Features
Buddha and his Concept of Suffering
Dr. Justice Chandradasa Nanayakkara
Buddhism is a spiritual tradition that finds its genesis in the teachings of Buddha, also known as Siddhartha Gautama who was born in 653 B.C. in Lumbini Nepal. Buddhism is a vast religious, philosophical tradition with a history that stretches over 2600 years and is being followed by more than 500 million followers worldwide. Today, Buddhism is one of the major religions in the world that guides its followers toward spiritual enlightenment and liberation from suffering. The core teachings of the Buddha offer guidance in navigating the complexities of life in an intolerant chaotic and stressful society. What Buddha expounded many centuries ago is still as relevant today as it was during his time.
It was on the full moon day of Wesak that the Buddha was born, on the day of Wesak he attained enlightenment, and on the day of Wesak, he passed away. All these three major events are said to have occurred on the same day throughout his life.
Prince Siddhartha was brought up in the lap of luxury after encountering the harsh realities of human existence he renounced worldly pleasures in search of spirituality. For six years, Siddhartha practiced extreme asceticism subjecting his body to severe hardships in the pursuit of enlightenment. However, when he realized that the austere lifestyle of self-mortification (attakilamathanuyoga) and constant attachment to sensual pleasures (kamasukallikanuyogaya) offered no solution to what he was seeking, he decided to steer clear of both extremes and adopted a middle path that encouraged moderation and eventual enlightenment.
The Buddha was a human being. As a man he was born, as a man he lived, and as a man he succumbed to the inexorable law of change and passed away in his eightieth year. He was not a god, divine incarnation, or a savior. He attained enlightenment through his efforts and rigorous self-discipline. Though he was a human being, he was an extraordinary man. He was the profoundest of thinkers that the world has ever produced. The Buddha is universally acclaimed as one of the greatest benefactors of humanity and was the perfect model of all the virtues he preached.
Buddha means “awakened one” who has dispelled ignorance and saw reality as it was. His teaching is characterized by his profound insights into the nature of human existence and the path to deliverance from suffering. His teaching is called the Dhamma, the doctrine of liberation from suffering. The teachings of the Buddha hold timeless wisdom and offer a profound understanding of human existence guiding us toward personal transformation and inner peace. What he preached during his forty-five years of ministry remains eternal and continues undimmed by the lapse of time. Moreover, his teachings such as mindfulness, compassion, and meditation have helped people to develop greater self-awareness, reduce anxiety and stress, and find a sense of calm and contentment in their daily lives.
Buddhism is not just a theoretical philosophy but a practical approach to life that helps people cultivate a deeper sense of meaning, purpose, happiness, and wisdom. Buddhism is founded on facts verified by personal experience, not dogmatic and speculative assumptions. Buddha’s teachings assume a liberal form and never interfere with another man’s freedom of thought. He respected the faith and religions of others. He comforted the suffering people and ministered to the sick. Buddha always considered himself a guide, never declared himself a savior, and urged his followers to rely on themselves for their salvation without being slaves to any divine power. He stated that Buddhahood is not reserved for a selected few and that every human being has the potential to attain the supreme state of Buddhahood provided he makes the necessary efforts and has firm determination.. Buddhism promotes rational and empirical investigation and invites its adherents to put the teachings of the Buddha to the test before accepting them. He discarded superstition and rituals.
In the Three Greatest Men History H.G. Wells writes:” In the Buddha you see clearly a man, simple, devout, lonely battling for light: a vivid human personality, not a myth. He too gave a message to mankind universal in character. Many of our best modern ideas are in closest harmony with it. All the miseries and discontents are due he thought to selfishness. Before a man can become serene, he must cease to live for his senses or himself.”(Narada).
The dhammachakkapavattna sutta (the setting in motion of the Wheel of Dhamma) is considered to be the first sermon given by Buddha. In this cardinal discourse, Buddha expounded the merits of the Middle Path(Maddima Prathiprajawa) which he discovered to his disciples and advised them to avoid the extremes of sensual indulgence and self-mortification as both extremes retard their spiritual progress and mental clarity. Thereafter, he proceeded to expound the Four Noble Truths, which comprise the essence of Buddha’s teachings. The Four Noble Truths serve as the foundation of the philosophy outlining the nature of human suffering(Dukkha) it causes (Samudaya), the possibility of its cessation(Nirodha), and the path to achieving liberation from suffering(Magga). It is on this central theme of dukkha that the Buddha built up his whole doctrine. His teachings rest on the pivot of suffering and are the source of all the Buddha’s discourses.
The First Noble Truth acknowledges suffering as an inherent aspect of human existence. According to it, our life is characterized by dukkha (suffering), the existence itself is suffering (dukkha) as suffering is intrinsic to our existence. People born are subject to decay (jara), disease (vyadhi), and death and no one is exempt from these causes of suffering. The cycle of birth, aging, illness, and death is part of the human condition. Buddha taught us that all things that come into being over time cease to be.
Well-known American novelist Thomas Wolfe sums up the lot of mankind on this earth Thus “Man is born: to live, to suffer and to die, and what occurs him is a tragic lot. There is no denying in the end “.
Although the Pali word Dukkha has been loosely rendered into English as suffering in Buddhist teaching, it has a deeper dimension than just “suffering”. The word Dukkha encapsulates not only obvious forms of suffering such as diseases physical pain, and loss, but also extends to other existential un satisfactoriness such as imperfection, frustration, separation, agony, impermanence, disharmony, and discomfort irritation and emptiness etc. The extent and diversity of suffering in the world is so immense, that all beings suffer in one way or another. Suffering is universal and pervasive. Suffering may be physical or mental or both.
Looking at the world we live in today, we can see hundreds of millions around the globe lead a life of squalor, despair, and injustice. Millions of people in the world suffer for want of enough food, clothes, or shelter. Many suffer as a result of epidemics and other contagious and infectious diseases. Many suffer as a result of economic inequity and instability, violent ethnic and religious conflicts, and other wars. Moreover, gross violations of human rights such as genocide, and crimes against humanity have all led to tremendous human suffering in the world. There is so much darkness around us.
People are constantly confronted with fresh problems in their daily lives, problems go on incessantly and interminably. Suffering constantly appears and passes away only to reappear in other forms. In brief, all contingent existence is transitory. Nothing is in exact state it was in the previous instant and nothing remains the same for consecutive moments. What is built eventually crumbles and falls. Whoever ever born will eventually die and death is natural and inescapable. What comes together will eventually separate and dukkha is inescapable and ubiquitous. Such is the nature of suffering.
The transitory and fluid nature of everything applies to the human body which continually changes from conception to death. Even the cells of the human body are continually replicating themselves regularly. This concept of impermanence and the transient and ephemeral nature of all phenomena applies even to Buddhism.
Buddha declared more than 2500 years ago “One thing and one thing only do I teach suffering and how to end suffering”. (Majihama Nikaya). But that does not mean that Buddha pessimistically believes we are all doomed and destined to be unhappy no matter what we do, He was addressing the reality that all of us face in our lives. Buddha’s exhaustive discourses on suffering are not intended to convey a pessimistic worldview but rather, a realistic perspective that suffering encompasses every aspect of living beings. However, recognition of the universal fact of suffering does not mean total denial of pleasure or happiness in Buddhism, but such happiness and pleasure are fleeting and transitory as any other phenomenon. Buddha not only spoke of suffering he pointed out the way out of it and guided how to end it. Buddhism expects its adherents to have a realistic and dispassionate view of life and the world and look at things as they are. He said by eliminating the main cause of suffering craving (thanha) and other afflictive states of mind, ignorance (avijja), and aversion it is possible to achieve a completely purified state of mind free from suffering. The concept of suffering enunciated in the Four Noble Truths enables one to penetrate deep into the real notion of suffering.
According to Anguttara Nikaya “Whether the Buddha appears in the world or not, it remains a firm condition, and immutable fact, and fixed law all formations (sanskara)are impermanent, that they are subject to suffering and that everything is without an ego’’.
The cause of dukkha is craving (thanha). This is the second Noble Truth. According to Buddhism, there are three kinds of craving the firstly simple attachment to all sensual pleasure, the grossest kind of craving. (kamathanja). The second is attachment to existence (bavathanha), the third is attachment to nonexistence (vibhavatanha). The craving is a powerful mental force latent in all of us which is the chief cause of most of the ills of life. The natural tendency of people is to blame their suffering on external circumstances and develop attachments and clutch at material things as if they are eternal and permanent. The people’s aspirations and desires are infinite, although their lives are finite. People foolishly believe that wealth, power, and material possessions will bring lasting happiness. They act under the hedonistic delusion that the acquisition of more and more material things leads to happier and more contended lives. They are oblivious to the fact real happiness cannot be defined in terms of wealth, power, and material possessions, as real happiness is found within.
The third Noble Truth (Nirodha) means Buddhists can move away from suffering by stopping craving. It is the complete cessation of suffering by attaining Nibbhana through the eradication of all forms of craving, its dissolution, forsaking, liberation, and detachment from it.
Nivarana
is a state that is free from suffering, attachment ignorance, and aversion. . It is characterized by inner peace, clarity, and wisdom. It is a state of profound spiritual joy devoid of afflictive negative emotions. Buddha taught that nivarana can be achieved in this life itself by breaking the cycle of craving.
The Fourth Noble Truth is the path (Magga) to the cessation of suffering. It is the Buddha’s prescription to end suffering that consists of a set of principles known as the Eightfold Path. The Eightfold Path also called the Middle Path avoids both extreme sensual indulgence and severe asceticism neither of which helped Buddha attain enlightenment.
The Noble Eightfold Path consists of eight factors. They are (1)Right Understanding (Samma Dhitti), (2), Right Thought (Samma Sankappa), (3), Right Speech (Samma Vacha), (4), Right Action (Samma Kammanta), (5), Right Livelihood (Samma Ajiva), (6), Right Effort (Samma Viyama), (7)Right Mindfulness (Samma Sathi), (8) Right Concentration (Samma Samadhi). This Path is unique to Buddhism. It is a spiritual quest that has to be undertaken with great determination and it is not a path that can be practiced a little each day. The Noble Eightfold Path is, in effect, the Path that leads to Nibbhana. Although they are known as Path there are eight mental factors. They are interdependent and interrelated. This unique Path is divisible into three Sila (Morality), (Samadhi), and Pragha (Wisdom). The Noble Eightfold Path also known as Mid Way has been summarized in Pali in verse as “Sabba papassa akaranam, Kusalassa upasammpada, Sachitta pariyodapanam, Etham Buddhana sasanam“. To refrain from all evil, to do meritorious deeds, to cleanse one’s mind, this is the advice of all Buddhas.
Closely linked to the Four Noble Truths are the “Three Marks of Existence” They are (1) Impermanence (anittya), which means that all things are in a constant of change and flux including physical objects, mental states, and the self. (2) Suffering or Unsatisfactoriness (dukka) The idea that suffering is an unavoidable fact of existence and that it can manifest in many forms. (3) Non-Self (anatta) the idea that nothing has a solid separate or independent self.
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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