Features
Cactus growers in old Ceylon
By Hugh Karunanayake
It was in the mid 1950s that I first discovered the enchantment of cacti and succulents. I cannot exactly recall the inspiration for my interest in this most unusual group within the plant kingdom, but I do remember seeing the Giant Saguaro(Carnegia gigantea) in the western movies that we used to see in Colombo in those days. A good number of those movies were filmed in the deserts of Arizona or California with huge specimens of giant candelabra like cacti some reaching up to 30 meters in height, in the background.
Very impressive to a young mind not familiar with such awesome plant shapes and sizes. In Ceylon of the 1950s there were a few species of cacti growing wild but quite healthily in the arid zone of the country, places like Hambantota, Batticaloa, and in Puttalam and Mannar where the columnar cacti were used as fence plants.(Trichocereus marginata for example) There were also the opuntias – the flat round padded plants, some with sharp spines and one particular variety without spines. The diversity and their attractiveness was however rather limited. It is believed that there were no indigenous cacti in Ceylon and the few species that were there were introduced over the years notably during the Portuguese and Dutch colonial times.
An enterprising nurseryman Ian Oorloff who ran a very successful nursery called Trevine Gardens in Layards Road stepped into the scene in the early 1950s . Noting the quietly increasing interest in cacti he started importing fairly large stocks of seedling cacti from hothouses in Germany. Each year he would import his stock and a small advertisement would appear on page 3 of the Daily News informing everyone of the new arrivals. The first few shipments did not move out as quickly as he expected, but the word got around rapidly and all his imports in subsequent years were snapped up during the first few days after the appearance of the advertisement.
Ian used to visit Britain and the continent each year during those days of steamship travel and his enterprise stimulated the interest in growing cacti as a hobby. Sadly he passed away I think sometime around 1958 or so during a visit to the UK, the victim of a medical misadventure as I recall, where something went wrong with the anaesthesia used by his dentist for a tooth extraction I believe.
By 1954 there were a small band of cacti growers in Sri Lanka resident not only in Colombo but in places then called “outstations” such as Hatton (the collection of Fred Labrooy who lived in Poolbank Bungalow ), Kadugannawa ( Lynn Dassenaike’s collection) and even Godakawela where arguably the best collection of cacti in the country was located. That collection belonged to Sam Elapata who was better known as an expert on wild elephants and their habits among other things.
During this time there was a small but growing group of enthusiasts in the Colombo area as well . Outstanding among them was Vicki Atukorale who lived down Peterson Lane, Wellawate and was well known as a tropical fish breeder and wild life enthusiast and was a close friend of Sam Elapata. An eloquent eight page tribute to the memory of that extraordinary naturalist was published in Loris (the Jounal of the Wild Life and Nature Protection Society of Sri Lanka) of June 2000 nearly 30 years after his death.
Most of the serious cacti fanciers in Colombo knew each other and there was some swapping and exchange of information and introduction of new enthusiasts to the group. It all came to a peak with a small notice which appeared in the Sunday Observer of the time (the year was 1954) requesting persons wishing to form a society for cactus growers to meet at the YMCA in the Fort on a nominated day. The notice was inserted by Mansoor Ghouse who was then working as a sales executive at Cargills Ltd.
He was later to become an expert in management education. There were about 20 people who met at the YMCA on the appointed date and there was unanimous agreement that a body by the name Ceylon Cactus and Succulent Society be formed. The foundation members were deemed to be those who met at that first meeting and I, a student in my late teens was easily the youngest foundation member.
The other foundation members whose names I can recall were Lynn Dassenaike from Doolhena Estate Kadugannawa, Vicky Atukorale, Irwin Dassenaike, Mansoor Ghouse , Damascene Perera. EDW(Archer) Jayewardene (father of Jayantha Jayawardene), Dr VC de Silva, Mervyn Ondaatje ( the father of Michael Ondaatje, the Booker prize winner).The work of the Society must have had some impact on Michael because he devoted almost a chapter to it in his prize winning book “Running in the family”.
I cannot remember the presence of Sam Elapata at the foundation meeting but he did subsequently invite members of the Society to view his cactus garden in Godakawela. Mansoor Ghouse the Secretary/Treasurer was at the time living in Nawala and I recall visiting his home to see what was then a possible nucleus of a collection of cacti that he was nurturing.
The Cactus Society went off to a flying start and a few visits were organised by the Society to view the cactus and succulent collection in the Botanic Gardens at Peradeniya which had a very good assortment of plants grown in a glasshouse. I did not go on any of those tours but when a few friends decided to visit Sam Elapata’s collection I grasped the opportunity. By that time he had visited my parental home on a few occasions and was quite impressed with the conditions under which I grew my plants which were in a partially protected conservatory.
Our visit to Alpitiya, Godakawela where Sam lived was quite an event for me. Sam Elapata lived in a sprawling ancient bungalow standing in the middle of a garden full of exotic plants. He was a keen orchid fancier and was very knowledgeable on elephants and their behaviour and was associated with the last elephant kraal held in Sri Lanka in Panamure in 1950. .His cacti were growing in a large bed possibly about 10 metres in length and about two metres wide. The bed was raised about a metre above ground level so that the plants could be seen closer to eye level when standing beside .
It was quite impressive and the four of us who went that day were simply spellbound at the sight of the collection. Later that evening after dinner at the Walawwa he displayed his remarkable collection of precious stones including a massive cat’s eye the size of a pigeon’s egg, while relating with relish the story behind each one of them. Quite enthralling indeed as we listened to him as he related those fascinating stories interspersed with puffs at his pipe. It was also there that I saw the lovely 300 year old blue and white VOC plate which may have been the spark that kindled my own subsequent interest in 18 th Century porcelain. Interestingly enough the same plate is now at the home of an assiduous antique collector in Colombo where I last saw it a few years ago. Sam Elapata passed away over 40 years ago but I often wonder what became of the unique Sam Elapata collection of cacti.
As for the Society, it lasted for about two or three years and then wound up possibly due to lack of interest and enthusiasm. The country was heading into foreign exchange problems, imports were banned, and the interest in imported plants dwindled rapidly. On my visits to Sri Lanka (Karunanayake now lives in Australia) during the last four decades I have not observed any resurgence of interest in this most fascinating group within the plant kingdom. On the contrary in Australia there are several societies, regular plant exhibitions, and several quarterly publications devoted entirely to growing cacti and succulents.
They organise visits to the deserts of Baja California, Arizona, and Mexico for enthusiasts to view massive specimens growing in their natural habitat. The climate in Australia especially in areas which do not experience harsh winters is most conducive to growing cacti in outdoor locations. Consequently one finds large specimens growing luxuriantly in almost similar condition to those growing in their native habitat in the USA and Mexico. But the seasonal monsoonal wet weather in Sri Lanka is very inimical to successful growth of cacti in the open where a sheltered but sunny position is essential. From all accounts it appears that interest in growing cacti in Sri Lanka is well and truly dead and buried unless someone comes up with evidence to suggest a la Mark Twain that “rumours of its death have been greatly exaggerated”!
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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