Features
Britain’s new Prime Minister and the universe of postcolonial politics
by -Rajan Philips
The ascent of Rishi Sunak as the new British Prime Minister is an individual achievement of stunning proportions. It is also a testament to the positive evolution of the British political system to the point of adopting a non-Christian person of colour and son of immigrant parents as its Prime Minister. While these two facts and the accolades they elicit are all in order, there are also other facts about British politics and the politics of Mr. Sunak himself, provoking justifiably negative criticisms both within and outside Britain. They too cannot be ignored, and they have to be balanced with the positive symbolisms of the recent changes in British politics.
The sun may have set on the British Empire quite a while ago, but its twilight is still encompassing a substantial portion of the world made up of former colonies and whose political and socioeconomic developments are still intertwined to varying degrees with developments in Britain. Rishi Sunak’s background as the son of immigrant parents of North Indian Punjabi origin, a practicing Hindu, and husband of a South Indian billionaire heiress, has created special acclamations in India. Nothing much may come out of it, but Sunak’s elevation in Britain has brought into relief both the nostalgia and the cynicism that surround the continuing aftermaths of the empire, not only in India but also in other postcolonial societies in the Commonwealth. And in Britain itself.
A particularly cynical take on the matter could be that with the national economy in the doldrums, British Tories have got hold of an ambitious Indian to clean up their Brexit mess. While acknowledging the poignancy in the current circumstances, one must also acknowledge that someone with roots in former colonies could not have risen to the top in the old imperial centre except at the intersection of the downward trajectory of Britain and the upward trajectory of some of the old colonies. It may not be a coincidence, but India at $3.53T GDP recently overtook Britain at $3.38T as the world’s fifth largest economy, and India is also currently registering the highest rise in real salaries in the world at 4.6% whereas in Britain salaries have fallen 5.6% in real terms due to its 9.1% inflation.
Political Evolution
A substantively different take would be that while British political society has evolved to the point of accepting women and men of colour regardless of their religious persuasions to the highest levels of power in the county, India has backslid from its early decades of secularism and inclusiveness to the current Hindutva quagmire in which Muslims and other religious minorities are actively excluded and more than occasionally harassed. Exclusion of national and ethnic minorities from high political offices is not something peculiar to Modi’s India. Sri Lanka’s record of exclusion targeting non-Sinhala Buddhists is even more longstanding. There are many other instances in the Commonwealth.
Sunak’s rise in Britain also bucks the growing anti-non-white and anti-immigrant populism in many western polities. Donald Trump personifies this trend in the US and the fact that he, in spite of all his bullying antics and violations of the law, could still be considered a serious presidential candidate for 2024 shows how deep racist and reactionary populism has sunk its roots in US society. Trump has counterparts and followers in many European countries, especially East European countries. The irony about this populism in western countries is that many older and well-to-do immigrants of colour subscribe to anti-immigrant populism very vigorously.
The British Conservative Party is now home to many established immigrants of colour who are more vociferous than old stock Britishers about fighting crime, protecting borders and eliminating immigration. Almost all frontline Tories of Asian and African origins subscribe to this ethos of the ‘hard right’ and Rishi Sunak might be a moderate among them. This came out quite clearly in the defensive justification he offered for the reappointment of Suella Braverman as Home Secretary.
Ms. Braverman had resigned just days ago from Truss’s cabinet for violating the code of conduct for Ministers. The real reason was a clash over immigration policies. Braverman would not stand Truss and her new Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, going soft on immigration and viciously attacked the lettuce Prime Minister and expedited her exit. Her return to cabinet is Sunak’s sop to hard right Tories and a payback for her supporting Sunak and preventing Boris Johnson from forcing another leadership contest involving Tory members at large. The upshot was Sunak’s coronation by Tory MPs.
Immigrant Politics
Sunak, Braverman, and Priti Patel among others are children of parents of Indian origin who migrated from East Africa. They are the successful descendants of Indians who migrated to Africa to work in colonial bureaucracies, but who came under threat when African countries became independent and took to Africanising their states and their economies. Indian and Pakistani immigrants from African countries are a different political constituency in Britain – from those who migrated directly from the subcontinent in South Asia. The latter immigrants have traditionally supported the Labour Party. They may not know the details of Churchill’s vulgar invectives against Hindus, but they remember India becoming independent when there was a Labour Prime Minister in Britain. Their socioeconomic circumstances also found a natural ally in Labour. Indian migrants from Africa have different memories and their circumstances are also different.
It was Conservative Prime Ministers, Macmillan and Heath, who allowed their migration to the UK when they came under threat first in Kenya and later in Uganda. And they remember years later Labour Prime Minister reversing Macmillan’s earlier greenlight to Asian migration from Africa. As well, South Asian immigrants have long distance political agendas and their involvement in British politics is coloured by the political hangovers from their natal countries. Indian migrants from Africa, on the other hand, have no abiding political interest in Africa and have been able to assimilate themselves into British politics without any African hangover.
They are now dead set against any immigration, especially of the poor and refuge seekers. Patel and Braverman are ready to trample over any rights that immigrants may claim under international humanitarian laws. Braverman spitefully calls them modern laws of slavery. Prime Minister Sunak may not be as spiteful of hapless immigrants as his Indian-origin Tory colleagues are, but he needs their support to be Tory Leader and Prime Minister.
Mr. Sunak personifies another facet of the African-Indian constituency in Britain. And that is their overachieving success in business and the professions, easily far and ahead of any immigrant constituency in Britain, including their distant kin from South Asia. As repeatedly insisted by the new Prime Minister, his parents were not born into wealth. His father was a GP Doctor in Hampshire, his mother ran a pharmacy, and they saved enough to put their son through Britain’s best schools, and finally to Oxford for a PPE. From there he took to ‘finances’ with an MBA from Stanford and a not too short pre-political career at Goldman Sachs. Rishi Sunak’s political career began not in the traditional trenches of constituency politics but in the financial networks in London that the Tories had infiltrated throughout the Thatcher era. It is this experience that is likely colour his politics as Prime Minister and not his cultural inheritances.
For good measure, Sunak found the love his life in a South Indian billionaire heiress, Akshata Murty, from Mysore. Their combined wealth is double the assets of Britain’s Royal family and that has become both a matter of pride and a point of detraction in British political gossip. Mr. Sunak’s affinal wealth is also a commentary on wealth creation in our time – the exponential fusion of electronics and high finance. Ms. Murty’s parents, Naryan and Sudha Murty, began as young computer engineers with little seed capital. But the IT company Infosys they launched turned out to be hugely successful and elevated them to the ranks of the richest in India.
A third aspect of Mr. Sunak’s rise as Prime Minister is the perennial leadership tumults in British Conservative Party. Sunak is now a beneficiary of Tory convulsions, but he could be another victim as well. Even if he manages to survive the current term of parliament, he is unlikely to be in a position to win the next election given the steep fall Tories have suffered in public opinion. His economic challenges are not in dispute, but his political challenges are more within the governing Party than they are with the opposition parties. Brexit is at the root of both. But he cannot address the economic challenges without compromising Brexit, and he cannot compromise on Brexit without provoking another internal revolt by Brexiteers. That is his real dilemma.
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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