Features
Wide-ranging plans to sharpen SL’s dpl thrust politically & economically: – Colombage
by Sujeeva Nivunhella
Foreign Secretary Admiral Prof. Jayanath Colombage says that Sri Lanka will not agree to the special mechanism imposed by the UN Human Rights Commission yet will implement solutions as far as practically possible.
In a zoom interview with the Sunday Island Admiral Colombage said President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has given him clear instructions not to give extensions to diplomats beyond three years. He also said our missions abroad will focus more on economic diplomacy from this year.
Excerpts of the interview:
Q: Are we still following the Non-Aligned line?
A: Yes, of course. We never came out of that. We are a non-aligned country, but due to geopolitical power play taking place in the Indian Ocean, we will have to maintain neutrality. We are not taking sides with any country to compete with another.
Q: But could one say that we are more inclines to China?
A: We engage in a large number of investment and business projects with China. At the same time, we do business with India, America, Japan, Korea, Australia and other European countries. All those investment projects compromise neither our security nor sovereignty. Right now, we need much more investment and currently, it is China that invests heavily. Some countries might think that China would exploit us, but it is up to us not to allow any country to exploit us strategically especially on a war-footing.
Q: Do you think that China’s is helping us to simply draw us into a debt trap?
A: I cannot comment on what the strategic objectives of another country are. However, we have lost about 10 billion US dollars due to the decline of the tourism industry for the last two years as an outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic. Right now, our main priority is to attract investments. Therefore, we must get help from any party willing to invest in our country.
Q: Do you think that due to our strategic location, America and India also want to keep a foothold here?
A: Yes, the whole world knows that Sri Lanka is located at a strategically important point on the Indian Ocean. The busiest maritime trade route across the Indian Ocean is only 12 nautical miles away from us. Owing to this, Sri Lanka is important to all the major and aspiring major powers in the Indian Ocean. I believe we need to use this attraction to our advantage and gain investments from as many countries as possible.
Q: Recently, you have closed down Embassies in Nigeria and Cyprus and the Consulate in Frankfurt. We know that there are large numbers of Sri Lankan workers in Cyprus and it was reported that they are facing difficulties due to the closure of the Embassy?
A: It was in 2013 when we did the last appraisal of our embassies. By 2021, we have got 67 overseas missions. It is not easy for a small country like us to maintain as many as 67 Missions, especially in view of the current economic situation in Sri Lanka. Other than the three Missions you mentioned we have also closed our Mission in Afghanistan due to some security concerns. Regarding the Embassy in Cyprus, there are over 6,000 Sri Lankans working in Cyprus and we get a substantial income from them. We are soon going to open an Honorary Consul General Office and our people will have access to the same service they used to.
Q: When we talk about our Foreign Service, it is quite unfortunate that the general public’s opinion tends to be that these diplomats only travel abroad to get their children foreign education or just to enjoy a trip overseas. What are your thoughts on this?
A: It is not a fair judgment. There may be one or two people in that category. However, all others are working very hard. I am very proud of their work. During the height of the pandemic, our officers in the foreign Missions worked tirelessly to secure COVID vaccines for Sri Lanka and to send stranded Lankans back home. Also, they managed to collect aid for us from the diaspora communities and wealthy people living in affluent countries and more importantly representing Sri Lanka at various multilateral fora safeguarding Sri Lanka’s national interests.
To stop malpractices, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has given me clear instructions not to allow extensions to any diplomatic officer beyond three years. I found that some officers were out of the country for over nine/10 years having taken cross-postings.
The President believes that if an officer does not return and work in Sri Lanka, he or she would not be able to get a clear picture of the country’s situation.
Accordingly, I have implemented the instructions with an efficacy rate of 99 percent so far. Some high-ranking diplomatic officers, especially those working in western countries are requesting extensions, but I regret my inability to allow that. There was a misconception that Missions in western countries are the best. In our view, countries close to our country are the most important. We will have a proper rotation pattern.
Q: Even after 73 years of independence, we are still a developing country.
Economy wise we are in a very bad state. How can our foreign missions help improve the country’s situation?
A: We are not a nation that accepts defeat easily. We managed to survive during and after 30-years of war and overcame the Tsunami disaster by uniting as one country. We have had a beating on our economy because of COVID 19. We were hard hit by the lack of remittances from our overseas workers and the adverse effects on the tourism sector.
We are very good with international political diplomacy, but from this year, we will pay more attention to economic diplomacy. For example, sometimes, I am rather intrigued as to whether the High Commissioners and Ambassadors working in Sri Lanka are businessmen. They always talk about an investment or a business. So, we instructed our diplomats to secure more investments to Sri Lanka and also to expand our export basket. We cannot only rely on tea, rubber and coconut anymore.
Q: After Brexit, Britain is fast signing Free Trade Agreements with non-EU countries. Is this not the best time for us to sign an FTA with Britain?
A: It is Foreign Minister G.L. Peiris’ view that we should sign Free Trade Agreements (FTA). We do not even have an FTA with China. After signing the FTA with Singapore, some parties were fearful of whether other countries would take our jobs, whether they will dump their waste on us and so on. We cannot keep taking loans from China, India and Bangladesh forever. My belief is that in the future we must have FTAs with other countries and build a strong business consortium.
Q: In a recent interview with the Sunday Island, MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam stated that overseas Tamils have money and they could help develop Sri Lanka in five years. We can see that the Tamil diaspora have a substantial amount of wealth. Are you not prepared to have a dialogue with them?
Definitely, we certainly want to engage with all Sri Lanka diaspora groups. Even the President is planning to have an audience with Sri Lankan expatriate groups and invite them to come and invest in Sri Lanka. Lord Ahmad who visited Sri Lanka recently also discussed the importance of getting the Sri Lanka diaspora engaged and we requested him to mediate.
It is important that we unite and should not divide ourselves into Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim and Burgher diasporas separately. It should be one Sri Lankan diaspora. I expect our Missions abroad to bring them together and currently, our High Commissioner in Ottawa is doing that.
There is a misconception that if a Tamil expatriate returns to Sri Lanka he would face problems. There is no such danger. Even a member of TGTE came to Sri Lanka recently and he had the freedom to go anywhere in the country and go back. It is the duty of the Sri Lankan diaspora communities to invest in Sri Lanka and help the country.
Q: My Tamil friends say that they have no means to communicate with the government. Are you happy to meet with the Tamil people living in the UK?
A: Definitely. If you can organize it, we are happy to meet with them anywhere or I would like to welcome them to Sri Lanka for a discussion.
Q: Lord Ahmad visited Sri Lanka recently to sign a MOU with regard to health service workers. What I have noticed this time was that he did not blame Sri Lanka on human rights conduct.
A: Our Foreign Minister and the Foreign Service worked hard to show the world the amount of work carried out by us to facilitate the reconciliation process. I am proud to say that we are winning the battle. We do not give empty promises anymore and we show the world what we have done so far to address the problem. We don’t want only to talk about missing persons anymore. We intend to identify them and compensate. If we find any person that could not reclaim his or her land we want to sort it out expeditiously.
I am happy to announce that the amendments for the Prevention of
Terrorism Act are being made now. The Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Defense and the Chamber of the Attorney General are working closely together to find solutions. The President is planninsg to have discussions with the TNA soon. We should meet in Sri Lanka and sort out whatever remaining problems we have.
Right now, we are arguing our cases in Geneva or in New York. I am happy to quote Lord Ahmad’s remarks to the effect that they only expect ‘pragmatic and practical solutions to the ongoing problems. We implement solutions as far as practically possible. We do not want any foreign power to set up any special mechanism and argue the case. We will not agree to the special mechanism imposed by the Human Rights Commission.
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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