Features
Girdling the globe; the Anchor vs. Nespray competition
Sumi Moonesinghe related to Savithri Rodrigo
When I started on my bucket list travels after retirement, one of my most memorable was the European holiday I had with in girls in 2000. Aushi had just graduated and Anarkali decided to take her annual leave. We decided on the little fishing village of Portofino in Italy but given the touristy nature of the village, the hotels within were shockingly pricey. After some research, we settled on a hotel in the next bay area which was far more affordable and within walking distance from Portofino.
We flew from London into Florence, hired a car and drove, to Portofino via Pisa. As Portofino is located on the coastline of the Italian Riviera, the village began attracting affluent tourists, very evident in the large number of super-yachts lined, up in the harbour. There were plenty of seafood restaurants for us to feed our penchant for seafood, and walking about the 16th century fortress was very relaxing.
Each day the girls slept till 11 am, while I took my habitual walk along the beach, popped into an art exhibition or two and did some window shopping. I only peeked into the high-end boutiques, not daring to go inside because they were prohibitively expensive. But I gave into one temptation. I spied a shop selling Frette linen, the creme de la creme of the world’s bedding. I walked in and purchased a set for my bed.
While in Portofino I joined the tour of Cinque Terre, the five-centuries-old seaside village, which was utterly picturesque with its colourful houses, vineyards, trattorias and harbours. I’ll never forget walking along those cobblestone alleys and being fascinated by the absolutely beautiful buildings overhanging the sea.
After a week of this bliss, we drove to Milan Airport and dropped Anarkali off for her flight to London. Aushi and I proceeded to Monaco to meet a friend at the Cafe de Paris ill Monte Carlo, the open-air restaurant in Place du Casino, which is one of my favourite places. We had lunch, drove to the airport, dropped off our car and flew to Paris, staying at Hotel de Crillon. Aushi and I explored Paris for the next few days.
We would window-shop all morning and stopover for a late lunch of salad and afternoon tea in a cafe on Saint Honore. On our walkabouts, I was most upset to discover a Buddha Bar behind our hotel and called my brother-in-law, Mangala Moonesinghe, who was our High Commissioner in London at the time, protesting against this indignity. However, my daughter looked at me and said, “Buddha is a philosopher, not a god. If it was a statue of Da Vinci, would you object?” She had a point.
When I got home after this trip with my prized set of Frette linen, I asked Daya, who had been the girls’ nanny but remained with us long after they flew the nest, to wash it and put it on the bed that same night. I loved those sheets so much that I didn’t want her to place any other sheets on the bed. So each time she changed the linen, poor Daya had to launder, iron and make up my bed with the sheets, all in one day.
In the weeks and months that followed, she would incessantly ask me to get another set of Frette linen, so she wouldn’t have to perform this linen marathon regularly. I dared not tell her that the reason we had only one set was because it was so expensive and I wasn’t going to buy another set.
Even though I was working throughout the girls’ growing up years, Susil and I made sure we always took them on holiday somewhere abroad. In fact, from the time Anarkali was born and we had to travel even on business, Susil would always take her with us, no matter how difficult it was to have a baby and then a toddler tagging along everywhere we went. He wouldn’t hear of leaving her in Colombo without us, even though my sister Roni, my mother and the nannies could manage very well.
So from their young days, they were used to travel and quickly got into the groove of things. From California to Florida — with Disneyworld and Disneyland thrown in of course — to Japan, Italy, Switzerland, Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark and France, they’ve done the rounds. We would sometimes return home via Hong Kong and Singapore, staying with our friends Primus and Helen, who were like foster parents to the girls when I had to move them to Singapore during the JVP insurrection.
From my girlhood, I have always been fascinated with driving. The moment I turned 18, I wanted to get my licence. When I told my parents, they said, “We don’t even have a car. What do you want to get driving licence for?” When I moved to Colombo, that determination to get my licence deepened. I enrolled for driving lessons at Lionel Learners, learned driving, passed my test and got my licence.
Once Susil and I started dating, I told him about my passion to drive. He took me to the Katukurunda race track. This was where I experienced my first taste of speed on a track. I was in heaven. He would take me to the track often, accompanied by his brother Nimal and his wife Sita because “four is a crowd”. These were the times when our relationship was yet under wraps and Susil and I were not supposed to be seen together as a couple. Therefore whenever we traveled, driving was what I indulged in. I would drive hundreds of miles, never once feeling tired but always absolutely exhilarated.
My thrill for speed was fueled watching all the Grand Prix races, sitting glued to the television until I saw the final chequered flag and the medal ceremony too. When Lewis Hamilton arrived on the track, I became quite obsessed. I watched each and every race and also bought his book and read it from cover to cover.
So when my friends Christina and Ong Beng Seng, who knew only too well of my obsession with the Grand Prix got the franchise for the Singapore Grand Prix, they asked me if I would like to come to Singapore. I was elated. I asked them to reserve a box for Friday, Saturday and the grand finale on Sunday.
We visited Tara in Australia before making our way to Singapore for the Grand Prix. I had invited my friends Bri and Ramani Ponnambalam, both of whom were ardent racers and race enthusiasts, as well as Duke and his family from England. Anarkali and Aushi invited their friends too. All this excitement was for Lewis Hamilton, whom we only got a glimpse of because we were close to his pit-stop – but it was a great three days at the track.
I have always vacationed with Susil, or the girls or one or a few of my girlfriends. But there came a time when I decided to travel on my own. The girls didn’t encourage this sudden streak of independence but I was rather fixed on a solo trip. The idea came about when I was visiting former Country Head of Nestle, Andreas Schlapfer, who later became worldwide Chairman of Nestle.
Andreas was married to Sandra who was American and they had one daughter. I would visit them often while in Switzerland, staying at their lovely home which overlooked the Nestle headquarters. Some may find it strange that I had cultivated this strong friendship with the head of my main rival in the milk powder business, but it was actually because of this competition that we became such good friends. He always called me “Sumi Dearest”.
Andreas was stationed in Colombo with a firmly established No 1 status for Nespray, when, in 1984, I came into the milk powder market with Anchor, vowing to push Nespray off that pedestal. I would meet him often when he was in Colombo and he would joke that Anchor was no competition for the might of Nespray. While the big battle between Nespray and Anchor was gaining momentum, Andreas moved to Nestle in Thailand.
Andreas had already left Sri Lanka, when in just two years since Anchor came into the market, Anchor triumphed in the Great Battle of the Milks. The twin forces of having Rosy Senanayake as the face of Anchor where the entire country knew her as the ‘Anchor mother’, and a slogan hyping “From the fresh pastures of New Zealand”, pushed Anchor into the No 1 slot in 1986. For years after, Andreas would jokingly say, “Sumi Dearest, ‘if I was in Colombo, you would never have beaten Nestle.”
And in hindsight I know that he would never have allowed the company I founded to be sold to the New Zealand Dairy Board either – not after I had captured 70% market share. Hence, it was while staying with them in 2018 that I decided to go on this solo trip, reliving a memorable trip that we, as afamily, had taken way back in 1988.
Anarkali and Aushi were not to be moved with their decision that I could not and would not travel alone. I was 73 years old and they kept trying to dissuade me, talking of illness that could befall me and every travel horror story they could drum up. But I wasn’t to be shaken. This was the first trip I was taking by myself and I wanted to feel that sense of independence and freedom. The girls finally relented because I assured them I would text four times a day and also had insurance for all eventualities. They were placated.
Next I told Andreas and Sandra of my plans – I wanted to travel to Zermatt, take the Glacier Express from St. Moritz and cut across to Lucerne, Interlaken and Geneva, then get to London for my return Colombo. Andreas listened patiently to my itinerary and said, “No Sumi Dearest, you are not doing the trip that way. Let me organise it for you.”
Andreas got to work. His itinerary included the very efficient Swiss rail system which traveled through the Gotthard tunnel, the longest and deepest rail tunnel in the world linking northern and southern Europe. It had just been opened and he wanted me to experience traveling through that tunnel. He also made sure I wouldn’t be encumbered with my luggage; it would be delivered directly to the hotel.
I started off on my trip, really excited and full of joie de vivre that I was doing this trip totally on my own. After having travelled through the bowels of the earth in the Gotthard tunnel, I took the boat on Lake Lucerne and then went to Interlaken by train, which winds its way down and takes multiple steep bends.
When I got to Interlaken, I visited Jungfrau – the highest railway station in the world located about 2,500 metres above sea level with its majestic backdrop of ice, snow and rock. I stayed at the Hotel Beau Rivage where we had stayed previously and held many memories for me. When I revisited each of the places we had been, I took photographs and sent them to the girls, hoping they would also relive this trip vicariously through me.
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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