Features
Brother Basil hailed as country saver; snippets; tennis – wonderful graceful sport
Ooh la la! Cheers and mourns Cass sorrowfully. We and our beloved country Sri Lanka (no longer Free) were much in the foreign news this last week. Reason for the sorrow and bitter tears shed by Cass? The news is negative, actually derogatory. Here quoted below is one such beginning of an article on our land which could easily be Paradise if not for some of its leaders, many politicians and most of its citizens.
In Sri Lanka, the Government Looks Increasingly Like a Family Firm
Three brothers of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa now hold top posts in his government. Two of his nephews have official positions, too.
by Muib Mashal, The New York Times 11 July 2021
“On Thursday, another brother, Basil, was sworn in as finance minister, a move that one analyst, Bhavani Fonseka, said “consolidated the Rajapaksa family rule.
“’We now have four brothers and several other members of the family holding key positions in government,’ said Ms. Fonseka, a senior researcher with the Center for Policy Alternatives, a research institute based in Colombo, the capital. ‘In the face of a weak opposition and no real checks and balances on the executive, prospects for Sri Lanka’s constitutional democracy are deeply troubling.’”
Muib Mashal goes on to detail what’s negative to the foreign media about Sri Lanka, the main negative following the appointment of Basil Rajapaksa as Finance Minister and … even before he was sworn in as a national list Member of Parliament, as one local commentator said.
I suppose these international columnists/reporters/commentators do not know how eminently qualified Basil R is to hold that most important Cabinet post in the government with the Ministry transferred to him from his all mighty elder brother who held it so far. Does the foreign press not know how his advent was anticipated, welcomed and hossanahs sung by so many loud-mouthed MPs who even signed a long petition to get him back, double citizenship notwithstanding and his frequent trips to the US of A – his first home. To whom was the petition handed over? Elder brother the Prime Minister or elder brother President? Totally unnecessary as the brothers would bring him back. Wasn’t one important article in 20 A about eligibility granted to dual citizens to enter our August House by the Diyawanna and be Cabinet ministers. Those who rushed to sign the petition were of course seekers of brownie points and security, for no request was needed to bring Bonnie Basil back over the oceans!
Apart from the magic Basil R possesses or is bequeathed on him by loyalists, he must be holding pre-eminent qualifications in finance, the intricacies of economics: micro macro and all. Cass surmised he was modestly not using professorships and doctorates as they are so common now – a Prof from Rajarata University and Merve the Perve Silva holding a doctorate and using it; bestowed on him by some alternate medicine (read acupuncture) specialist via his institute.
Cassandra, apart from being a seer in the Trojan mould, is also a Curious Cat, whose nine lives however have saved her from death that invariably stalks curious cats. So, she continues prying and forecasting. Curious about higher qualifications she Googled the new Finance Minister; he had his secondary education at Isipathana College and Ananda College, both in Colombo. But a citation precedes the bio: “This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification.” But as mentioned by the ex-Prez of the Bar Association and another PC in the Face the Nation MTV I programme on Monday 12 July night, he has really solid qualifications in the political field. They both quoted his creating the Pohottu Party – SLPP – and having it win provincial, presidential and general elections with such huge majorities even before, as the Sinhala saying goes: ‘the smell of milk left its mouth’.
So, we sit back and relax: all our country troubles will soon be over. As Cass mentioned in her previous article, he may use his skill/magic/organizing power over even natural disasters and send packing the pestilent C19 from our paradisial shores. Good luck to Basil R and a warm welcome back!
Recent headlines
1. (The Island 13/7)
“Rape of teenager: SJB alleges bid to suppress probe as nine suspects get bail”. “Govt insists inquiry on track, urges Opposition not to propagate lies” And “M P Rohini Kaviratne said that among those arrested over the rape of the teenager was a policeman … she intended to raise the issue at the next meeting of the Women Parliamentarions’ Caucus.” Great! All officers etc concerned, must not let the perpetrators of sexually abusing, nay raping an underage girl, go free or be inadequately punished. After all we were promised a saubagya future and our country holds high respect for women and protection of young girls. This poor thing’s mother was an accomplice in the crime. Punish her most severely is Cassandra’s earnest cry.
2. (The Island 13/7)
“Two out of every five of Modi’s ministers have criminal records … nine out of every 10 are multimillionaires.” Modi has a Cabinet of 15 Ministers and 28 Union Ministers and with others 78 total members in his Council of Ministers. In spite of monitoring vigilantes, corruption was rife in India, but seemed to be better controlled and lesser in criminality.
How does dear ole Sri Lanka compare with Big Brother? To Cass’ free lance reckoning, the Pearl Drop/ younger sibling seems to be far outpacing the Eye shedding the tear cum BB. Are our Ministers and State Ministers, even top bureaucrats, lily white? Most of them are donned in white kapati suits but hands are dirty. To get a non-corruptible among our leaders is akin to looking for a needle in a hay stack. Money is The Be-All and End-All, apparently with insatiable desire and limitless accumulation of black money.
3. (The Island 14/7)
“Easter Sunday carnage: Criminal proceedings against Sirisena demanded; PCol faulted for not making specific recommendations against Ranil; Criminal liability of CNI and SIS chief highlighted; Respond within month or face consequences.” This is the diktat of the National Catholic Committee for Justice in a letter to the President to implement recommendations of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry, reported by Norman Palihawadana and Shamindra Ferdinando.
The ire of the Catholic Bishops led by Archbishop of Colombo Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith is justified and understandable and to be commended. They are not giving up seeking justice on behalf of three of their churches and congregations for the carnage on Easter Sunday 2020; and their duty by their flock. One outstanding instance of ‘sticking to guns’ not swayed by wavering and regardless of pitting themselves against political clout.
Bright spot example
How wonderful to see centuries old traditions followed to the letter and fair play and superb sportsmanship. Cass refers to the recently concluded Wimbledon Tennis Championship – July 2021, in its 134th year and the Ladies Championship of 127 years.
The beginning of the game of tennis is traced to medieval times, named ‘jeu de pauma’ since a ball was struck by the palm and the game played indoors; a monastery pastime in France in the 12 th century. It moved to England and was adopted and became so popular that even King Henry VII and VIII became aficionados. Racquets were added in the 16th C. Vulcanised rubber was first used in 1850 and thus the tennis ball’s birth. In 1873 Londoner – Major Walter Wingfield – spread the game to other parts of the UK, and later the game came to the colonies.
Traditions are: players in white; games played in Wimbledon, London, since its start in 1877; on grass courts accused this year of being slippery with poor Novak Djokovic taking many tosses with Cass, an ardent fan, missing heart beats. The ball pickers and line watchers almost militant in precision and the games played so smoothly. Royalty is always present and gives away awards – The Duke of Kent for many years accompanied for many games and the finals this year by the Duchess of Cambridge with Prince William present on more than one day. Kate brought her father Michael Middleton to the men’s finals.
It was touching to see the more senior players place encouraging arms around young players as they met across the net at the completion of many games. Winners, in their interviews at the end of games, invariably praised their opponents and wished them well. Of the Big Three Nadal did not participate, Federer lost to a younger player in the quarter finals and the Serb at 34 won against mighty powerful 24 year old Italian Matteo Berrettini.
In contrast what’s with our cricket team? Going down the pallam not only in the game but in sportsmanship, moral behaviour and conduct – far from gentlemanly.
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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