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DS Senanayake recommends sending my daughter to the Kundasale Farm School
(Excerpted from A Cabinet Secretary’s Memoirs by BP Peiris)
G. G. Ponnambalam, always smartly dressed, was one of the few Ministers who came to a meeting thoroughly prepared on his own matters. He knew his Cabinet paper as he knew his appeal brief, and he would present his case as he would present a case in the Appeal Court. His language was also excellent. In one of his Cabinet papers, he had used the word “guesstimate”. The typist came to me and asked whether this was a mistake. I looked up Fowler under Hybrid Words but got no assistance.
I directed that the paper be typed as received as I was not prepared to correct Ponnambalam’s English. Where a Minister was arguing what I thought was bad law, I used to hand a legal authority to Ponnambalam to disprove the argument. He was quick on the uptake and would say “Sir, Mr Peiris has just handed me this U. K. Act which says…” and that was the end of the other Minister’s argument.
We have in the office a special red label to be used when delivering top secret documents. It is stuck on the outer envelope and reads “To be opened personally by the Hon. the Minister”. In 15 years it has been used about five times. One Minister had a confidant, known as ‘egg hopper’, a top man in the newspaper world, not a reporter, but one unofficially at Director level. The Minister used to keep ‘egg-hopper’ supplied with background information which, I must stress, was never published.
I had issued one of these red label documents. A few days later, ‘egg-hopper’ invited me to his house for drinks and added that there would be about four others. After some time I inquired for the toilet and was directed to go through his bedroom. On his toilet table, I saw my top secret document. I looked at the number at the bottom of each Cabinet paper we issue. For example, the Governor-General gets No. 1, the Prime Minister No. 2, and so on. The number at the bottom of the paper I saw was the Minister’s.
I did not mention to any one what I had seen because I knew that there would not be a leak to the Press.
During the next few months, there were several leaks. Ministers naturally wanted to know how information could leak to the Press when Cabinet papers were delivered to them in double envelopes marked ‘Secret’. The Minister I mentioned then made a remark which was quite unworthy of him. He turned to D.S. and said, “Put Peiris under arrest for three weeks and watch the situation.”
The inference was obvious. This undeserved remark hurt my pride, my honour and my good name and I blurted out. “I have at no time had any contact with the Press; but I have once seen with a pressman a top secret paper which I had issued”. The Minister demanded details. I had, in my haste to vindicate myself put myself into a most difficult and dangerous position. I might have been disbelieved if I disclosed what I had seen. It was the Minister’s word against mine.
D. S. said. “Never mind, gentlemen, let’s get onto the next item on the Agenda.” On the termination of the meeting, he stayed behind on purpose, fumbling with his papers until all the other Ministers had left the room and said, “Peiris, I want to apologize for that remark made about you. I know these things don’t leak from you or your office. I also know the Ministers who give out the information to the Press.” He did not ask me which Minister’s paper I had seen on the toilet table – a truly remarkable gentleman.
S:W.R.D. was a pipe smoker who smoked that excellent tobacco, Old English Curve Cut, packed in a neat, slim tin case which slipped easily into the hip pocket. One day, he came to a meeting with a tin of local tobacco. I saw him struggling to open the tin with its cutter. He was not used to it because his former tin had no cutter and opened easily.
I walked across to him and asked “May I help you, Sir?”. “Please do,” he said. I took the tin and found that he had been trying to cut the thick bottom foil which was impossible. I turned the tin round, put the cutter in place, and opened it in about ten seconds. I handed the opened tin to him saying, “Sir, you were trying it the back way.” He roared with laughter saying “That’s a bloody good one my dear fellow, a bloody good one.”
He was intellectually arrogant. In spite of his attempt, for political reasons, to camouflage himself in a cloth and banian, he could not divest himself of his aristocratic background and upbringing.He had many human faults and weaknesses, but, if you caught him at the right moment, you could make that steeliness in his heart melt because there was kindness, sympathy and understanding in him.
I have a vivid recollection of a fatherly talk D.S. had with me sometime in 1949. My daughter had passed the Senior School Certificate Examination at the age of 15 and could not proceed further until she was 16. She had the gift of the gab and appeared to be a chip off the old block. One meeting day, I was in the Cabinet room early, looking at a map of Ceylon, to see what D.S.’s agricultural, irrigation and colonization schemes were.
I had not been able to obtain leave to see these places for myself. The Prime Minister himself walked in 10 minutes early and asked me what I was looking at. With his finger on the map, he explained everything to me in five minutes—irrigation channel 20 miles long here to irrigate 15,000 acres, bund here, anicut there etc.
When he finished, I asked him whether he would be kind enough to give me some advice on a personal matter. He was an old friend of my father. I mentioned my daughter’s case and said I could not make up my mind whether to make her a doctor or a lawyer. He said, “These are both faculties in the University. If that is your only child, don’t send her to the University. Send her to my Kundasale Girls’ School. She’ll be a good wife, a good mother and a good cook. I am going there in a fortnight. Come with your wife as my guest and bring the girl along. Let her see the place and make up her own mind.”
I told my wife of the invitation and of the impending visit and asked to have a picnic lunch ready on that day which we could have under a shady tree at the Farm. I intended to go in shorts. Two days before the event, the Prime Minister’s Secretary inquired how many there were in my party, I asked “Which party?” D.S., a busy man, had not forgotten that he had invited me a fortnight earlier.
I was ordered to come in tie, collar and coat; we were to be the Prime Minister’s guests at lunch, the Governor-General, Lord Soulbury, would be present, and we should be at the Farm before 9 a.m. We were on time.
Permanent Secretaries, Heads of Departments and other officials, all numbering over one hundred, were there. My daughter was the youngest present. Every one of the guests was introduced to His Excellency by the Prime Minister. He introduced my daughter as a prospective recruit. The Prime Minister was genuinely fond of the place and never failed to visit the school if he was in the area.
The tour of the farm started. Lord Soulbury’s Rolls-Royce could not take the narrow roads and he therefore got into a small Ford car with the lady Principal. The Prime Minister got into a jeep. We, minor fry, followed in other cars. When we came to the piggery, the Prime Minister shouted “Where’s that little girl?” I asked my daughter to go forward and to say “Sir” if any question was asked.
D.S. asked a man to take some of the piglets out of the sty and told my daughter that if she could not hold a piggy, she was not fit to be a pupil in his school. My daughter picked up two piglets, one of which D.S. took, and while they were both holding the piggies, the camera man clicked and I possess a delightful picture of the Prime Minister and my daughter holding a couple of the little fellows in their arms.
We went round the classrooms and the dormitories which were clean and tidy. The 100 girls in the school, dressed in slacks and shirts, were having a holiday. They had helped in cooking an excellent lunch of rice and about 20 curries. Lord Soulbury was amused when one of the girls served him with rice, not with a spoon, but with a saucer. He was a small ‘eater’ and the saucer was too large a measure.
After lunch, served by the girls, Lord Soulbury and Mr Senanayake made speeches and signed several autograph albums for the girls, and the party came to an end.
Kundasale is a beautiful place – the headquarters of Lord Mountbatten during the war. The military buildings, which the girls occupied, have since been replaced by more substantial structures. The girls get a practical training in animal husbandry, agriculture, home science and several other subjects useful in later life. The outdoor life and the climate contribute towards the .good health of the pupils. The farm life knocks out the nursery ideas about storks bringing babies and leaving them under the bushes.
My daughter left the school after her training, a much matured woman with some sensible ideas in her head. The two year period of training is hard work. The day starts which the milking of cows at five in the morning. The girls then attend lectures and do practical agriculture, poultry keeping and other activities. In due course, my daughter obtained her diploma and left the school with regret.
The boarding house food was just like the food in any other boarding house. About once a month, my wife and I received a begging letter from the daughter asking us to come the following Sunday with three hundred string hoppers. We took all the food and went to spend the day at the farm. We carried mats and cushions, water bottles and glasses and, after arrival at the farm, filled the car to the maximum capacity with my daughter’s friends and came back to the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens for lunch which we had seated on our mats under a shady tree. On our return to the school, the girls used to take me to the concert room and make me play the piano and sing.
This had a most interesting sequel several years later. I was a member of the Havelock Sports Club. The club house at that time was like a caravan on wheels. It was a Sunday; several members were having their pre-lunch drinks. A private bus turned in at the other end of the Park and discharged about 60 girls. A quick thought told me that these could not be girls from a nearby school; they were probably from Kundasale.
The club boys refused to go and invite the girls on my behalf to the Club. I said I would go myself. Watched by all, I walked up to the girls, right across the park, and asked one of them whether they were from the Kundasale Farm School. When she said “Yes”, I told her that my daughter had been ‘I there and asked them all to come with me to the Club, which I pointed out, and have a soft drink with me. She said the girls would have to get the teacher’s permission, and I asked that I be taken to the teacher.
I introduced myself and the teacher asked whether I was not the gentleman who used to come to the school and play the piano. Permission was granted. I walked with the teacher to the Club, heading the procession, with all the girls following. I had been watched all the time by the members and they were surprised to see the snakelike two-by-two procession wending its way across the Park led by someone like the Pied Piper of Hamelin.
I ordered drinks all round and the girls shared the glasses as there were not sufficient to give them one each. I bought all the gram from the seller who had come along -and gave it to them to munch on their way back. The girls left after throwing me up inside the little club house to the tune of “He’s a jolly good fellow”.
My daughter was later offered a post at the Labuduwa Farm as instructress in Animal Husbandry at Rs 60 a month. She naturally had to refuse it because she was to be sent to a lonely spot – and to have somebody to look after her, and could not therefore run an establishment on the salary offered. She put her training to good use at home and reared poultry as a hobby.
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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