Features
A.T. Ariyaratne and the Bauddha Jatika Balavegaya (BJB)
“I got disillusioned with politics. An idea was born in my mind that a social revolution minus political colouring should be staged. The Sarvodaya Shramadana movement was the outcome of this thinking.” – A.T. Ariyaratne
by Senaka Weeraratna
The passing of A.T. Ariyaratne at the age of 92 years on April 16, 2024 removes from the national scene a colossus that straddled many spheres of local life and singularly gained international recognition for himself and his country to an unimaginable extent. Though small and diminutive in physical size he reached dizzy heights that should inspire the current and future generations to emulate him. A.T. Ariyaratne was an innovative thinker who consistently punched above his weight.
Much has been written of him and much will be written of him in the future. Therefore, I will confine myself in this essay to the lesser publicized aspects of his charismatic life.
On a personal note, I became aware of him when I was in the primary school when my cousins at Nalanda and Ananda College started to talk of him in the late 1950s. Ariyaratne was a teacher at Nalanda College and he organized a strike at school in protest against a palpable injustice, the news of which spread rapidly among school teachers and their students. In that era school strikes were unheard of.
My first encounter with Ariyaratne was in 1961. I was then 13-years of age. The German Dharmaduta Society (GDS) founded by Asoka Weeraratna (my uncle), decided to construct in one day a boundary wall around the perimeter of the land at its premises at No. 417, Bauddhaloka Mawatha (formerly Bullers Road). The Society called for volunteers as it intended to carry out this project on a purely pro bono basis. Ariyaratne and his students (members of the fledgling Sarvodaya Shramadana movement at Nalanda Vidyalaya) responded magnificently. There were others too including children of the office bearers of the GDS who participated in this project by carrying bricks to assist the masons.
Ariyaratne, then a young Buddhist school – teacher, began adapting Gandhian concepts and strategies of rural awakening (Sarvodaya) to Sinhalese culture. It started small in the late 1950s at Nalanda Vidyalaya under this visionary teacher and developed in the 1960s into a widespread national movement with a philosophical underpinning. A Sri Lankan Gandhi was in the making.
However, there was another major involvement of Ariyaratne in a national Buddhist movement that is lesser known. The media hardly refer to it today. That was the formation of the Bauddha Jathika Balavegaya (BJB) that came into being following the abortive ‘Catholic Army Officers’ coup in January 1962. Had it succeeded Sri Lanka may have plunged into becoming another South Vietnam under minority control (President Ngo Dinh Diem) backed by USA.
It was to prevent such a catastrophe in Sri Lanka that the Bauddha Jatika Balavegaya (BJB) was formed in November 1962. The inaugural meeting was held at the premises of the All-Ceylon Women’s Buddhist Conference (ACWBC) on the invitation of L.H. Mettananda to a select 100 persons. The topic ‘A discussion about the future of the Sinhala Buddhist Society’
In his autobiographical ‘Bhava Thanha ’ A.T. Ariyaratne gives a good description of the origins and birth of the Bauddha Jatika Balavegaya.
Bhava Thanha: An Autobiography Volume One
ISBN 10: / ISBN 13:
Published by Vishva Lekha, 2001
Bauddha Jatika Balavegaya (BJB)
The first Office Bearers of the BJB were:
L. H. Mettananda (President), Nissanka Wijeyaratne (Vice – President), Gunaseela Vithanage (Secretary), Ronnie de Mel (Treasurer).
A.T. Ariyaratne was a founder member of the BJB and served as a Committee Member. Gunaseela Vithanage was a highly learned and dedicated intellectual who did much of the paperwork of the BJB.
Ariyaratne speaks of L.H. Mettananda as follows:
Mr. L.H. Mettananda stands out among the Buddhist mentors that he was associated with. “Mettananda was an exemplary character – humble, courageous, principled, living a simple life style, and never bearing rancour. He spurned high posts offered to him by the State – even ministerial and ambassador posts. Economically he was under pressure but would never give up principles for personal gain. He was almost my guru. Born on March 19, 1894, he passed away on November 01, 1967. We participated fully at the last rites of this great man”.
The pages 290 – 316 extracted from his autobiography ‘ Bhava Thanha’ and reproduced as an attachment (and pdf document in the weblink below) are of historical value as they contain vital information on a National Buddhist movement i.e., BJB, which played a pivotal role in the affairs of the nation from 1962 – 1965. Social historians should take note of this description.
I though young of age (14 years) witnessed much of these events in the company of my father Dharmasena Weeraratna, whom A.T. Ariyaratne describes on page 298 as follows: “Mr. Dharmasena Weeraratna, a businessman, was another untiring warrior in our movement” i.e., Bauddha Jatika Balavegaya.
Dharmasena Weeraratna served as a Committee Member and Press Officer of the BJB. I remember occasionally visiting Ariyaratne at his home (‘Under the Breadfruit Tree’) in a lane off the main road at Maradana to deliver BJB related material given by my father. Our family shop ‘P. J. Weeraratna & Sons, was situated at Second Division, Maradana, Colombo 10 not far from where Ariyaratne then resided.
The official headquarters of the BJB were located at Galle Road, Kollupitiya and declared open on June 04, 1963. However, it was our family residence that served more or less as an unofficial headquarters of the BJB in the 1962 – 1965 period. The likes of L.H. Mettananda, T.U. de Silva, Gunaseela Vithanage, Nissanka Wijeyaratne,, Premachandra de Silva, A.N.S. Kulasinghe, W.J. Fernando, Ramsay Wettimuny (CTB Engineer and father of Sunil, Mithra, Sidath, Ranjan), Professor K.N. Jayatilleka, A.T. Ariyaratne, Wijayananda de Abrew, K.H.M. Sumathipala among others ,were some of the visitors there including leading monks who congregated at our home before leaving in a convoy of vehicles for the public meetings they addressed.
My father’s vehicles among others loaned by others such as W.J. Fernando and A.N. S. Kulasinghe were deployed to help transport the speakers to the BJB meetings which were held in various parts of the country such as Polonnaruwa, Medawachchiya, Anuradhapura, Badulla, Kandy, Ratnapura, Kalutara, Galle, Beruwala, Matara, Nugegoda, and Kirulapone among others. I have attended some of these meetings.
Photo – Bauddha Jatika Balavegaya – Opening of the Headquarters, Galle Road, Kollupitiya, Colombo 03 Date: 4th June, 1963 Picture Seated (left to right) Ven. Baddegama Wimalawansa Nayake Thero and Ven. Madihe Pannasiha Nayake Thero. Standing (left to right) Mr. Wijayananda de Abrew (first from left), Mr. Ronnie de Mel (Treasurer,BJB( 4th from left), L.H. Mettananda (President, BJB)(fifth from left), Nissanka Wijayaratne (Vice – President, BJB) (sixth from left) and Gunaseela Vithanage (Hony. Secretary, BJB) (bespectacled dark complexioned – eighth from left) http://www.lhmettananda.com/gallery-2/
The highly reputed monks who addressed these meetings were Ven. Kalukondayawe Pannasekera Nayake Thero, Prof. Ven. Bambarande Siri Sivali Thero, Dr Kotagama Vachissara Thero, Ven. Madihe Pannasiha Nayake Thero, Ven. Baddegama Wimalawansa Nayake Thero, Ven. Talpavila Seelavansa and Ven. Devamottawe Amarawansa Thero, among others. Ven. Devamottawe Amarawansa Thero was one of the finest orators at that time. He was kept as the last speaker at a meeting to retain the crowd and keep them enthralled.
“People by the thousands flocked to our meetings ……..They used to come in processions. It was a Buddhist Resurgence at a sizzling peak” says Dr. Ariyaratne (page 299).
He further says that Mettananda used to delegate him (Ariyaratne) to speak first at these meetings because he always placed stress on Ahimsa (non – violence) a cardinal tenet of Buddhism. The crowning public meeting of the BJB was held in front of the Ananda College building and within the school premises. Thousands of people attended this meeting in November 1963 and the demonstration with placards and colourful banners took two hours to pass a point. It was at the height of the Buddhist protest in South Vietnam against the dictatorship of President Ngo Dien Diem. Mettananda was at the height of his popularity as a Buddhist leader. The Buddhist public of Ceylon showed utmost solidarity with the victimized Buddhists of South Vietnam.
Mrs. Sirima Bandaranaike who was the then Prime Minister alerted the United Nations via our delegate Mr. R.S.S. Gunawardena to the persecution of Buddhists in Vietnam. However, it was the worldwide publication of the photograph of self-immolation of the Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duc (1897–1963) on June 11, 1963, that brought international attention to the suppression of Buddhists in Vietnam. President Kennedy called for the exploration of a regime change. On November 02, 1963 President Ngo Dien Diem was over thrown by a coup d’etat of the Vietnamese army.
The special feature of the BJB meeting at Ananda College was the presence of leading Hindu nationalist leaders like Sir Kandiah Vaithianathan, who joined hands with Mettananda in protesting against religious conversions by unethical means.
The Press Commission (1963 – 1964)
Ariyaratne says as follows:
“Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike’s Government established a Press Commission. We utilized this Commission to highlight anti – Buddhist activities and focus attention on immoral acts treacherous to the nation. The Supreme Court Justice K.D. de Silva headed this Commission”. (page 298)
The Press Commission in its Report (1964) said as follows:
“The Press is an instrument which is primarily meant to serve the real interests of a country. It can also be misused. If we were not satisfied that the newspapers of the Lake House and the Times groups were guilty of anti -national and anti – Buddhist conduct on a large scale, we would not have recommended a drastic change in the ownership of the newspapers belonging to these groups. From the evidence placed before us we are satisfied that the existing newspapers did not hesitate to fabricate, suppress, slant or distort news and views whenever it suited them.
“They have been further guilty of anti-national and anti–Buddhist activities, which are more serious than the earlier mentioned lapses on their part. Indeed, the most vehement critics of the present activities of the Press were the Buddhists and some of their organizations, and we are satisfied that their grievances are genuine and should be removed.
“Buddhist leaders have been falsely accused of being intolerant. Their hopes and ambitions receive scant consideration, and the rightful place due to their religion has been denied to it by the newspapers. This has been deliberately done in order to help the minorities, in particular, the Christian minorities, to perpetuate the unjust privileges acquired by them during the last four centuries at the expense of the Buddhist majority. “
Paragraph 212, Page 90 Final Report of the Press Commission (1964)
The following web link was found in a highly resourceful web site dedicated to L.H. Mettananda.
The BJB made a major contribution to public debate by taking an important and brave stand on Catholic Action. Its publication ‘Catholic Action: A Menace to Peace and Goodwill– A Reply to the Catholic Union of Ceylon’ was published by the Bauddha Jathika Balavegaya in March 1963.
https://archive.org/details/CatholicActionByLHMettananda/page/n5/mode/2up
The other major publication of the BJB (September 1963) was the work of A.T. Ariyaratne himself entitled
Ariyaratne, A.T. (1963) Whence? Wherefore? Whither? Bauddha Jatika Balavegaya
Buddhist Social Order
He calls for the establishment of a Buddhist Social Order in a wide-ranging discussion about the challenges faced by Buddhism both within and from outside. The content of the booklet has been reproduced in the ‘Bhava Thanha’ autobiography under the Chapter title ‘ A Path to Buddhist Resurgence’ (pp 302 – 316).
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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