Features
Biden the Gracious pays respects to cast-aside Carter
I was most taken up by hearing on BBC World News that President Biden and his wife had visited the Carters in the southern State of Georgia at the end of the first-hundred-days in the presidency. Having a son in Atlanta, I asked him whether their Georgia visit was to Atlanta. He said yes and added they visited Plains where the Carters live. He did more – sending press clippings and pictures.
Knowing I admired Jimmy Carter very much for the person he is and his hands-on service to Habitat for Humanity and I had spent hours in the Carter Centre, Atlanta, this young man took me several years ago to Plains and we attended Sunday School conducted by the ex-President.
The Bidens’ selection of Georgia to mark the end of the presidency’s first 100 days may have been prompted by the gesture of remembering and gratitude; thus admirable. Within this short period of days, Presidency Biden has almost turned the US around, arresting its Trumpist decline. Reasons: he is a Good Man, dedicated to the people of his country, humane, and he selected the most competent to head various government agencies, many from different ethnicities ranging from Black to Asian Americans and the indigenous American.
The Carters
Jimmy Carter is 96 and Rosalyn 93, and he has undergone brain surgery. They now live permanently in the house they built for themselves in Plains, close to his family home which is preserved and open to sightseerers. They used to divide the time left from going around the globe helping to build houses for the poor, between their home in the Carter Center, Atlanta, and the simple house they built in Plains, the furniture of which was made mostly by Jimmy Carter. He came from peanut farming and was dubbed a dark horse in his presidential bid, since many did not know him though he had served as Senator and Gov of Georgia.
He served one term in the White House (1977-81) winning over Gerald Ford, and lost his second bid to Ronald Reagan. His presidency was not outstanding though he negotiated a Middle East Peace deal. He is better known and remembered for his humanitarian service. And here was President Biden, soon after his first three months of being president, visiting this almost forgotten and sadly neglected Jimmy Carter who is housebound after two falls, with vision impaired. A photograph shows Rosalyn bidding goodbye to the First Couple leaning on a walker.
I intend quoting from an article by Opinion Columnist Maureen Dowd, a firm favourite writer of mine.
Facts plus bits of gossip as Dowd states them
Maureen Dowd starts her piece thus: “Joe Biden has respect for his elders. And there aren’t that many of them. Before the president’s rally near Atlanta on Thursday, he and Jill went out of their way to pay respects to the 96-year-old Jimmy Carter. This made Biden the first president to make a pilgrimage to Plains since Carter left office, unless you count Yasir Arafat. If there’s a pol who knows what it feels like to be underappreciated by his own party, it’s Biden. And he wasn’t going to continue to let Carter, at the end of his life, be treated like a pariah in peanutville.” That says so much
Carter has long nursed hurt feelings about how he was slighted by his Democratic successors. Commentator Jonathan Alter in his book ‘His very best: Jimmy Carter, a life’ says those who came after him made the mistake of not using Carter’s “immense intelligence and experience of the world.” One example of disrespect and near insult was Bill Clinton on losing re-election as Gov of Arkansas blaming it on President Carter for sending thousands of Cuban refugees to Arkansas.
“When Clinton became president, he treated Carter like the plague, not wanting to be tarred with the failures of another Southern Democratic governor.” Carter did not take the insult lying down. He publicly faulted the Clintons for sending their daughter Chelsea to a fancy private school while his daughter Amy attended a public school. Pettiness existed: in their 1993 inaugural ball, the Clintons gave them bad seats. Dowd adds: “When I interviewed Carter, he told me that he and Rosalyn voted for Bernie Sanders over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 primary.”
Surprisingly, a First Couple we admire – the Obamas – had not much rapport with Jimmy Carter. In fact a legitimate grouse was that when Michele Obama had a First Ladies’ lunch to discuss mental health, which had been a major concern of Rosalyn’s, she was not invited. Obama resented parallels being drawn between him and Carter. “It was important to Obama to be seen as cool, and he was unhappy when the press began comparing him to Carter three years into the Obama presidency, echoing the words ineffectual and self-righteous.”
In contrast Biden
“Biden was the first senator to endorse Carter’s presidential bid in 1976 when he was a long shot. A former Biden aide says, ‘Those guys love each other.’ ‘Some of my colleagues in the Senate thought it was youthful exuberance,’ Biden recalled in a new documentary, Carterland. ‘Well, I was exuberant. But as I said then, Jimmy’s not just a bright smile. He can win, and he can appeal to more segments of the population than any other person.” He also was keen to have the Carters at his convention, but they could not travel, instead sent a recording.
Jonathan Alter writes: “Any president who puts solar panels on the White House — taken down by Reagan — is going to be seen in a better light now.”
Maureen Dowd ends her article thus: “Reports of the Plains summit were positive. Biden, naturally, did most of the talking. And Carter did most of the basking. ‘He gained five years of life,’ enthused a Carter friend.’”
The Guardian reports that a new film rejects the popular narrative that Prez Carter was ineffectual and recasts him as a very prescient thinker who was concerned about climate change and what needs to be done, long before others thought of it.
On home turf
How has it been in Sri Lanka? Our past Prime Ministers and Presidents, if they lived in retirement, got the same off hand treatment of not being remembered, leave aside being revered. And why? For fear those who acknowledged them and hobnobbed with them would be marked adversely. When a VVIP loses an election all those who flocked around the person singing
hosannas and licking boots and slippers, slip away and avoid the fallen politico. Hasn’t Chandrika suffered thus, even her presidency of the party her father created and mother nurtured being grabbed off her hands? Just as we as a nation are notorious for our short memories, our leaders (present and past) are time servers, and VVIPs who fade into the sunset due to age, retirement or losing elections, are just thrust aside and not only forgotten but avoided.
One stark example. How many political VIPs visited JRJ when he retired? Maybe his nephew Ranil W did but… A niece of mine took her 11-year old son to the Jayewardene Centre down Dharmapala Mavata to reinforce his recent history know-how. The young chappie said: “How I would like to meet this President.” My niece brushed this aside as impossible but the curator heard him and said that JRJ would appreciate a visit. JRJ was telephoned and was delighted to invite mother and son to Braemar that afternoon. He spoke to the young boy at length with Mrs JRJ graciously serving cucumber sandwiches and a fruit drink. The all powerful ex Prez was sure lonely.
How many big wigs visited D B Wijetunge, Prez for a short while who graciously left the presidential abode no sooner CBK won the election? He, simple sincere man that he was, would surely have preferred being left alone, inviting his old cronies to his home in Pilimitalawa.
Another example of dinun paththeta hoiya and neglect of those out of power was witnessed by me. A near family funeral in the outskirts of Galle had my sister and brother–in-law taking me along. While there with several others present, W Dahanayake walked in. He paid his respects to the dead and sat down in the verandah – alone – after the mourners spoke to him. There were several administrative types and ‘gentlemen’ present but no one dared go speak with him. Why? He was out of power and the government was SLFP. My b-i-l who was still in government service and had served under Dahanayake when he was Home Minister, sat beside him. My sister, sensitive to political winds, later surmised it may have negative results. Back came her husband’s reply. What nonsense! I do not care if I am blacklisted. Dahanayake was an excellent Minister; he helped our poor upcountry provinces with his Kandyan Peasantry Commission and I appreciated his honesty and commitment. He was a just PM though maligned and now forgotten.
The Buddha laid great stress on gratitude, equating it to the four Brahma viharas of metta, karuna, muditha and upekka. I strongly feel we in Sri Lanka, us Sinhalese, lack this quality and is thrown overboard by the powerful as not conducive to their power; no gain in taking time to visit a past leader.
A 10-year old monk teaching younger monks is reported to have taught them to concentrate on breathing. The monk said: “Inhale the beauty, exhale with gratitude.”
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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