Features
COLOMBO-BANGKOK- FRANKFURT-LONDON – Part 40
CONFESSIONS OF A GLOBAL GYPSY
By Dr. Chandana (Chandi) Jayawardena DPhil
President – Chandi J. Associates Inc. Consulting, Canada
Founder & Administrator – Global Hospitality Forum
chandij@sympatico.ca
The Pandal in the Village
As done one year ago at Hotel Ceysands, and now as the Manager of Hotel Swanee, I was able to motivate the hotel maintenance department to create a pandal. This was to celebrate Gautama Buddha’s birthday on the Vesak full moon day in the month of May, 1979. This colourful, illuminated Vesak Pandal depicted the tale of the ‘Patachara’ jathaka story. Towards the end of the tourist season, I created a new job – hotel artist. The villager who got the job post was a creative artist, who handled painting many new thematic signs that I wanted displayed around the hotel. He also did many art works for our various events and ended up leading the pandal project.
“Where should we erect the pandal?” I asked the subcommittee headed by the maintenance supervisor and the union leader. They overwhelmingly supported the idea of erecting it in the hotel gardens. I did not think that allowing hundreds of villagers to come onto the hotel premises for over a week to see the pandal was a good idea. “Why don’t we erect it in the village just outside the hotel entrance?” I suggested.
When various reasons such as villagers stealing the bulbs came up, I told them, “Let me make special arrangements to look after the security of the pandal.” I summoned Solomon, the village thug, whom I had befriended and told him about the concerns of the sub-committee. At the end of that one-on-one discussion, Solomon and I agreed on two conditions. Solomon agreed to provide security and ensure that bulbs would not be stolen. I offered Solomon to be the chief guest who would officially open the pandal on the Vesak day, right after a well-known Buddhist monk from the area performed the religious blessings.
I knew that this type of public recognition and expression of respect was very important to Solomon. He generously donated Rs. 350 to the Swanee Staff Welfare Society, after opening the pandol in the presence of many villagers. He was extremely grateful and proud of recognition done in public. The subcommittee were pleasantly surprised that we did not lose a single bulb over the one-week period of display which was enjoyed by over a thousand villagers.
Corporate Changes at John Keells
Early 1979 was a time when John Keells and Walkers Tours were undergoing some major corporate changes at the helm. I had to follow these changes and understand the internal politics, because unit managers had to operate within the context of the corporate culture. The Chairman of the group, Mr. Mark Bostock, visited the Bentota/Beruwala area every weekend since his weekend holiday bungalow was located in the area. He liked to visit the growing number of John Keells and other hotels in the area. I had developed a friendly relationship with him six years ago when I was the Tournament Secretary for two annual Nationalized Services seven-a-side Rugby Tournaments. At that time, he held the post of the President of the Ceylon Rugby Football Union.
One of Mr Bostock’s right-hand men from John Keells, Mr. Ken Balendra (then the Tea Director, and eventually, the first Sri Lankan to become the Chairman of the group of companies for a decade) was entrusted to learn the travel trade and control Walkers Tours as the Managing Director. He succeeded Sriyantha Senaratne, who left Walkers Tours to start a rival company, Gemini Tours. A few directors left with him. Gemini contracted Mr. Somaratna De Silva, the architect who designed the Walkers Tours’ then flagship hotel – The Village, Habarana, to create a rival hotel in Sigiriya with the same concept and design. When this new hotel was nearing completion, Mr. Somaratna De Silva invited me to his home in Colombo four and asked me if I would like to join Gemini as the Hotel Opening Manager of this new hotel – Sigiriya Village, an offer I declined.
My friend, Bobby Adams had opened The Village, Habarana as the Manager in 1976. Within three years, he was given two quick promotions, first the General Manager and then the Director Operations of a new Keells subsidiary company. It was called Hotel Management & Marketing Services in charge of all hotels in the growing chain. Bobby was the first hotelier in Sri Lanka to hold such a corporate position. I was happy to report directly to Bobby. My former superior and intended father-in-law, Captain D. A. Wickramasinge was entrusted with new tasks at the Keells head office and eventually ran the group’s outbound tour company – Silverstock.
A Gesture by Mark Bostock
In the late 1970s, overseas travelling was a real luxury for Sri Lankans. Very few people got opportunities to do so. Since the mid-1950s, my father was a global traveller and I always wanted to travel around the world like he did. Since 1961, I regularly glanced through an interesting book in my father’s extensive library. The 320-page Travellers Digest published by the British Overseas Airways Corporation (B.O.A.C.) instilled the urge in me to become a global gypsy. However, at the age of 25, I had only experienced three domestic flights with Air Ceylon to Jaffna and Trincomalee on family vacations. I was waiting for an opportunity to commence my global travels.
Most Sunday mornings, Mr. Bostock walked his dog on the beach, and dropped in at Hotel Swanee to check how I was managing. He was impressed with the manner in which I had dealt with the village thugs, beach boys and touts who previously gave a hard time to my predecessors and hotel guests. The Chairman approved of Bobby and I, as we were hands-on hoteliers. One day we were seated by the Hotel Swanee poolside chatting, and Mr. Bostock asked me if I had been to his country – the United Kingdom. I told him that I had never travelled overseas. Within a week, he arranged for my first overseas trip on the company account.
I spent the whole summer of 1979 in London, discovering international five-star hotel standards. One of Mr. Bostock’s friends was Sir Charles Forte (later Baron Forte), who at that time owned the largest hotel chain in the world – Trust House Forte (THF, later Forte PLC). Using that connection, Mr. Bostock arranged for everything to be free for me in London as well as a few days in Thailand and West Germany.
Then Assistant Manager of the Village and my friend, Ranjith Dharmaratnam (later my Assistant Manager at Hotel Swanee) was my travel companion. Walkers Tours got the leading West German tour operator they represented in Sri Lanka as sole agents – Neckermann Reisen to make our travel arrangements in their charter flights. With that memorable trip in 1979, the world became my oyster. Today I am short of two countries to qualify for membership in the prestigious Travelers’ Century Club (TCC), for people who have visited 100 or more of the world’s countries and territories. Thank you for the help, Mr. Mark Bostock! RIP!
Bangkok
We arrived in Thailand in the evening. My first impression of Bangkok was how busy and vibrant it was. Compared to now, the capital and most populous city of Thailand was very different in 1979 in terms of development. There were very few skyscrapers, a couple of supermarkets and one department store on the famous Silom road, where our hotel was located. However, compared with Colombo, Bangkok was huge. One thing in common between now and then was the relatively large population. Around one sixth of the population of the country lived in Bangkok, dwarfing Thailand’s other urban centres in both size and importance to the national economy.
Bangkok was in the heart of the modernization of Siam, later renamed Thailand. The city was the centre of Thailand’s political struggles throughout the 20th century, as the country abolished absolute monarchy, adopted constitutional rule and underwent numerous military coups and several uprisings. In 1979 it was evident that the city was emerging rapidly as a centre for the arts, fashion and entertainment. Bangkok had already become famous for its street life, cultural landmarks and red-light districts.
Arriving at the famous Narai Hotel on the Silom Road of Bangkok’s main business district was exciting for Ranjith and I. This 500-room hotel, which had opened 11 years ago, was the largest hotel I had seen up to that point. I was fascinated that its food and beverage operation included over 30 restaurants. The two largest hotels in Sri Lanka – Hotel Lanka Oberoi and Hotel Ceylon Inter.Continental had only 266 rooms and 252 rooms and a handful of restaurants.
Narai Hotel was one of Bangkok’s earliest large hotels. Our second night there, Ranjith and I enjoyed a sumptuous dinner at the hotel’s 360-degree revolving restaurant which was the first of its kind in Thailand. It towered over the low-lying urban landscape with panoramic views. The Guest Relations Officer who was in charge of our tour of the hotel also showed us its ballroom which held up to about 1,000 guests. The next day we left for West Germany.
Frankfurt
Ranjith and I arrived in Frankfurt early in the morning. Arriving in one of the most populous cites in West Germany was somewhat nostalgic to me. Although I had never been out of Sri Lanka, I was exposed to two overseas cultures in the early 1970s – Japanese and German. Japanese through my involvement with Judo and German through my three years at the Ceylon Hotel School which had eight West German or German trained members of faculty. I also learnt some words in those two languages. I remembered the stories my father told me after his visit to Frankfurt a decade earlier to attend the world’s largest book fair.
Guten Morgen und willkommen in Frankfurt” we were greeted by Günter whom we knew from the Neckermann Reisen operation in Sri Lanka. Günter’s family was from Frankfurt and he was an excellent guide for us. After breakfast and while waiting for our hotel rooms to be ready, he took us on a quick city tour. Günter was proud that Frankfurt was a global hub for commerce, culture, education, tourism and transportation. Given its five centuries as a previous city state, the history of Frankfurt was rich and was most diverse culturally, ethnically and religiously.
Over the next two days, Ranjith and I were taken to a regional office of Neckermann. Günter also took us around to a few museums, art galleries, a botanical garden, a city forest and some football grounds where FIFA World Cup 1974 matches were played. We also dinned in a few of the best restaurants of Frankfurt. We were sad to leave Frankfurt, but Günter reminded us that we had another stop in Frankfurt after our three months of training in London.
London
It was an interesting first time visit to the United Kingdom. A few months before our arrival, the Conservative Party had won the general election and Mrs. Margaret Thatcher had become the first female Prime Minister of the country. In later years, I lived in the UK on two occasions during her 11-years at the helm of British politics. Throughout, I enjoyed watching her on British television and her various interesting battles. She was particularly forceful against the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) led by an aggressive and confrontational Mr. Arthur Scargill and the Falklands war against Argentina. Although I did not agree with some of her policies, I was somewhat saddened when the Iron Lady eventually met her Waterloo in 1990, as a result of the famous cabinet revolt against her. I also served her once at a royal banquet hosted by the Queen, when I worked at the best British hotel – The Dorchester, in 1984.
London is among the oldest of the world’s great cities with a history spanning nearly two millennia – and one of the most cosmopolitan. Because of the colonial past of Ceylon, my generation grew up brain washed with exaggerated expectations of the grandeur of London as the capital of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. Some first impressions did not live up to expectations of Ranjith and myself. However, given the uniqueness of the city as the centre of the British government, monarchy, commerce, arts, entertainment and sports, I quickly fell in love with London. In later years, in addition to living in London on two occasions in the 1980s and 1990s, I visited London 35 times over a period of five years from the year 2000, when I was elected as a Board Member and then as the President of the Institute of Hospitality UK, and as the Chairman of HCIMA Limited.
Two of the early culture shocks we experienced in London were how cosmopolitan most parts of London were and also the Punk subculture. A pleasant surprise to me was that my favourite actor, Yul Brynner was living in London at that time nearing his 4,500th stage appearance as the King of Siam in “The King and I”. One of the first things I did in London was to buy an expensive front seat ticket to see him on stage at the West End. It was simply magical!
I was particularly happy to know that the hotel arranged by Trust House Forte for my full-board complimentary accommodation – Regent’s Palace, was only a few feet from the Piccadilly Circus. For nearly three months every day after work, I sat on those famous steps. I used to simply sit there and look at the lights, slow-moving red double decker buses and enjoyed chatting with many young tourists. I didn’t care about the time passing by. The summer of 1979 was one of my most memorable periods. I love London.
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 . )
US sports envoys to Lanka to champion youth development
Rahuman questions sudden cancellation of leave of CEB employees
