Features
A (REPUBLICAN) SUCKER BORN EVERY MINUTE
by Vijaya Chandrasoma
Donald J. Trump, aka President-eject, aka Uncle Scam, con man extraordinaire, is planning the release of yet another book, a sequel to his Art of the Deal. The new book will aptly be named the Art of the Con, and will be in two parts. Part I will list the scams during his presidency – violations of the emoluments clause, playing golf on the taxpayers’ dime, selling his brand to adversaries like China to obtain trademarks (daughter Ivanka’s specialty), using the presidency to get financing for failing real estate projects from Saudi Arabia (son-in-law Kushner) and Russia (Trump), money laundering and God only knows what else. Just last week, Washington D.C. Attorney General’s office deposed Ivanka Trump for an ongoing investigation into gross abuse of inauguration funds in January 2017.
Part II will describe the schemes he has contrived to make money from his electoral defeat. In spite of universal acceptance that the 2020 election was one of the fairest in the history of the United States, Trump and his team have been falsely alleging widespread voter fraud and manipulations of electronic voter machines by Republican and Democratic election authorities. He has convinced, without a shred of evidence, an alarming number of Republicans that the election has been stolen from him. In spite of the fact that every allegation of voter fraud brought by the Trump campaign to date has been thrown out by Republican and Democratic judges.
Trump released a video of a 46-minute diatribe last Wednesday, a litany of outrageous lies on the only subject – voter fraud – that has consumed him since his humiliating defeat. He has made no reference, provided no guidelines to mitigate the worst health crisis the United States has suffered in its history. Nearly 15 million cases and 280,000 deaths have been reported, the highest levels since the onset of the virus. Not one word from this president, either of empathy or guidance, for over a month. He has taken no steps to bring relief to millions of Americans through a stimulus bill to help people facing loss of their homes and unable to even put food on the table for their families. Not one word. Just a million words whining about his delusion of a stolen election, as he continues his homicidal negligence of the raging pandemic.
To make matters worse, Attorney General William Barr, who has devoted the entirety of the tenure of his office prostituting himself, lying to cover up the gross abuse and crimes of his Leader, provided the “December Surprise” when he was caught red handed telling the truth. He disputed Trump’s baseless claims about a rigged election. His statement that the “US Department of Justice has uncovered no evidence of widespread voter fraud that could change the outcome of the 2020 election”, was as unexpected as it was totally against past form. Barr is aware that he has but seven weeks to be removed from his position. Perhaps he is, even at this late date, trying to repair the reputation he has destroyed by slavishly enabling Trump’s criminal excesses during the period of his incumbency as Attorney General. Too little, too late. But his willingness to incur Trump’s certain wrath and his imminent dismissal may be an indication that the rats are finally jumping off the sinking ship.
Barr may have closed the coffin on the evidence-free claims of the Trump team of a stolen election. But the con goes on. Trump recently sent an appeal to his 70 million Republican voters asking for financial contributions to help him overturn an “obviously rigged election”. The Final Notice of this appeal, begging for cash contributions from Republicans, states, “chip in $25 to help us assemble a massive legal effort that will ensure that our democratic process prevails”.
Amazingly, in spite of all evidence to the contrary, the con is working. The Trump campaign has to date collected more than $200 million from these gullible Republicans, who still believe that the election has been stolen. The money so received by the Trump campaign will be used not only for legal expenses in fighting the election result but, according to the fine print at the bottom of the appeal, could and will be used to pay for campaign expenses and to cover Trump’s considerable personal debt. Trump’s complete discretion in the use of these funds is beyond question. For a man who has been convicted, before he was elected president, of stealing money from children’s cancer charities, abusing funds received from devoted supporters would be child’s play.
Trump has now devised a “Pardons for Cash” confidence trick. Court records reveal that the Justice Department is investigating a pardon bribery scheme. Trump is believed to be offering presidential pardons, for cash, to those senior government officials, close associates and lobbyists alleged to have committed crimes out of the loyalty demanded by Trump. There are no depths this evil man will not plumb, no soul he will not sell down the river, to make a buck.
A White House source says that we could expect a “flurry of pardons” before Trump leaves office. The joke currently doing the rounds in Washington: The White House is now the most courteous workplace in D.C. Everyone is going around saying “pardon me”!
Trump has also been exploring the possibility of granting “pre-emptive pardons” to himself and his family. In fact, one of Trump’s closest advisers, Fox’s Sean Hannity has advised the president to use the presidential pardon for his own protection and that of his family, predicting the specter of a perennial “witch hunt”. And the lawyer who has been spearheading his efforts to overturn the election, Rudi Giuliani, is reputed to be pleading for a “pre-emptive blanket pardon”, a phrase rarely heard in legal circles.
Laurence Tribe, Harvard University Professor of Law wrote in the Washington Post: “The Constitution specifically bars the president from using the pardon power to prevent his own impeachment and removal”. However, there is an opposing view: that a presidential pardon is an executive act, not a judicial one. As such, Article 1 of the Constitution provides no limitations to presidential powers in the executive act of self-pardon. The courts will ultimately be required to make a ruling on a question singularly devoid of precedent.
Unfortunately, Trump’s lies have dangerous consequences. The head of election cybersecurity, Chris Krebs, a Republican and a Trump appointee, recently had the temerity to announce that the 2020 election was “the most secure in American history”. He was immediately fired by Trump for doing his job. A member of Trump’s legal team, Joe DiGenova, made the following statement on Trump-allied Newsmax TV: “Anyone who thinks the election went well, like that idiot Krebs who used to be the head of cybersecurity, that guy is a Class A moron. He should be drawn and quartered. Taken out at dawn and shot”.
Thanks to dangerous comments like this made by DiGenova, Fox News and Trump loyalists since the election debacle, numerous election officials and Democratic loyalists have received death threats from the Trump militia. Though such threats have been widely reported, they have elicited no response or condemnation from Trump or the leadership of the Republican party.
The dangers faced by people for simply doing their jobs, whose families have been threatened with violence, prompted an outburst of unscripted and emotional fury from Georgian voting system official, Gabriel Sterling, a Republican, at a press conference last Monday:
“It has to stop. Mr. President, you have not condemned these actions or this language. Senators, you have not condemned this language or these actions.
“This is elections. This is the backbone of democracy, and all of you who haven’t said a damn word are complicit in this. This has to stop. We need you to step up, and if you’re going to take a position of leadership, show some”.
Sterling said that he had received death threats, and was currently under police protection. Thugs have been driving in caravans, honking threateningly, past the home of Georgian Republican Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger’s home, for the “crime” of refusing to sign the Georgia state election for Donald Trump, against the will of Georgian voters and the Constitution. Threats of a sexually explicit nature have been received by Raffensperger’s wife on her cellphone. A voting machine technician falsely accused of altering votes in Georgia has been threatened by tweets, calling him to be “hung for treason”, and a noose with his name on it placed outside his house.
Sterling concluded his moving plea with this warning:
“Mr. President, you need to stop inspiring people to commit potential acts of violence. Someone’s going to get hurt. Someone’s going to get shot. Someone is going to get killed. And it’s not right”.
When questioned about Sterling’s outburst, White House Press Secretary Kayliegh McEnany used the “Both Sides” defense, made famous by Trump, when he said that “there were very fine people on both sides”, after the violent white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017; one side representing violent white supremacists and anti-Semites, which resulted in the murder of a young woman; the other side protesting these vile forces. McEnany stated that the White House deplored violence on both sides. The other side exists only in Trump’s delusions.
Neither Trump nor the Republican leadership has condemned the incendiary threats of Trump attorney DiGenova. Trump responded to Gabriel Sterling’s outburst by merely retweeting his statement, adding that the election was rigged. No condemnation of the death threats, probably because they were carried out on his instructions.
In a desperate move to prove the unprovable, the Trump team is now putting the Republican controlled Senate into grave danger, exhorting voters in Georgia to protest the result of the 2020 election by boycotting the vital elections for two Senate seats in January. Compliance with these instructions by Republican voters will gift the two Georgian seats to the Democrats, who will then have control of the Senate. With the White House and the House of Representatives already under Democratic control, Trump would have afforded unfettered freedom for the Biden/Harris administration to carry out its agenda, without being blocked at every turn by a hostile Senate.
Trump may have finally and unwittingly taken the first step to Make America Great Again.
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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