Features
Experiences schooling at Jaffna College
by ACB Pethiyagoda
While reading Mr. Neville Jayaweera’s article headlined “The wretched of the earth” in this newspaper of November 16, 2008 memories came back of my two years in Jaffna College, Vaddukoddai. That was about a decade before Mr. Jayaweera was Government Agent’, Jaffna in the early 1960s.
In Jaffna and particularly in the school as a boarder several aspects of life were in stark contrast to life at home in Kandy or in the boarding house at Trinity College.
The first of these was the flat, sandy, and landscape, sparse vegetation except for Palmyrah trees and cultivated food crops in the entire peninsula. Climatically also it was always hot as in no season in Kandy resulting in an enervated feeling throughout the day. This was exacerbated by the frugal board we were served – quality and quantity wise.
The two main meals consisted of about two teacups full of rice, mostly of a glutinous nature, culambu and two vegetable curries – one a green like drumstick leaves and the other more often than not brinjals. For dinner on Wednesdays and Sundays there was a mutton, fish or prawn curry and if one could not be among the early to serve himself, even scraping the bottom of the brass vessels. did not yield any of the much sought solids.
The authorities could not be blamed for this as the monthly boarding fee was about half of what it was at Trinity. Casting my mind back and working out a rough figure in rupees it would have been a little more than the price today of a kilogram of out of season tomatoes! Of course times have changed, value of the rupee has plummeted, inflation has galloped over the period and therefore prices then and now do not bear comparison.
Beds in the dormitory consisted of two triangular wrought iron frames joined by an iron rod at the apex one set placed at the feet end and the other at the head end over which two wooden planks about six feet in length and three feet broad were placed. Over these one spread a sheet and slept through exhaustion and sometimes hunger as well!
If the two planks were not perfectly aligned and did not fit together any part of the body could get severely pinched. To avoid such accidents, especially as there was no Sick Room in the school, the four Sinhalese and the Burgher boy in that batch from schools outside Jaffna bought themselves thin coir mattresses to lay over the planks.
Once used to these conditions a lesson for life was learnt – adapt to prevailing conditions and swim or drown complaining.
The brighter side of life was that the university entrance and undergraduate classes were coeducational. After about 10 years of all male classmates to have a few girls in class, although they always primly took the front row, never spoke or looked right or left, was to say the least, exhilarating. There were usually no obvious lines of communication between the two sexes but words, spoken or written were not necessary for a few couples to be paired off.
By and large it was obvious that the Jaffna boys and girls paid far greater attention to their schoolwork than those in the South. Hence, their high rate of success at examinations was due to diligence than superior intellect – another lesson learnt – hard work has its rewards.
Standard equipment for a boarder consisted of a small kerosene lamp as the source of school’s lighting was from a generator, (before electricity from the national grid) and lights went off at 10 p.m. Many of the boys then trooped into the dining room with lighted lamps to do extra work after the usual study hour in the main library from 6 to 8.30 p.m..
Not only did the majority of our fellow students work hard at school, very many of the dayscholars did manual work in their agriculture plots before or after school. It was not unusual to see mud on their clothing – very many in verti and banian – comfortable, inexpensive. The penchant for well creased trousers and Trubenised shirt collars in the previous school seemed almost absurd in this society.
This was still another lesson learnt –comfortable inexpensive clothing and doing what is right and needed is what matters, not the opinions of others who think otherwise.
The wretched of the earth were the people of the so-called depressed, scheduled, dalit, untouchable (terms commonly used in India) and pariah castes who are therefore Non Vellalas. The Prevention of Social Disabilities Act of 1957 was then a long way off. Hence, the existence of a caste dominated society was so flagrant that one felt a deep sense of sorrow for the affected.
At that time even in the South the caste system prevailed from time immemorial but was never as obnoxious as it was in the North where the non govigama were not so blatantly made aware of their caste so much so that many of them particularly the middle class and English educated mixed freely in society except perhaps in the villages.
Though rare, even inter-caste marriages between the different castes took place very often in the maritime provinces. On my second day in school a classmate and former Trinitian, whose father had been a doctor in Government Service in the Kandy area and transferred to his hometown in Jaffna before retirement, invited me for a coffee and ‘punt’.
The school surprisingly had no Tuck Shop so the meeting was in one of the two or three tea kiosks on the boundary of the school. As we were about to step in, the bare bodied pot bellied mudhalali had a whispered conversation in Tamil (which I did not understand then) with my friend Sara. At the end of this the kiosk owner smilingly beckoned us in and reached for glasses from the topmost shelf.
Sipping our coffees Sara told me that he was asked what caste I belonged to and when told that it was ‘royalty’ that the man decided which of the glasses to serve me in. Having told Sara about my not knowing of any relationship to kings and queens and asked what if he had said he was unaware, I was told that I would not have been allowed in and would have been served in a tin mug outside seated on a rough bench under the huge manioc tree providing shade.
Of course, the price of the coffee would have been the same! That was how strictly the caste system was observed in Jaffna then. On the surface, being a Christian school of an American mission, there did not appear to be any caste distinctions but as time went on and friendships formed some spoke of their castes and of that of others; fortunately not very disparagingly but surely and distinctly. There was even talk of Trincomalee and Batticaloa Tamils with a hint of disdain by those from Jaffna proper.
In those times there was absolutely no anti Sinhala feelings, but talk of what went on outside campus was all about smuggling in the Velvettithurai (VVT) area. The hero then was ‘Hitler’ Kandasamy whose exploits were related like those of Ali Baba and the forty thieves. Some schoolmates, obviously with parents involved in contraband from VVT rode expensive pushbikes and motorbikes and one drove a blue Chev to school. His father ownerd cinemas in Jaffna and elsewhere and we had only to tell him we wanted to see a film to find balcony seats reserved with beers and cigarettes following! His invitations to join him on a trip to any South Indian Port were politely turned down but he did take us to Kayts and other island in one of his father’s boats.
The welcome we received was such that one of our Jaffna friends once invited the five of us for palmyrah toddy and lunch to his very conservative home and we were treated with great kindness. Of course, there were no sisters or mothers around and lunch was served in what must have been a drawing room seated on the floor eating off plantain leaves.
Things were very different in homes where the parents had worked and lived outside Jaffna like Sara’s home where his sister even joined us in cycling around town. If we passed the Nallur Kandasamy Kovil where hundreds gathered in worship day and night we would alight from our bikes or run the risk, we were told, off or even getting beaten up.
There was hardly any talk of politics but my recollection was that Alfred Duraiappa, a prominent member of the SUP was the Mayor of Jaffna. Perhaps all the bakers, many carpenters and motor mechanics were Sinhalese managing lucrative businesses all over the peninsula in addition to a fair number of public servants.
Those were the days and they will (hopefully) soon come back. That will be of mutual benefit to the Sinhalese and Tamils where the former will learn the rewards of hard work, dignity of labour, value of simple living and positive thinking.
(First published in 2009)
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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