Features
APPEALS COURT REJECTS “CITIZEN” TRUMP’S CLAIMS OF PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY
THE US ECONOMY IN GOOD SHAPE – CHAIR, FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD
by Vijaya Chandrasoma
The three-panel federal appeals court in Washington DC, in a historic ruling, rejected Trump’s claims of total presidential immunity for the crimes he committed to remain in power after he lost the 2020 presidential election, including his role in the violent insurrection to prevent the constitutional transfer of power on January 6, 2021 The panel wrote: “It would be a striking paradox if the president, who alone is vested with the constitutional duty to take care that the laws are faithfully executed, were the sole officer capable of defying those laws with impunity”.
The appeals court has given Trump’s counsel till Monday, February 12, to file an appeal before the Supreme Court. If such an appeal is not filed, then Judge Tanya Chutkin’s Washington DC case against Trump for inciting the January 6, 2021 insurrection, currently under stay order, could start expeditiously.
The Court could refuse to take the case, on grounds that the DC appeals court ruling, hailed by the legal community as “masterful” and “bulletproof”, a decision which had covered every aspect of the case with “constitutional text, judicial precedent, history and logic”, to such a decisive level as to make contesting it difficult, overruling well-nigh judicially impossible.
Either of these alternatives will ensure that the Washington DC sedition case against Trump could start as early as April and a verdict served before the end of June.
However, considering the historic and unprecedented magnitude of the case and the 6/3 bias of the Supreme Court towards the conservative cause, it is likely that the case will be accepted for hearing by the Court. In which event, the Court is left with two further options:
It could display its Republican bias with impunity, and delay a ruling which would make it impossible to conclude the case till after the election in November. A despicable act of political bias, representing a win for Trump.
However, the Court will most likely render its ruling fairly and expeditiously, based on the traditional judicial adage that Justice delayed is Justice denied. An eminently just decision, as the voters will have the necessary information about Trump’s role in inciting an insurrection against the government, before they cast their votes in the presidential election in November.
The Supreme Court is also scheduled to make a ruling on the Colorado case, whether Trump is qualified to be on the ballot for the presidency according to the 14th Amendment of the constitution.
The main argument brought by Trump’s lawyers rested on whether the President of the United States was an “officer” of the United States! Jonathan Mitchell also argued that January 6 “was not an insurrection, it was a riot. The events were shameful, criminal, violent, all those things, but they did not qualify as an insurrection as that term is used in Section 3”.
The Supreme Court has already signaled that Trump will be allowed to remain on the ballot. Liberal Justice Elena Kagan expressed the majority opinion of the Court, that the decision to elect the President of the United States should be made not by a single state, not by the Supreme Court, but by the voters of the nation. An obvious deal with the devil to dodge the issue, and prevent the inevitable violence should Trump be disqualified from seeking re-election in November.
But a contradiction of a strict interpretation of the self-executing terms of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which clearly specifies Trump’s disqualification from the national ballot.
In spite of this specious win, which was widely anticipated, it’s been a rough week for Trump, who must feel that the walls are closing in on him
The attempt to impeach Biden administration’s Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, brought by the Speaker, Mike Johnson, was defeated in the House. The high crimes and misdemeanors cited to justify such a charge of impeachment? Failing to properly enforce the nation’s immigration laws, in short, failing to do his job, hardly a high crime or misdemeanor, charges required for impeachment.
In fact, at the time Mayorkas was impeached for not doing his job, he had been deeply involved in months of negotiations with the Senate to arrive at a non-partisan bill to solve the immigrant crisis at the southern border.
The Impeachment of Mayorkas, on instructions of Trump, was defeated last Tuesday in the House, signifying yet another humiliating defeat for the Republicans. Speaker Johnson made the rookie mistake only a dumb and inexperienced Speaker would make, calling for a vote before ensuring the final decision of the voters of his own Party. Four Republicans voted against impeachment.
The proposed immigration bill had been the subject of negotiation for months between the Senate and Secretary Mayorkas, representing the White House. It was authored by the ultra-conservative Oklahoma Senator James Lankford, Democratic Senator Chris Murphy (New Jersey) and Independent Senator Kyrsten Sinema (Arizona).
The text of the $118 billion bill was finally released last Tuesday in a “series of provisions aimed at reducing high crossings at the southern border, tightening of asylum laws, hiring new border guards and giving the President the power to “shut down the border” if there are too many migrants trying to cross the border. The bill also provided for critical military aid to Ukraine (60 billion), Israel (14 billion) and humanitarian aid for Gaza (20 billion). The bill included many of the stringent conditions Republicans had been demanding for years.
Senator Lankford, one of the authors of the bill, stated that he had been threatened four months ago, before the contents of the bill were released, by Right Wing Radio Host, Jesse Kelly, who said, “If you try to move a bill that solves the border crisis during this presidential year, I will do whatever I can to destroy you, because I do not want you to solve this before the presidential election”. It doesn’t take much imagination to guess the source behind this threat.
The bill tanked in the Senate without a vote. As Senator Sinema, one of the authors of the bill said, “After four months of negotiations about funding for the border crisis, suddenly there was no crisis at the border”.
No bipartisan bill to mitigate the crisis at the southern border will see the light of day so long as Trump and the MAGA (Make America Great Again) cult control the Republican Party. Total chaos at the border, illegal immigration, the smuggling of Fentanyl and other prohibited drugs – these are bread and butter for Trump, national problems which he welcomes, feeds on and makes money from, and are the most lethal weapons of his re-election campaign.
Trump wants the border crisis to escalate, the economy to crash and Americans to suffer, so that Biden’s ratings will suffer, evidence of Trump’s contempt for the welfare of the country.
Trump also recently displayed his manic narcissism, when, like his counterpart in Greek mythology, Narcissus, who fell in love with his own image reflected in a pool of water, he made public a photograph of his face superimposed on that of Elvis Presley, which he claimed had a remarkable resemblance! The King was spinning in his grave.
Biden’s achievements are undeniable, and include the sweeping $1.9 trillion economic stimulus and rescue bill, intended to bolster the economy after the Covid pandemic, the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, to repair and reconstruct the nation’s roads and bridges. An estimated eight million new jobs have been added in the first three years of the Biden administration and unemployment is at its lowest levels in five decades.
These signature pieces of legislation and many others have contributed to the current economic environment, about which the Chair of the Federal Reserve Board, Jerome Powell, expressed unqualified approval and optimism for the future:
“The US economy has been solid over the past year. Economic activity was robust, unemployment remained under 4% and inflation trended down.
“This is a good situation. Let’s be honest. This is a good economy”.
Powell was nominated to the Federal Reserve Board of Governors by President Obama in 2012, and elevated to Chairman by President Donald Trump. His reputation for impartiality and integrity is impeccable, his praise usually rare and miserly.
When even an anchor of the Republican Party propaganda machine, Maria Bartiromo recently admitted, even through gritted teeth, that “Biden’s economy is a lot stronger than anybody understands”, the good news is finally reaching the public.
The headlines over the past three years should have been the transformation of the White House of the Trump presidency, a monstrosity of vulgarity, fraud, lies and sedition, to an administration of decency and integrity, which has been slowly but surely working towards the goal of a better America – for all – and reclaiming the good name of America internationally, sans narcissistic fanfare.
The Biden administration seems to have finally woken up to the fact that their dearth of communication skills about President Biden’s achievements during the first three years of office has caused a major public relations problem. Three years which have showed more economic progress than the full terms of most other administrations.
Biden’s publicity staff has finally begun a more aggressive program of imparting information to the public, combating the lies spread by the Trump propaganda machine. Information that will undoubtedly be appreciated by regular Americans, as they realize that the pressure on their incomes is being eased by an improving economy, with lower gas and grocery prices and reduced interest rates. Consumer spending showed an increase of almost 1% in December, 2023 a sure sign of an improving economy.
Biden, who had maintained the age-old tradition, blown to smithereens by Trump, of the incumbent president never bad-mouthing his predecessors, finally decided to call Trump for what he is, a “sick f…. Even then, he refrained from enunciating the “f….bomb” in a public speech. However, after the speech, out of mic range, he described Trump as a f…ing ass h…e. Finally, proving that Biden can dish it out as profanely as Trump.
The latest MAGA (Make America Great Again) conspiracy theory is that Biden has rigged the 2024 Super Bowl, the greatest sporting extravaganza of the year in America, scheduled to be played today, February 11, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Trump’s cult, led by the current super-sycophant, Vivek Ramaswami, implied that Taylor Swift, the most popular entertainer in the planet by far, is Biden’s secret election weapon.
They allege Taylor plans to use her romance with Travis Kelce, record-setting NFL tight-end of the Kansas City Chiefs, one of the teams contesting the Super Bowl, to attend the game and publicly endorse the presidency of Joe Biden. In front of an audience of 100 million Americans watching the game live and on TV.
Taylor Swift endorsed Biden in 2020. However, Trump, the supreme narcissist, is not worried. He says this conspiracy won’t work, because he is more popular than the billionaire superstar entertainer with a global fan base of 266 million “Swifties” in Instagram, who outdid Frank Sinatra with a record 4th Grammy Album win last Sunday!
Trump’s desperation is evident at every turn, in his every tantrum, in his every inane, idiotic, incriminating tweet. An old man finally facing inevitable accountability for a lifetime of sordid crimes.
Though there were glimmers of hope for Trump in the Republican primaries last week. He won the US Virgin Islands with a convincing vote of 74%. He also won Nevada primary, where he was the only candidate, in a landslide. And I don’t for a moment pretend to understand the ramifications of Republican election procedures in Nevada, but Trump’s main rival, Nikki Haley, decided to contest a separate Republican caucus in Nevada, where she, the only candidate, managed to finish second to the last choice, “none of these candidates”.
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 . )
