Features
Are we going nowhere?
By Praying Mantis
This must indeed sound like an extremely condemnatory, acerbic and miserable indictment on the inhabitants of our beautiful island. However, facts have to be faced. A nation should be judged by the qualities of the people who encompass its population. Many countries in the world today are so proud of their populace. Can we say the same thing about Sri Lanka?
Our lovely Motherland, which should rank among the planet’s la crème de la crème, is now in its worst possible doldrum; an abyss of despair. We have the most fertile soil, wonderful flora and fauna, scenery of indomitable splendour surrounded by the blue ocean, a literate population, free education and free healthcare, as well as many other attributes which many other nations would dearly give even their very soul to have and to hold. Yet for all that, we have squandered all these gifts by succumbing to many selfish and crafty motives, indiscipline, lack of empathy, irrational behaviour, and an uncanny knack for making a fast buck whenever and wherever the opportunities arise.
We had it coming, right from the time we managed to cut off the shackles of colonial rule and started to boast of independence. The so-called magnificence of centuries of existence and 74 years of independence have not gotten us anywhere. The reasons are quite obvious and could be summed up in just one phrase; total lack of patriotism and resounding deficiencies in professionalism.
Many blame the politicians for all our woes. But, are they the only set of people responsible? Of course, the manipulative and self-serving attitudes and behaviour patterns of the legislators have very definitely dragged us into a morass of despair. Those dregs of the very pits of the earth are responsible for the plight that we are in at present, a bankrupt nation, despised by many other inhabitants of this planet, as a result of all kinds of financial and manipulative misdemeanours by our politicians. There have been, and still are, many a rip-off perpetrated by these unscrupulous lot who have not thought twice about plundering our country’s great wealth. None of them has been brought to book and put behind bars in government facilities maintained at great expense to safeguard the people from criminals.
Yet for all that, we have plenty of people in the political sphere who shout till they are hoarse and even bellow rhetoric from the rooftops, about the transgressions of their opponents. They repeatedly and steadfastly promise the populace milk and honey if they are given political power. Some of those who have even missed the bus are now very busy trying to convince the gullible public that they would be the saviours of our thrice blessed land. Others who vociferously espouse their capability to resurrect our country do not even have the guts to admit publicly the damage caused by their outfits during several insurgencies in the past. Some of those who have held power in the past have been monumental failures; are nincompoops at present, and inclined to spread wide grins across their ugly mugs and pontificate on a resurrection of their parties to a level that would instantly bring about succour to the suffering masses. All these could be, charitably labelled as wishful thinking, but most unfortunately there are quite a few naïve takers in our land to even consider, let alone accept such misguided grandiloquence.
Our legislative pinnacle is an absolute disgrace. There have been fisticuffs, rowdy behaviour, chilli powder throwing, shouting matches, meaningless pomposity and even the usage of unsavoury language in that hallowed citadel of governance. On the other hand, in the best terminology of His Majesty’s language, the most commonly used collective noun for a group of owls is parliament. In ancient Greek mythology, the owl was seen to accompany or represent Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom. Our legislative assembly owls do not even know the meaning of the word ‘wisdom’. In full flight, owls are considered to be silent as they are extremely capable and excellent hunters. Need we say more?
It has been reported that the head of the foremost and premier financial bastion of Sri Lanka has recently lamented publicly that the professionals do not pay taxes. One has to admit that this is perhaps true of certain professions but is it fair for the majority of highly qualified experts in certain vocations, who steadfastly pay their taxes, to be labelled as cunning tax evaders? It is also pertinent to ask why the authorities do not go hell for leather to round up these miscreants. It has been suggested that those wrongdoers have the backing of powerful political personages. Indeed, heaven would be the only source to help us if that be the case. The ancient Roman lawyer, writer and orator Marcus Tullius Cicero, who is credited with the saying ‘O tempora, o mores’, must surely be turning round and round in his grave!!!
There is rampant food insecurity and sky-rocketing prices of essential food articles. A very significant proportion of the families of Sri Lanka are forced to forego at least one meal a day. As a result of all these factors, malnutrition in all age groups is just around the corner. There is a rice mafia that is calling the shots. They have unmitigated political patronage from all sides and are even more powerful than the people in the highest echelons of power in this island nation. They have even been featured in the media and their boorish and impudent behaviour needs to be firmly dealt with. The farmers as well as the consumers are at their mercy. The legislature has fought shy of confronting these scoundrels and using the full administrative power they have, to teach them a bitter lesson. The solution is simple my dear Watson, just confiscate all their hoarded rice and distribute it to the needy. Some time ago, a few of the strongholds of these unscrupulous rascals were raided and then inexplicably, the government proceeded to pay them and buy the detected hoarded rice from them!!!!!
There are shortages of even life-saving medicines in our much-acclaimed Free National Health Service. Many patients on long-term medications desperately needed for sheer survival are forced to pay exorbitant prices out of their pockets for their essential drugs bought from the private sector. The nonchalance of the health officials, from the top downwards, to the suffering of the people sticks out like a sore thumb. They just could not care less, as long as they are looked after, in more ways than one. The Education Sector, Power and Energy segments and Transport Systems, are at the mercy of the trade unions. In a most amusing but inappropriate initiative, the trade unions of teachers seem to be more worried about the attire of the lady teachers than the knowledge that they are duty-bound to impart to children. The power mafia will stoop to anything to fatten their own pockets. Even their taxes are being paid by the institution where they are supposed to work. The transport systems, both the state-controlled and privately owned enterprises, are a law unto themselves. These worthies would not think twice about inconveniencing the travelling public who sustain their existence.
The Police Force of our land leaves a lot to be desired. They will bend in two, salute and even pay obeisance to politicians of all hues and all types. They treat the ordinary public like criminals. It is an axiom in law that one is deemed to be innocent till proven otherwise. Our police officers believe in the exact opposite; guilty till proven otherwise. The police are not an independent lot. They are ever so dependent on the politicians, even to the extent that their postings are done according to the whims and fancies of politicians. The police force is supposed to protect the citizens irrespective of caste, creed or social standing. However, what happens is that rather than protecting the populace, they even go to the extent of harassing and even abusing females and children. Cases in point are many, including harassment of peaceful protesters, victimising two women on a protest march along public roads, manhandling of lower-ranked female police officers by higher-ranked officers, beating and even electrocuting children who are just alleged to have stolen a purse of a teacher etc, etc, etc.
Rabble-rousers are there in plenty. Some cannot even see even some vague semblance of some order in the country and they will crank up one thing or another to disturb the day-to-day life of the majority. It takes just one vague warning shot across the bows in social media for our people to run and get into queues for one thing or another. Then unrest builds up and the media latches on to all kinds of riffraff cursing the government and the country. Some lotus eaters expect the government and the rest of the populace to do anything and everything for them; the well-known ‘welfare culture’ merchants. We need to remind them of the sterling words of John F. Kennedy the iconic President of the USA who said “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country”.
As for the way the children are treated in this emerald isle, it is perhaps a disgrace, just to say the least. One would like to quote just three statements from the great statesman Nelson Mandela: –
“The children must, at last, play in the open veld, no longer tortured by the pangs of hunger or ravaged by the disease or threatened with the scourge of ignorance, molestation and abuse, and no longer required to engage in deeds whose gravity exceeds the demands of their tender years”.
“Our children are the rock on which our future will be built, our greatest asset as a nation. They will be the leaders of our country, the creators of our national wealth who care for and protect our people”.
“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than how it treats its children”.
It seems to this writer that the crying need for Sri Lanka for the immediate future is a statesperson who would be firm but quite benevolent. It should be an individual as the Head of State who will deal resolutely but surely with scoundrels. It should be a person who would espouse the impartiality and steadfastness of autonomous and independent organisations that are involved in proper governance as well as in maintaining law and order. It should be one who would try his or her very best to make this country self-sufficient in food and promote food security. It should also be one that would promote exports, develop tourism further and champion world-class education, optimal health facilities to all and in general, look after our people.
Is there an exceptional national leader of that calibre even on the horizon? As a considered answer to that question, your guess is as good as mine. Without such a personage, we are doomed forever.
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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