had a heart of gold. Herbert had only a paltry income, but however unconventional and uncomfortable the circumstances, the couple were determined to go through with the wedding. It proved to be a copy-book marriage. Though the stiff-necked friends of both parties were at first inclined to look at it in askance, they have since then had nothing but secret admiration for the pair who defied the dead hand of caste prejudice and raised a family that is the envy of the aristocrats, plutocrats and all the other rats that tried to destroy their happiness.
Unfortunately, one month before their Golden Wedding, Lillian left Herbert in obedience to a higher call, but the fragrance of her life still lingers in her five sons and two daughters to whom she has passed on her sweet and generous nature. As his 81st birthday dawns tomorrow Herbert Hulugalle will rise with the birds to say a little prayer, tend his little garden and write a little note to his sons who are generally dispersed, like the Jews, in the four corners of the world. At present one is in Geneva, the other in Las Vegas, and the third in Stockholm. The fourth is getting ready to go to Kuala Lumpur, while the fifth commutes regularly between London and Colombo.
They are the Rolling Stones that gather the Moss.
(From Men and Memories first published as a newspaper article in 1980)
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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