Features
An eventful off season – Part 28
CONFESSIONS OF A GLOBAL GYPSY
By Dr. Chandana (Chandi) Jayawardena DPhil
President – Chandi J. Associates Inc. Consulting, Canada
Founder & Administrator – Global Hospitality Forum
chandij@sympatico.ca
As the 1975/1976 tourist season ended, I had a lot of free time in a nearly empty hotel. I did not want to waste six months just relaxing and ordering room service for all meals. As the Assistant Manager and Executive Chef of the Coral Gardens Hotel, apart from a few planning tasks, I hardly had enough work to keep me occupied. I commenced looking around for opportunities for secondments to keep busy and learn more about hospitality business.
Fifth Non-Aligned Summit
One day while reading a local newspaper I learnt about Sri Lanka hosting the fifth Conference of Heads of State/Government of the Non-Aligned Countries, often referred to as Non-Aligned Summit, in August 1976. This movement originated in the mid-1950s as an effort by some countries to avoid the polarized world of the Cold War between the pro-Soviet communist countries belonging to the Warsaw Pact, and the pro-
American capitalist countries belonging to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The first summit was hosted by Yugoslavia in 1961 with only 24 countries attending, including Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Cub. In the year 2021, the organization has grown to over 120 member states and in terms of the size and scope, second only to the United Nations as a global organization.
Over 50 heads of state/government attending the 1976 summit expected to stay at the only five-star hotels in the country – InterContinental and Oberoi. The venue for this prestigious three-day summit was the newly opened Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH), which was built and gifted by China to Sri Lanka. I heard that the government owned Ceylon Hotels Corporation (CHC) would be handling all catering and hospitality operations of the fifth non-Aligned Summit.
I immediately contacted the General Manager of CHC – Mr. Nimalasiri Silva, and offered my services, as I thought that this summit would provide an amazing opportunity for hospitality managers to gain valuable convention management experience at the highest level. “Chandana, thank you for your offer, but CHC already seconded for service to BMICH about ten of your fellow graduates of the Ceylon Hotel School (CHS).” I told him that I was able to work in any department at BMICH. He then said, “As CHC got the catering contract for the summit, our agreement is to only use CHC managers. The only exception is Milroy Fernando who was flown from Canada to lead the catering assignment on the directions of the Prime Minister.”
I was disappointed but was satisfied that at least I had tried. I was happy for my CHS colleagues who got this rare opportunity to serve heads of state/government.
Eventually, from 1990 to 1993, I got the opportunity to manage the entire catering operation of BMICH including large wedding dinners for 2,400 persons. BMICH has been crowned as the Gold Award Winner in the Leading Convention Center category of the prestigious 2020 South Asia Travel Awards (SATA) competition, bringing recognition to Sri Lanka as the premium convention destination in the South Asian Region. It all started in 1976.
Learning At Elephant House
Around the same period, my employer Whittall Boustead (Private) Ltd took over the management of one of the oldest companies in Sri Lanka – Ceylon Cold Stores. It was popularly known as Elephant House, which was the island’s largest producer of soft drinks, ice cream and a range of other food and beverage products. With permission from the Manager of the Coral Gardens Hotel – Muna, I contacted Mr. Gilbert Paranagama, the Director in charge of hotels. After a brief chat with him, he arranged for me to spend two months as a factory management observer at Elephant House.
I spent a week in each of the eight departments of Elephant House, including jams and preserves, ice cream and creamery, bottling plant, butchery, meat processing factory and finally the Fountain Cafe. I experienced different aspects of food and beverage processes, which were useful in my role as a hotel executive chef. Some of managers I worked with at Elephant House had their lunch very quickly and spent half of their lunch interval playing bridge, a card game I did not have time to master for the next four decades.
Working in the butchery, I was happy to use a large industrial electric meat saw, the type which I had not seen or used prior to that. One day, I was using this machine to cut a whole pig when my hand slipped and I had a minor injury. While I was taking the service elevator to get some first aid the lift operator started talking with me. This employee had only one finger in his right hand and I wondered what happened to him.
He said, “Sir, for a long time I operated that electric meat saw, until I had a terrible accident and lost four of my fingers! After that, five years ago the management gave me this easy job to operate the service elevator.” After listening to him, I was no longer motivated to use that machine. I quickly arranged an extended period at the Fountain Café, until I completed my two-month memorable observation period at the Elephant House.
The old advertisement for Fountain Café.
In mid-1970s Sri Lankans went out for a meal only on a rare occasion. Therefore, there were only very few restaurants even in Colombo. The Fountain Café operated by Elephant House was probably the most popular restaurant in Colombo, at that time. It was a useful experience for me to understand the Sri Lankan market for moderately priced food and beverage products.
An Opportunity in West Germany
From 1969 to 1976, two-year long fully-paid scholarships were awarded to the best three graduates of each batch of the Ceylon Hotel School (CHS). These postgraduate industrial and teacher training opportunities in West Germany were funded by the Carl Duisberg Society. Over the years, they were generous in awarding such scholarships to 26 outstanding graduates from CHS.
In 1976, the Carl Duisberg Society considered whether they should continue these scholarships in a different manner by awarding them to CHS graduates who have done well in the industry. A newspaper advertisement about this opportunity placed by the Ceylon Tourist Board (CTB) caught my eye. Although I was not a good student during my time at CHS, I applied for the scholarship, anyway.
A month later I was informed by CTB that I had been chosen for the scholarship. Soon after that I was summoned to the Whittall Boustead head office. Nervously I entered the office of Mr. Gilbert Paranagama who was talking with Padde Withana, Executive Chef of the Bentota Beach Hotel, who trained me as an Executive Chef. It appeared that Padde too had applied for the same scholarship and was chosen.
Mr. Paranagama telephoned the Chairman of CTB and told him that, “Whittall Boustead is proud that both our Executive Chefs were awarded scholarships to go to West Germany, but it is impossible for our company to release both for two years at the same time.” After listening to the response by the Chairman of CTB, he then said, “Yes, I know that Padde is the best Executive Chef in Sri Lanka, and Chandana has shown much promise. We will release Padde for two years, but Chandana will have to wait for a later opportunity after Padde returns from West Germany.” It was agreed upon, and that was the end of the telephone discussion.
“OK, Padde, you proceed to West Germany. Chandana, we will transfer you back to Bentota Beach Hotel as the Executive Chef for two years.” Mr. Paranagama announced. I was very pleased to get the opportunity to become the Executive Chef of the best resort hotel in Sri Lanka at the age of 22. Unfortunately, matters did not materialize as planned by CTB. For some unknown reason, Carl Duisberg Society terminated their scholarship program which helped the hotel industry of Sri Lanka tremendously to upgrade its professional skills.
Supervisor and Competitor Relations
Back at the Coral Gardens Hotel for the rest of the slow-moving off season I focused on public relations (PR) with the union delegates, hotel supervisors and managers of neighbouring hotels in Hikkaduwa. I organized a cycle trip for the Coral Gardens Hotel’s supervisors with the help from the union leader Butler Edmond, as the trip coordinator. He was pleased with the prominence given to him.
PR with the other hoteliers in the area was mainly sharing of best practices, and card games with dinner at different hotels every evening. That developed a useful fellowship among hoteliers in the area. That led to collaboration with competitor hotels to handle a common challenge we all faced – sea erosion. The erosion of country’s coastal zone had been identified as a long-standing problem, since 1920s.
Sea Erosion
In spite of advocacy by well-known divers, environmentalists and respected personalities such as Dr. Arthur C. Clark (British science fiction author who made Sri Lanka his home, for 52 years), damaging the coral reef continued. This was done for short term benefits of individuals and companies. Pollution of the sea, overfishing, destructive fishing practices using dynamite or cyanide, collecting live corals for the aquarium market, mining corals for building materials or to sell to tourists, were some of the many selfish reasons the people damage reefs.
Hoteliers were not able to prevent these issues without the genuine support of local politicians and clear governmental policies. Therefore, the hoteliers focused on measures such as arranging boulders to protect their lands from sea erosion. Such initiatives were costly as well as affected the natural beauty of hotel beach fronts. As the Assistant Manager of the hotel, I worked closely with the Manager, Muna and the Maintenance Engineer, Abey, in projects to fight sea erosion.
After decades of inaction, the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami was an eye opener and a deadly warning to Sri Lanka. This Tsunami resulted in 35,000 estimated deaths in Sri Lanka, and displaced over half a million people in Sri Lanka. Many hotels were damaged and a few never opened again. If people had listened to the experts such as Dr. Arthur C. Clark the total death and disruption would have been significantly lower.
Meeting a Sweet Sixteen
One evening, I was getting ready to go to a nearby hotel for dinner and a card game with some friends. Just before leaving, I received a call from Muna, who requested me to come to his apartment to meet a family who was visiting him for dinner. “I am on my way to Coral Sands Hotel, but I will drop in for a short time before I leave,” I told him. While walking towards his apartment, I heard two girls giggling. I checked with a room boy who was visiting Mr. Munasinghe. He told me that it was a family from Colombo related to Mr. Dudley (one of the local businessmen who was friendly with Muna and me).
Muna was in a good mood. “Hey Chandana, meet Captain Wicks, who is our friend Dudley’s brother-in-law”, Muna said. Captain D. A. Wickremasinghe was a Sandhurst-trained military officer who had become the General Manager of a large security company in Colombo after an early retirement from the army. He introduced his wife and one of the giggling girls as his cousin.
The other giggling girl had long silky black hair down to her knees. While she was turning her head, Captain Wicks said “This is our daughter”. She looked at me with her beautiful big eyes and smiled. I simply froze as she was the most beautiful teenager I had ever seen. She had just turned sixteen and her parents were naturally very protective of her, their only child. We did not talk, but just glanced at each other. After a few minutes, I excused myself and left for my card game resisting the temptation to stay longer.
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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