Features
A MONUMENTAL JOKE
by Vijaya Chandrasoma
The only predictable thing about Trump is his predictability. He failed in his efforts to con his way to a Nobel Peace Prize, even with a forged letter of recommendation from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Now, a “monumental” suggestion has 16been made by the White House to the Governor of South Dakota, Kristi Noem, to add the face of President Donald Trump to the four presidents already memorialized at Mount Rushmore.
Mount Rushmore is located in a National Park surrounded by the beauty of the Black Hills of South Dakota, and contains 60 ft. high faces, carved in stone, of the majestic figures of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. The Father of the Nation, the Founding Father who was mainly responsible for drafting the Constitution, the president who signed the Proclamation of Emancipation and a Nobel Laureate famous for his Square Deal program, known as the “three Cs” – Conservation of natural resources, Control of corporations and Consumer protections. High company indeed.
The carving took 14 years to complete, having started in 1927, ending in 1941. There is room enough to add a fifth, even a sixth face to the monument.
Trump is convinced that he belongs in the illustrious company of these great presidents, conclusive evidence that his Narcissistic Personality Disorder is alive and kicking.
In an interview in 2018, Noem talked of a conversation she had with Trump in the Oval Office, during which he said that it was “always my dream to have my face on Mount Rushmore.” Said Noem, “I initially thought he was joking and started laughing”. Then she realized he was deadly serious.
Trump again mentioned his “dream” in 2017, at a campaign rally in Youngstown, Ohio, saying that it (the carving of his image on Mount Rushmore) will “stand forever as an eternal tribute to our forefathers, and to our freedom.”
At a speech on the eve of the 2020 Independence Day, Trump continued with his political strategy of further dividing the nation. He attacked the recent protests against police brutality, accusing the protestors of “engaging in a merciless campaign to wipe out our history”.
Trump indicated that his role in saving these monuments, which his white supremacist mind honoured American heroes, was proof of his eligibility to be honoured at Mount Rushmore. Even though some of these “heroes” were traitors like Robert E. Lee, a general of the Confederate army who waged a war of secession against the USA to perpetuate the inhuman institution of slavery.
He added more achievements in support of his inclusion in Mount Rushmore. Below are some of his greatest achievements, according to his Adderall deluded mind. Unfortunately, in reality, they represent the realization of the ambitions of Russian President Putin and those of Khrushchev, who famously said in 1956:
“We will take America without firing a shot. We do not have to invade the U.S. We will destroy you from within.”
Trump has behaved throughout his presidency as if he’s more interested in fostering Russia’s foreign and geopolitical aggressions in Ukraine, Syria and Afghanistan. Even recent evidence provided by the US intelligence agencies that Russia was paying bounty to the Taliban to murder US soldiers in Afghanistan has elicited no response from Trump, though he has had conversations with his master after this crime was disclosed to him in his daily briefings.
A classic case of treason by omission, rivaled only by his support of Putin at the world stage in Helsinki in July 2018, when he agreed with the Russian president that there had been no Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. Against the evidence provided to him by all 17 US intelligence services.
Trump’s lies about his major achievements are:
“I created the greatest economy the world has ever seen, out of the ruins I inherited from the Obama administration, all by myself”.
He has repeated this appalling lie so often that it has become the truth in many minds. They were initially believed by those voters who resented eight years of the scandal free presidency of an African American, which had gained universal admiration.
Obama’s presidency engineered the recovery left over by the deep recession caused by the reign of error of the George W. Bush administration, with a series of effective economic, stimulus and health programs. By the time he left the Oval Office, the economy was booming, unemployment was at its lowest levels in decades and Obamacare won health insurance for tens of millions of hitherto uninsured Americans, including those with pre-existing conditions.
The economy is in shambles today, with unemployment running at 12.5% and nearly 40 million people unemployed, mainly because of delayed action by Trump in containing the virus.
Trump continues boasting of his magnificent performance in controlling the Coronavirus, a recovery which exists only in his Alternative Universe. His ridiculous lie at a Coronavirus briefing last Monday that America “will be in very, very good shape in a short period of time” was made in the light of his colossal mismanagement of the Covid19 pandemic, which has already claimed over five million infections and 162,000 deaths, currently increasing by 1,000 per day. A continuing tragedy caused by his incompetence and “happy talk” in March and April, and a similar prediction a few days ago that the virus will disappear “like a miracle very, very soon”. Contrary to the rational predictions of his own scientists, who have been warning, from January 2020, that the virus will spread exponentially unless preventive action is taken immediately. And so it has been spreading, with no sign of abatement, from March until the present day.
The US, in spite of the backing of the greatest medical and technological infrastructure in the world, sees no end to the virus. With 4% of the world’s population and 25% of total deaths by the virus, the US is far behind the progress made by other developed nations, nations like Germany, South Korea and the United Kingdom which are on the verge of defeating the first wave of the virus and returning to normality. A happy situation brought about by competent leadership. New Zealand has not had a single Covid case in the last 100 days!
Trump lies of other achievements. During a Memorial Day speech on May 25, he lied that he signed the Veteran’s Healthcare bill in 2014, which was enacted during the Obama presidency! Just the other day, he announced that he was going to sign an Executive Order mandating all insurance companies to provide health cover to those with pre-existing conditions. Ironically, such cover is already the law of the land under Obamacare, which the Trump administration is currently trying to repeal in the courts. And, of course, he established the Space Force, primarily designed to fight the teeming crime, the murders, bank robberies and rapes committed by Blacks, Mexicans, Muslims and other Aliens rampant in outer space.
Great presidents of the 20th century, eminently suitable to have been memorialized at Mount Rushmore, never begged for this privilege. To make such a narcissistic suggestion would never have even occurred to them.
Franklin D. Roosevelt (Democrat – 1932 to 1945) guided the country through the Great Depression, introducing the “New Deal”, a series of socialist programs and projects aimed to restore prosperity in the country.
Dwight D. Eisenhower (Republican – 1952 to 1960), served as the Commander of the American forces in Europe at the end of World War II, and was the first Supreme Commander of NATO from 1951. As President, Ike launched the Interstate Highway Network in 1956.
Jack Kennedy (Democrat – 1960 to 1963), whose chief success came after his assassination, encouraged the Apollo space program, and USA became the first country to put a man on the moon in 1969, “surely the most dramatic technical and engineering achievement ever, one of the great undertakings in all of human history”. Kennedy was a gifted orator, and the most charismatic president in our lifetime.
Barack Obama (Democrat – 2008 to 2016), Nobel Laureate, ended his second term with 72 straight months of economic growth. He enacted the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), which paved the way to Single Payer healthcare. Obama is also a fine orator, a man of deep compassion, whose speeches echo the values of integrity and patriotism, of honesty and decency, values which have disappeared from the White House of today.
In bleak contrast, Trump has dragged a united country to a level of polarization and economic and social inequality no one would ever have thought to be possible.
Many people, even some independent voters outside his base, believe Trump’s lies today, lies that are reaching a crescendo as the election draws near. He still has supporters in spite of his incompetence, ignorance and the crimes he has committed, against America and against the world. He has also changed the Party of Lincoln to the Party of Trump, members of which are complicit in the regress of a once great nation to tyranny. The success of this massive con is Trump’s real achievement.
The credit for Trump’s major achievements, which have only served to hasten Russia’s return to its lost glory as a global superpower, really belongs to President Putin. Perhaps Putin’s face should be memorialized on Mount Rushmore.
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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