Features
Various persons input on less food and malnutrition in Sri Lanka
Some say this and some say that but UNICEF says through its South Asia Regional Director George Laryea-Adjei that increasing living costs and food prices have
forced many families to drastically cut their daily diet. A recent report said 5.7 million including 2.3m children are in dire need of food support. 15.7% children under five-years suffer malnutrition and could succumb to starving and death. Malnutrition is second worst in Sri Lanka among South Asian countries. This would further deteriorate from October 2022 to February 2023. UNICEF further notes that due to Covid 19 pandemic, current socio economic and political crisis, and negative coping mechanisms such as institutionalization of children, school absenteeism/drop out, limited food intake had been aggravated.
Pretend pundits such as Dr Romesh Pathirana declare there is no remarkable or unusual malnutrition among our children, and SLPP tail waggers, defending ex Prex Gotabaya R who single handedly caused much of this disaster, loudly echo denials of a truth exposed by UNICEF, corroborated by WHO and the World Food Program.I believe implicitly the world organizations. I not only disbelieve but pugnaciously pooh pooh the deniers of this truth. So I decided to ask around.
From regions
First to answer me was Aravinda who lives in Kelaniya and has his mulgedera in Matugama, where he recently spent two days helping his father harvest his paddy. Machines do it but drivers and helpers have to be fed and paid and of course treated to the cheering, bolstering tot. He said he took a bottle of arrack with him and it was drained before lunch. Cost Rs 2,000. Before dinner they would, on their own money, drink kassippu: a bottle costing Rs 1,200 or so, up from around Rs 700.
Talking of food, he said the villages around his father’s were not short of rice since they store the previous harvest, but they have had to give up eating meat, and even a variety of vegetables due to prevailing high costs. Fresh water fish is available. He expressed a view held by many, me included, that real poverty in food and income was among the urban labour. City dwelling, daily paid labourers are still hit, though not so badly as during the pandemic. People cannot afford to pay wages. Thus labourers’ children and wives suffer, and this suffering is mostly in families where the father drinks alcoholic stuff excessively. Malnutrition is rampant among such families and we know many a man forgets he is a husband with a wife and children when he imbibes the devil’s brew. He turns inhuman. If he earns Rs 3,000 a day he will spend half or more on drink and often indulges in other vices.
I sought information from a retiree from England who spends much time in Sri Lanka to help the underprivileged, spending his entire pension. He has built two hostels for boys and girls in a largish school in Mallavi in Vavuniya and often stays over in the boys’ hostel seeing to how things are done. He says the kids get fresh water fish on Saturdays and Sundays, eggs at least thrice a week. The hostels have their poultry and dairy farms getting about 200 eggs daily and more than enough milk, but with price of poultry food skyrocketing, the hostels now only get eggs from free ranging hens.
From some time back this quiet but wise philanthropist has been buying seedlings – coconut, arecanut, different varieties of mango, pomegranate, guava and distributing them to homes while having got the hostel gardens already boasting some bearing fruit. He says wage earners can hardly buy seedlings at around Rs 200 to 300 each, thus his help will ensure them plenty of fruit some years down the road. In the villages in close proximity to the school malnourishment in children is not evident, some even showing a bit of obesity! However, villages inhabited by those returning to the land after the civil war, though given two acres of land, are still to be self sufficient in basic food needs. In Katkulan, he said, 85 houses had been built for returning tea estate workers who opted to remain in this country during the implementation of the Srima –Shastri Pact.
Drunkenness of the menfolk is not evident, this person said. If at all, men doing heavy labour would buy a strong brew from taverns they visit. No kassippu production as far as he knows. He mentioned that greater poverty and malnutrition may be evident in villages like Kahatagasdigiliya which were thriving when the Mahaweli Scheme was closely monitored and government supervised. Elephants are somewhat of a menace but not in Mallavi.
It is a well known and accepted fact that malnourishment is starkly present in estate children. Tea estate workers now live better, most estates building separate houses instead of inhumanely cramming families into single line rooms. But the food intake is not balanced, though very often the estate store sells subsidized rice, dhal etc.
“Jaffna is OK” a young girl, holding a job in a prestigious institution, said, whose parents and siblings live in Jaffna while she runs a flat with a friend in Wellawatte. Reason for being OK: every family has some land so they were not affected with the deprivation of gas and kerosene. Rice, vegetables and fish are available and even affordable so malnutrition is not common, unless mothers lack knowledge and do not cook nutritious meals.
The labourer class in Sri Lanka generally eat a huge plate of rice with dribs and drabs of curry. This is almost traditional. But if educated and made aware of malnutrition, mothers would sure concentrate on what they cook with the limited means at hand.
A doctor contacted in Killinochchi replied my inquiring email thus: “Actually we will be getting some information since we are conducting the Nutrition Month of Puttalam District in two weeks or so. But it might take some time to gather the data and consolidate it. We are trying to expedite the process to gain some insight into the real ground situation.” Unfortunately he failed to give me basic info on the present situation in his area.
Distribution and reasons for malnourishment
Villagers have jak, manioc and such like. They share produce, so going without meals may not be common in interior villages in rain blessed, vegetation covered areas. One huge negative even in these villages is an imbibing father. I make bold to say that the majority of poorer people, more urban than rural, suffer greatly from the head of the household being a drunkard. Not only is money wasted but such men cause immense physical and emotional damage to wives and children. Wives become despondent and unresponsive and children drop out of school. In these homes malnutrition is rampant.
Triposha was stopped due to lack of foreign currency, I heard. The midday meal may not be given in schools as of now. I remember teaching in a remote school down South in the 1960s. The children were all fairly well off, so they used the given midday bun as a missile to attack each other. Supervised, they had to drink the mug of milk given.
Solutions
Left to Ministers in charge and advisors. I feel the greatest need is for people to wake up to realities and not keep stretching their hands out to charity. This is an ingrained habit in our country, accompanied by the idea the government must educate them and care for them when sick all for free and distribute free food and money too. Watching TV news of villagers having food difficulty and prices rising far beyond their means, I hear the constant wail of ‘how can I feed my children; death is better.’ Why not grow vegetable, manioc etc?
The need of the hour is awareness creating and of course the govt. not allowing food scarcities and fleecing of people by traders and grain hoarders. We have an excellent health service at grassroots level; let those officers advice mothers on cooking nutritious meals even with limited means.
My weekly house cleaning woman’s latest tale is universal in this land of ours. It encompasses trouble creating superstition and belief in the occult; weak men taking the easiest way out; the older generation burdened unfairly; and final sufferers – the children.
Rupa lives in a hamlet in Ragama and travels by train to Colombo to clean homes, now greatly reduced in number. Her son is a fish vendor, buying fish cheap and toting it around on his bicyle. Three children with the eldest girl employed but earning a pittance. Woman was innately lazy but upped and wanted to go overseas to work. Then she was told she had an apalé and dishtiya of sorts and took to bed. The man could not afford his fish business. Rupa had to cook for the entire family since the kids came to her hungry. Suddenly an uproar: strong men bringing the man back from the rail track where he was poised to leap before the oncoming train (truly or pretending we cannot say!). And who bears the burden of all this and sweats and toils to earn more to feed an entire family plus herself? Rupa, at 68-years, deserving rest and peace.
That is the NOW Sri Lanka for you!
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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