Features
DON WHO TOUCHED LIFE AT MANY POINTS
by ECB Wijeyesinghe
When J.L.C. Rodrigo died about six years ago, one of his admirers said that he “wrote like a gentleman”. Besides being a tribute to the dear, departed don who touched life at many points, it was a potted criticism of the carping Spirit of the Age.
Tomorrow is the 83rd anniversary of Rodrigo’s birthday. Generations of boys and girls who came under the influence of this genial Professor of Western Classics at the Ceylon University will recall with nostalgia the memory of a man whose learning sat lightly on the prematurely grey hairs of his enormous head.
Joseph Lionel Christie Rodrigo – to give him his full name – was one of the most distinguished products of Royal College. But, as in the case of L.M.D. de Silva, K.C. it was Trinity College, Kandy, that gave him the finishing touches which helped him to win the academic crown. And finally at Oxford he captured that indefinable something which only Oxford can provide. There are many famous Colleges in Oxford University, made still more famous by Ceylonese alumni. For example, Lalith Athulathmudali ascended the gadi of the Union from Jesus, while S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike rose to eminence from Christ Church.
PRESTIGE
There is, however, one College in Oxford that has acquired a prestige second to none, chiefly owing to the work and wisdom of a scholar named Benjamin Jowett whose mastery of the Classics made him a legendary figure during his lifetime. The College was Balliol where Dr. Jowett, after being a tutor for 28 years, was appointed Professor of Greek. When he assumed the mantle of Master of Balliol, his name was famous in the four corners of the academic world and was immortalized in this bit of doggerel:
My name is Benjamin Jowett,
I’m Master of Balliol College
Whatever is knowledge, I know it,
And what I don’t know isn’t knowledge.
Dr. Jowett’s magnum opus was his translation of Plato. It is the bedside book of local Classical scholars such as V.L. Wirasinghe, Sam Wijesinha and Ronnie Abayasekera. There are many other translations of Plato, but this one, it is said, has been unsurpassed for inducing sleep. At the end of the last century the name of Jowett was as celebrated as that of Plato and it was the ambition of every student addicted to Greek and Latin to get immersed in the culture that was bubbling at Balliol.
In this process some students were drowned while the survivors made their mark in various fields. Men such as Asquith, Hillaire Belloc and Curzon probably owe their greatness to having come under Jowett in their impressionable years and acquiring “a tranquil consciousness of effortless superiority.” This consciousness is supposed to be the most valuable attribute of Balliol men.
Rodrigo appears to have had many distractions at Oxford. All his friends and relations expected him to romp home with a First Class in Greats. But he did not. J. L. C.’s trouble was that he would not confine himself entirely to his books. He was interested in everything about him from debating to dancing and from cricket to croquet, which is essentially a ladies’ game, but in which Rodrigo took more than an academic interest.
S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike writing 50 years ago in the now defunct “Causerie,” recalls that J.L.C. was already an outstanding personality at Oxford when he went up there. He was President of the Balliol and his popularity was due to the fact that he combined a charming personality with an ability to talk intelligently on a wide range of subjects.
To quote Bandaranaike: “J.L.C. was an especial favourite with the undergraduates, a fact which certain envious persons attributed to his grey hairs, which encouraged them to think of him as a kindly uncle.” Later he put his persuasive powers to good use when he met Evelyn, one of the daughters of the late Dr. and Mrs. Solomon Fernando. They were betrothed in double quick time. It was an ideal match.
Dr. Solomon Fernando was perhaps the first Sinhalese to acquire Western medical qualifications.
He was also a patriot and unwittingly laid down his life for his country when in the midst of a fervent appeal for freedom and unity at a crowded public meeting, he collapsed and died. His wife was the eldest daughter of the great philanthropist, C. H. de Soysa, so that Evelyn had not only vast estates and houses in Colombo 7, but what is known as background.
Two sons and three daughters came as a result of this union and JLC was happiest when he was in the bosom of the family. One of JLC’s sons is a doctor. Owing to the early skills he displayed at the Medical College his Professors suggested he should specialize in Obstetrics and Gynaecology. The women patients at Castle Street Hospital are now getting the full benefit of Dr. J. N. Rodrigo’s kindly treatment.
The face of the son, Lalith, also an Oxford man like his father is familiar to the play-going public. He is an amateur actor but a professional barrister and hotelier. At the Galle Face Hotel he tries hard to combine along with his boss, Cyril Gardiner Yesterday’s charm with Tomorrow’s comfort. To find out what they do Today is worth a visit to this venerable hostelry. JLC’s three daughters live in England and appear to be quite at home in that land of hope and glory.
EXTRA -MURAL
One of JLC’s chief extra-mural activities consisted of his work for the under-privileged. The germ of social service was sown in him by that pioneer in this field, N. P. Campbell of Trinity, with whom he went slumming in Kandy. He joined the Student Christian Movement and later the YMCA where he was in his element. At one of the Board meetings in the Colombo YMCA I remember he gave utterance to a passage from Horace the Latin poet which appears to reveal the secret of his success.
It ran: “Mince stultium consiliis brevem. Dulce est desipere in loco” which translated roughly urges people to mingle a little folly with their wisdom as a little nonsense now and then is pleasant. It was this very gift of finding the right mixture that made him one of the most popular newspaper columnists of his time. His pseudonym combined with his light touch, made an instant appeal to flappers of his period, many of whom dreamt that they would make a suitable Venus to this Adonis.
When the secret of his nom-de-plume was finally disclosed the loudest laugh came from JLC himself who did not pretend to be a matinee idol though he was endowed with that mysterious thing called sex-appeal.
The Directors of the YMCA and the Old Girls of Ladies College leaned heavily on his learning and experience whenever a literary matter came up before them. Just after World War II when the benign Robert O. Buell, the General Secretary of the Central YMCA, was conducting the affairs of the Association with East Aralyan efficiency his Principal Assistant was H.C.N. de Lanerolle, whose French ancestor gave a lot of trouble to King Rajasinghe II.
De Lanerolle’s pet name for some unknown reason was Duncan. When he started life in the YMCA he was a nice “Je re sail quoi” lad. In course of time he grew up to be an “enfant terrible”. As soon as he started writing his popular Ralahamy plays he became a “bete noire” to some members of the Board of Directors. Several years ago De Lanerolle and his petite wife, Sarah, emigrated to California and became American citizens but are at present on a holiday in Sri Lanka visiting friends and relations.
It so happened that when De Lanerolle was in the YMCA he wrote a play which was a satirical commentary on the political situation. It was freely whispered that the play would antagonize a few friends of the YMCA, and the Directors requested J.L.C. Rodrigo to go through it with a fine comb and remove the obnoxious lines if any.
JLC. with scholarly skill, virtually censored the play and suggested some changes which de Lanerolle adopted with alacrity. On the first night, however, it was rumoured that the stage version differed considerably from the written version. JLC whose son Lalith by the way is now in the cast of some of the Ralahamy plays felt a trifle embarrassed and had his doubts whether it was the censored play that went on the boards. There is no doubt that it was.
JLC. overlooked the fact that harmless phrases could be interpreted by different actors in different ways. Ultimately de Lanerolle strode out of his job and sought fresh pastures and sunny vales, bringing happiness to himself, the YMCA and J.L.C. Rodrigo.
(Excerpted from The Good at Their Best first published in 1978)
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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