Features
Anecdotes about Kalasuri Arisen Ahubudu
During World War II, the Ahubudu family lived in Koggala, the birthplace of the celebrated author Martin Wickramasinghe. One day, an order was received from the Allied military authorities that the villagers were to quit the place within 48 hours as the Army was taking over the entire village for the construction of an airstrip and a military camp. The Koggala Oya was also considered ideal for amphibious aircraft. Arisen Ahubudu was at the time a very young man, and when the order to vacate came, he was down with a bad attack of typhoid. He was placed on a camp-cot and taken in this rather unusual ‘stretcher’ by bullock cart. Our motherland nearly lost an invaluable son in this exercise.
When the allied troops occupied Koggala and set about building the aerodrome, they blasted some of the huge rocks that dotted the village. Among these rocks was a massive one on which a crane (koka) had been carved centuries earlier. In his youthful wisdom Ahubudu had taken a picture of this rock from which Koggala derived its name (koka-gala), a few weeks earlier, before it was blasted to bits. Taken with a simple box camera, if this photograph still exists, it would surely be a museum piece.
The Koggala village also had a pre-historic Hirugal Devalaya (a place of sun-god worship) existing from the times of mighty King Ravana. It was Salman Wathugedara, Ahubudu’s maternal grandfather, who taught him the traditional first lesson at the auspicious time.
One day, the principal of his school brutally struck Ahubudu with a cane, over copying of a letter he was entrusted with. He then walked out of the school never to return.
After self-studying, Ahubudu qualified as a teacher and joined the Sariputta Vidyalaya, in Ahangama. On the very first day at school, he vowed never to cane a child. Thereafter, he entered the Nittambuwa Teachers’ Training College, where he became a brilliant pupil of guru Munidasa Kumaratunga, the proponent of the Hela School of thought (Hela Havula). Ahubudu, together with Jayantha Weerasekera, Raphael Tennekoon, Alaw Isi Sabihela, Jayamaha Wellala, Abiram Gamhewa and several other prominent scholars of that calibre, were ardent proponents of Hela-Sinhala or pure Sinhala.
His first appointment, as a trained teacher, was to the Deegala School, in the Matale District in 1942. From there he joined Mahinda College, Galle, where he spent the happiest days in his life as a teacher. His charm and charisma made him a popular, much loved and highly respected teacher. Always punctual, he had a unique style of teaching.
“Enu daruwa” (come hither child), “Asun ganna” (please take a seat), “Oba mona gollehida?” (In which class are you?), were some of his kind-hearted words. He came to school in immaculate white national dress. Some of the other teachers including the vice-principal also wore the same. He functioned as both the Sinhala language and art teacher. His pupils loved him so much that when they saw him coming to the class, there was pin-drop silence. He would stay after school, of his own volition, to coach free of charge, his more backward pupils.
On a corner of the block board in his class, he did a beautiful portrait of the Buddha, which soon spread to other classes, too, when he obliged to do so, on request.
Some of his pupils were given Hela names; Wickumsihe (Wickramasinghe), Gunawadu (Gunawardena), Hemsandu (Hemachandra), Wiruhiru (Weerasuriya), Dahamdas (Dharmadasa) and so on. My Portuguese surname, meaning spring in an arid land, was given a beautiful Hela twist. The year Sri Lanka won Independence from the British, in the surge of national awakening, Ahubudu composed the hit song, ‘Lanka Lanka Pembara Lanka’ sung so melodiously by Sunil Santha. This song first appeared in the small magazine ‘Hela Kumaruwa’ published by Ahubudu himself.
A few days later when he sent it to his good friend Sunil Santha, requesting him to sing it to a melody of his composition, Sunil discovered that a slight adjustment had to be made to the words if it was to be set to music. Sunil could have made the adjustment himself, for he too was a scholar and a lyricist, but he came all the way from Ja-Ela to Galle to get Ahubudu to do so. He felt that it would be impolite to do it himself or send the song back by post to Ahubudu, asking him to do what had to be done. When he came to Mahinda to meet Ahubudu, he introduced Sunil to us, his pupils. And I remember thinking that I had rarely seen such a dashingly handsome pair. They surely must have made many a female heart turn cart-wheels!
Ahubudu composed a special song for Galle’s Big Match, Richmond Vs Mahinda. Its chorus went:
‘Pandu gasala ada jaya ganne vidula Mihindu apey!
Ada dina tharagen mul thena ganne vidhuala Mihindu apey!
Mihindu apey! Mihindu apey! Viduhala Mihindu apey!
(Mahinda will be victorious at today’s match. Mahinda will lead all the way).
During school holidays, a small group of us, his pupils, would drop in at his modest home at Unawatuna, and we were introduced to his Hela Havula friends, the likes of Jayamaha Wellala, Kumarasihi Kitsiri, Liyanage Jinadas, Amarasiri Gunawadu and others, who were gathered there. It was an enchanting experience. For they would argue with scholarship on merits or demerits of this literary work or that, quoting chunks from the work to prove a point. Or, they would have a song session or a friendly contest of ‘Hitivana Kavi’ (impromptu verse).
Ahubudu was also an accomplished artist. On his sitting room wall was a framed painting by him, of the Buddha and below it was one of Jesus Christ. We were intrigued by it. So, one day we asked him what it was all about. He then said that Jesus was an incarnation of Maitri Buddha!
There is another story laced with humour. One day a pupil met him in Galle Town and asked him “Guruthumo beherak giyehida?” (Sir! Where have you been to?) Then Ahubudu replied, “Maa sanda salanta giyemi.” The pupil did not quite understand what he said. Back at home he thought long and hard. At last ,he remembered that it was the day of the General Election and that what Ahubudu had said was that he had gone to cast his vote.
Author Sri Charles de Silva was another member of the Hela Havula; he was on the Mahinda staff at the time. One day we heard a big argument from the direction of his class. And, during the interval we went there to find out what it was all about. We heard that one of the School Inspectors had asked Sri Charles’ class, the Sinhala word for ‘not admitting a thing’? One pupil had answered that it is ‘nopiligani’. The Inspector had then said that the correct word is ‘pilinogani’, which literally means ‘not taking clothes’.
The name of Ahubudu’s magazine, ‘Hela Kumaruwa’ was changed to ‘Ediya’ (Pride) and was published monthly instead of weekly. It was a popular magazine widely read by both children and adults. It contained very informative articles and a special feature was an entire page devoted to a glossary of widely used English terms translated into Sinhala by Ahubudu himself. This was 75 years ago and his Sinhala terms are widely used today. He was a pioneer in this field.
Also, it had a forum page where quarries from readers were answered. I remember a child asking the Sinhala term for ‘photograph’ which was given as ‘Seyaruwa’. A surveyor had asked for the correct Sinhala phrase for “the land was surveyed.” It was given as “idama miniksooye”. An adult had asked the correct Sinhala word for ‘loudspeaker’, which was given as ‘gohuwa’.
Ediya had an alliterative slogan:
Ediya vediye podiyange edi wadannatai.
(Ediya has come to increase the pride of little ones.)
One day a prankster in our class wrote on the blackboard:
Ediya vediye podiyange madi vedi vediyen kadannatai.
(Ediya
has come to make more and more money out of little ones).
Our guru enjoyed the joke on him more than anyone else. That was the charming man he was. Ediya was published at Ahubudu’s family press ‘Heli Paharuwa’ (Heli Press), managed by his brother Ahuthusu. Priced at 10 cents, even 10,000 copies were inadequate. Such was its demand.
One Chandra Dewalegama was a frequent contributor to Ediya. Once she wrote a poem ‘Ahimsaka Samanmalie’ (The innocuous Samanmalie). Editor Ahubudu, having published it in Ediya, was desirous of meeting this poetess. It turned out to be a Cupid’s adventure. Ahubudu’s homecoming was held at the historic Unawatuna of Ramayana fame. In this village is a mountain where rare medicinal herbs grow. It is said to be that part of the Himalayan mountain range that was wrenched off by the Monkey God, Hanuman, and brought to Sri Lanka during the Rama-Ravana war; the medical herbs, presumably, to be used in tending to the injured soldiers of the army. At the foot of this mountain is the popular sea-bathing resort of Unawatuna and the Welle Kovila.
The Unawatuna Village had an unusual signboard. It read ‘Pahina Pola’ (Post Office). Of interest, a pahinaya is a letter, while a pahina patha means a postcard. The invitation to his homecoming was couched entirely in flawless ‘Hela-basa’. It was short, simple, sweet and novel and may have been incomprehensible to some.
The two-liner read:
‘Arisen Ahubudu themey may masa
10 weni dina Sanda samaga siya deveni diviya arambai).
Edina pevethwena sadayehi hey obage hamuwa pathai.’
(On the 10th of this month Arisen Ahubudu will commence his second life with Sanda.
He cordially invites you to the reception to be held that day.)
Many newspapers published greetings befitting the occasion. I am one of the surviving few who attended his homecoming. On the 35th anniversary of his wedding, I wrote an article to The Island, which was published on August 30 and 31, 1988.
Mahinda’s loss was the gain of S. Thomas’ College. He then resided at No. 1, Fairline Road, close to the Dehiwala Railway Station. Some of his friends, well-wishers and pupils who were Colombo-bound by train, detrained at Dehiwala, to visit him.
The following two stories have an indirect relevance to Ahubudu. One day, long years ago, I was seated in the verandah of my house soon after lunch, and was almost dozing off when I heard the sound of footsteps. It was the celebrated author Martin Wickramasinghe who, like Ahubudu hailed from the village of Koggala. I warmly welcomed him. Soon our entire family gathered round him and was engaged in a lively conversation when my 80-year-old father asked him, quite agitated, why he had referred to a relative of his ‘Bandarawatta Mahattaya’, living in Koggala, in derogatory terms, in his book ‘Upandasita’ as ‘Bandarawatta vanahi ahankara modayeki’ (Bandarawatta is an arrogant blockhead). The author then maintained that it was a statement of fact. After he left, I was clueless as to why he had visited me. Neither have I ever met him nor written to him. The only possible connection I had with him was that I had donated a prize to the essay competition organised as part of his birthday celebrations held a few days before at the request of its organisers.
Another day, while travelling in the Negombo bound train to Ja-Ela, where I lived at the time, when the din of the train going over the Kelani Bridge jolted me, I recognised the passenger seated opposite me.
“Sir! Aren’t you the celebrated singer Sunil Santha?”
“I no longer sing. Now, I run a small store in my village,” he said.
Pointing to a bundle of dry fish under his seat, he added, “I went to Colombo to bring some required items for my store.” I then introduced myself as a pupil of guru Arisen Ahubudu and recalled his visit to Mahinda College, Galle, to meet Ahubudu. He was overjoyed to hear about it.
As I entrained at Ja-Ela he extended to me an invitation to visit him the following Sunday.
So, the following Sunday I visited him. Sunil warmly welcomed me. He recalled his days in Galle, where he had taught, before going to Shantiniketan of India, adding that he created the melody for the Sinhala College anthem of St. Aloysius College, Galle, composed by his illustrious maternal uncle, Rev. Father Moses Perera. Sunil told me that for eight beautiful years, after returning to Ceylon, he had been a songster and that for the sake of a principle, he set aside music. He said that some staffers at Radio Ceylon were in the habit of keeping their parcels of food on the grand piano inviting insects to destroy it and though he brought it to the notice of the authorities, it had fallen on deaf ears. With great reluctance, I took his leave. Back at home I wrote to Ahubudu about it.
On February 28, 1955, C. Vanniasingham, MP for Kopay, said in Parliament, that the government should stop Tamil names being obliterated for Sinhala names and cited the case of Kantale becoming Gantalawa. According to Ahubudu it is the Sinhala village ‘Govi Paya’ which became his electorate Kopay. Deeply shaken by it, Ahubudu wrote the book ‘Lanka Gam Nam Vahara’, a monograph on place names of Sri Lanka, which provided a dependable source of information. Writing to me on February 11, 1984, he lamented that unfortunately for our Motherland, he had still not been able to get it published. It ultimately saw the light of day only in 1987.
I kept in touch with him with infrequent correspondence. Usually his letters begin: Asiri (With blessings to you!)
Labanda Wiruhiruweni (Dear Weerasuriya) (Assumed name)
And ends thus: Sema Setha Pathami (Wishing you all the best)
Meyata
(I remain)
Labanda
(Yours affectionately)
Signed ‘Arisen Ahubudu’. His signature was beautiful, impressive and artistic.
My last letter to him was regarding the query of a lady living about 16 miles from Galle, who wanted to know how her village name ‘Nakiyadeniya’ originated. Ahubudu replied that it meant ‘Nakiyagath deniya’. (A ‘deniya’ is a land area with semi-hard soil and a high-water table, used for bathing and other similar purposes.) I met him last when he visited me in Galle. Guru Arisen Ahbudu will eternally live in our hearts!
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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