Features
ABROAD FOR LANKA’S GOOD
by ECB Wijeyesinghe
Diplomats, like journalists, are born, not made. The only difference is that diplomats are well paid.
Nobody has yet given an exact definition of a diplomat, not even the Foreign Office in whose hands they are supposed to be like clay pigeons ready to fly to remote parts of the world at short notice. The best-known qualification for this tricky profession is that he or she must be prepared to lie abroad for the good of the Motherland.
There are those who take this too literally as soon as they settle down at their destinations. Only a General Election could rouse them to adopt some other angle of action. There are others who believe that mendacity should be their motto, especially when dictating reports that get into the diplomatic bag, In Society circles the definition most often quoted is the one that Robert Frost, the poet gave in one of his facetious moments. He said that a diplomat is a person who always remembers a woman’s birthday, but never remembers her age.
O. E. G.
I have seen a fair number of ambassadors in action in my time, but Sir Oliver Goonetilleke was the diplomat (de) Luxe. The fact that he started life, first as the Manager of a Bank that failed and later became the Manager of a newspaper that succeeded, gave him an early taste of Triumph and Disaster, and he treated those two impostors just the same. It is whispered that he deliberately developed a stutter merely to find time to think out replies to awkward questions.
During the last war the man everybody dreaded was Sir Geoffrey Layton, the Commander-in-Chief. Even Governor Caldecott developed hypertension in his presence. But not Sir Oliver. Before the War was over Sir Geoffrey was like a tame tiger eating out of Sir Oliver’s hand. O.E.G. not only knew everybody’s first name, but his pet name as well. Those who doubt his loyalty to his friends have only to recall the way he rushed to Calcutta to be at the bedside of Sir Ernest de Silva, when the latter was suffering from a virulent type of smallpox.
The laird of “Sirimethipaya”, the palatial house now used by the Prime Minister as his office never forgot this kind deed. The man who worked directly under Sir Oliver when he was Auditor-General still looks back at their old boy with nostalgic pride. One of them, R. A. Perera of Ragama, has written to me to say that the British Admiralty asked for a fabulous sum for the SEAL Naval Radio Station at Welisara after we got independence. The Station was the best in the East.
But OEG’s team “outsmarted the Britishers” in the negotiations. Sir Oliver said that Ceylon was not prepared to pay even one cent and kindly requested the Admiralty to remove the machinery. It soon became apparent that the dismantling and removal would be a messy and expensive business. The Admiralty then did the next best thing. They graciously donated the whole thing to Ceylon and everybody was happy.
For OEG it was a diplomatic triumph of the first order and one which saved the country millions of rupees. Many other Sri Lanka diplomats have left their footprints on the sands of time. As a matter of fact, I have seen some of them do it. For example, Sir Paul Pieris struck the first blow for Tourism when he spent half his budget advertising “Ceylon” – the supremely beautiful island” in every glossy magazine he could think of.
Then there was Mrs. Loranee Senaratne who mounted a cultural offensive with our arts and crafts and tried to compete with the glory that was Greece and the grandeur that was Rome. Loranee looked like one of the Roman matrons herself and ran a beautiful home in the outskirts of the Italian capital, where liveried servants moved on tiptoe attending to the guests. It was very much like a villa of the Medicis in an Oriental setting. She had everything except a venom taster.
Her predecessor, the self-effacing Herbert Hulugalle was the first journalist to be appointed an Ambassador and he gave his profession a much-needed fillip. He not only established cordial relations with the Italian Government, but went further to become a persona grata with the Vatican. When Hulugalle went for a stroll there were some Monsignori who thought he was a Cardinal roaming round Rome in disguise and were careful to be on their best behaviour in his presence.
Most of Hulugalle’s lone excursions on foot were undertaken in search of rare and old books during his leisure hours. Booksellers thought he was an ecclesiastical dignitary in a tweed suit. His readymade trouser helped to create the illusion. Meanwhile, his wife, the amiable Lillian, was busy at home cooking macaroni, spaghetti or vermicelli for the household.
The husband was a poor eater, but the balance was restored by her son Ranjan (now a doctor in Las Vegas) and her daughter Lilamani (now Mrs. Prasanna Goonewardene) whose healthy appetites had to be catered for. Lillian Hulugalle was a woman who had a full share of the storms and stresses of life. When her father, T.H. Arthur de Soysa was born he was worth a few million rupees. He built “Regina Walauwa” and lived there with his family. It is now occupied by the Colombo University. After de Soysa’s death Herbert Hulugalle met and married the daughter. A happy and fruitful union was the result.
GUESTS
An Ambassador’s wife must be ready for unforeseen contingencies. Minor but pompous politicos who think they have a primary mortgage on every Ceylon embassy may drop in at an ungodly hour and cadge for bed and breakfast. The stay would be prolonged if the first meal is satisfactory. Only a few Ambassadors have the heart to ask them to go to hell and so the poor wives have to bear the brunt of their visitations.
It is presumed that to be a successful Envoy one must be a good talker, That was the secret that I learned 23 years ago when I happened to be in America on a Leadership Exchange program. R.S.S. Gunawardene was our Ambassador in Washington and when he invited me to lunch it was not the quantity of the meal but the quality of his talk that fascinated me. For more than one hour he held forth non-stop. He talked and talked while I ate and ate. Now it strikes me that though he talked so much he said little.
DUDLEY
Ideal Ambassadors have that gift. Major-General Anton Muttukumaru was our man in Cairo when Dudley Senanayake visited Egypt in 1969. A most knowledgeable man, the general gave in a nutshell to the Pressmen who accompanied the Prime Minister all the strengths and weaknesses of the leading Egyptian politicians. His charming wife was his constant aide memoire.
At a party in Dudley’s honour he pointed out to Sadat as the coming man and added that he was perhaps the cleverest politician in the Middle East. Dudley was then in the pink of health and demonstrated his fitness at Luxor when he strolled down to the bowels of the earth to see the Tomb of Tut-an-Khamen. After inspecting the magnificent treasures the Prime Minister virtually ran up the steep) incline – a distance of nearly 30 yards – to the surface. Following him was the Admirable Anton, puffing and panting. Some journalists in the party had their hearts severely jolted by trying to keep pace with the athletic Prime Minister. It was during this visit that the final talks between Nasser and Dudley took place in the florid Kubbeh Palace, once occupied by the fat and foolish King Farouk. Arthur Basnayake, who later became Ceylon’s envoy to Tokyo was one of Dudley’s officials. Basnayake occupied an enormous room in the Palace. It had an enormous bed as well because it was the one on which Farouk used to sleep.
LIQUOR
The question of liquor at DPL parties crops up from time to time and sometimes leaves a bad taste in the mouth. Dr. G. P. Malalasekere, when he was High Commissioner in London, was a conscientious objector and one can surely understand his feelings. At one time he was the world’s leading lay Buddhist and by precept and example he did not want to encourage the use of alcohol.
(From The Good Among the 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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