Features
Visit to Jaffna and the evolving Tamil political scene
Excerpted from volume two of Sarath Amunugama’s autobiography
While tensions were rising between the two communities in 1978 I suggested to my Minister Wijetunga that we should visit the Jaffna peninsula for an inspection tour since Kokavil had a radio transmitter and the Japanese planners were proposing the erection of a TV transmitter also in the same location.
Wijetunga was initially reluctant but after we did the preliminary planning he agreed to my proposal and was warmly commended by the President as other Ministers were increasingly reluctant to go northwards. I had no qualms about this tour because my Kandy and University friend Lionel Fernando was the popular GA of Jaffna. He and his wife Somalatha Subasinghe were well settled there and were living in the GAs historic bungalow.
I found that Lionel had gathered around him several of our Tamil friends from Peradeniya University days. Also the Jaffna Campus had been opened recently and the staff under Vice Chancellor Vidyananthan, who was a long term resident at Peradeniya, had created an academic ambience familiar to us from our undergraduate days. There were many teachers from the South at the Jaffna campus as many permanent positions were made available in the new University.
Remembering our Peradeniya days, Lionel had arranged a Sinhala film festival. Robin Tampoe, a great local film personality who lived in Colombo, had provided a cinema in Jaffna for this event free of charge and the hall was filled to capacity. Wijetunga opened the festival and I gave a speech which was translated into Tamil by Sivananthan, my colleague from Arunachalam Hall, who later joined the SLAS. Siva became GA Galle some years later and was popular with the public there who protested when he was transferred.
We lived for several days in the Governor’s bungalow in Jaffna located within the Fort. Many Northern MPs who officially boycotted our tour came incognito to the bungalow to greet Wijetunga who was on good terms with them and was ever ready to accommodate requests from Parliamentarians for telephone connections.
Many Tamil officers who had worked with him before retirement and had settled down in Jaffna invited us for ‘thali’ meals with crabs, prawns, murunga and white rice which we gobbled up with relish. The SLBC staff in Jaffna and my University friends arranged a special treat for me by inviting me to participate in a temple music festival which featured classical Dravidian music played by a famous group from Chennai.
When we were taken to the Nallur temple premises I was given the signal honour of being hoisted onto the stage to sit with the musicians. From the stage I saw a wonderful sight. Thousands of devotees, particularly young people, were recording the sacred music on their transistor units. It was a sea of hand held transistors which surrounded the stage. Taken aback by this phenomenon which was not seen in the south, I inquired from my friends and was told that a large number of ‘boys’ had gone to the Middle East for employment and had sent back money and equipment to their families.
As a sociologist I realised that Middle Eastern employment was creating a new dynamic among the young Tamils. Earlier they looked on employment in the south, particularly in government service, as their lifeline. Education was the passport to a good life and the privileged Tamils who had lived in the South were happy to forge enduring links with their neighbors.
Southern politicians of both the SLFP and the UNP were making it difficult for them to continue in that spirit as they perceived increasing pressures on them because of their ethnicity. Tamil politicians highlighted these differences and the country was set on a path of confrontation and non-cooperation. The economic links which drew the communities together was based on their dependence on the south. Now those links were being snapped as the Middle East, and later the West, became a better source of income and employment.
Like in the South, the failing economy could not cope with the rising population and its high expectations. The classical ‘push and pull’ known to demography was now in operation and it boded ill for ethnic harmony in Sri Lanka. This was my ‘take away’ from the musical soiree in Nallur. Before long the country was set inevitably on the slippery path of racial conflict. The photograph reproduced in this book of my presence on stage in Nallur is a tragic reminder of the bonds of friendship that we as young undergraduates shared prior to the shooting war which started soon after and lasted for nearly 40 years with irreparable damage to both sides.
The Minister and I then went to Kokavil where both radio and TV masts were erected to transmit to the peninsula as well as the Wanni. It was so well located that we had viewers from the southern tip of South India who were enamored of our entertainment in color TV which contrasted with the dreary black and white instructional programmes of Doordarshan in India.
We also had reports of large scale smuggling of Japanese TV receiver sets to India via Velvettithurai, the smuggling centre of Jaffna fishermen. These were the sea lanes and fishing craft that the LTTE used when they began smuggling arms and fighters to South India and back. Viewed sociologically, it was no coincidence that Prabhakaran was of the Karaiyar or fisher caste which had an affinity to the sea.
Without the sea and sanctuary in coastal villages of Tamil Nadu the LTTE could not have sustained their war. They secured their rear through the sea and the South of India which were Karaiyar territory. The Tamil Vellalas, the equivalent of the Sinhala Goigama, were looked upon with suspicion by the LTTE. Indian RAW operatives also looked for cracks in the LTTE leadership and recruited Mahendraraja (Mahattaya), a Vellala, as their mole in the top leadership of the LTTE.
Lalith Athulathmudali made a bad strategic mistake in refusing the Indian request to interrogate captured LTTE cadres in Jaffna. Due to turf battles, Lalith flew them down after they was captured at sea in northern waters to Colombo. Many of The LTTE captives committed suicide. It was alleged that the cyanide was given to them by Mahattaya who had been permitted to meet the detainees by the IPKF. This contributed to the breach of the accord by Prabakaran and the resumption of hostilities.
India and The Tamil Question
JRJs growing estrangement with India played into the hands of the LTTE. When Mrs. B was the Prime Minister she had an excellent relationship with Indira Gandhi. It was a friendship which was signified in a masterstroke of making Indira a personal guest of the PM and lodging her in Temple Trees when she attended the Colombo non-aligned meeting in 1976. But months before the local general election of 1977 the Indian Congress was beaten at the polls and Indira was sent into the political wilderness.
She was replaced by Morarji Desai of the Janata Party. He and JRJ, both oldsters and late comers to the highest office, hit it off from the very beginning and created a situation wherein India was supportive of the UNP’s initiatives. I remember Morarji’s state visit to Sri Lanka following JRJ’s own state visit to India a few months earlier. He came with a family entourage led by his daughter.
Journalists who earlier had a field day publicizing the Indian PM’s penchant for drinking urine, told us that Morarjis daughter went on a shopping spree and bought up all the cosmetics available in a Colombo department store. Obviously she could not shop to her hearts content in Bombay because of her father’s constant calls for austerity. Morarji himself enjoyed his visit and assured JRJ that he trusted him to settle the grievances of the Tamil community.
But before midterm in JRJ’s first tenure in office, Indira had maneuvered the Janata government out of power and had become PM again. She did not forget the cosying up to Morarji Desai by JRJ and their joint attacks on her thinking that she will not come back. But come back she did and proceed to intervene in Sri Lanka’s internal affairs by encouraging the Tamil militants. As later documentation showed she brought in her newly formed Research and Analysis Wing [RAW] as a player in the Sri Lanka situation just as she had done before with Pakistan prior the invasion of East Bengal.
At this stage there were several militant groups among the disaffected Tamil youth. They were led by Uma Maheshwaran (PLOTE), Sri Sabaratnam (EPRLF), Douglas Devananda (EPDP) and Velupillai Prabhakaran (LTTE). For some time they worked together but soon differences arose, partly due to RAW intervention. They started to quarrel and even eliminate each other’s cadres. After the murder of Duraiappah, the Mayor of Jaffna by Prabhakaran the next murder attempt concerned our ministry.
Tom Pathmanathan who was a senior CCS was the additional secretary of my ministry. His wife was a rich and affable lady named Ranga from Eastern Province. Mrs. Pathmanathan’s brother, a businessman from Batticaloa, had linked with the Federal Party and was elected to Parliament. Sometime later he had left his party and was operating as an independent MP. One day about noon we received an urgent message that he had been shot. We rushed to his house in Charles Way and found that he had been taken to hospital. Later we were told that the assailant was Uma Maheshwaran.
Fortunately he was not successful in killing the MP But the MP resigned and his place was taken by his sister. The militants were beginning to strike; and the Federal Party was put on notice that the path of negotiation no longer had the assent of the Tamils. After much discussion District Development Councils were established to decentralize, not devolve, some powers to the periphery in the midst of opposition from extremists of both sides.
The UNP had managed to lure some politicians from the Federal Party as well as activate their own followers to present a party slate for the DDC elections. It was led by a popular ex-Principal who also was a former Member of Parliament. He was murdered on the eve of the election. The militants were on the ascendant. At this stage RAW got into the act and began to give weapons and weapons training to the militants as they had done with the Bangladeshi fighters (The Mukti Bahini) prior to their invasion and founding of Bangladesh.
The scenario was dangerously similar but our Foreign Ministry which should have been our eyes and ears was caught napping. They were pawns in an ego trip of their Minister Hameed. This was compounded by JRJ’s desire to be his own Foreign Minister. He was undertaking a difficult balancing act and he wanted full control. This decision rather than becoming a solution turned out to be the problem.
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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