Features
Elizabeth the Great
By Dr Upul Wijayawardhana
When the Union Jack, fluttering from the flagpole of Buckingham Palace, was gently lowered to half-mast, just after 6.30pm (BST), on Thursday, 8th September, the anxious wait of the nation for six hours was over and all hopes were dashed. From the time an announcement was made from Buckingham Palace just after 12.30pm that Her Majesty was gravely ill, the nation feared the worst, but hoped for the best. As the notice announcing the death of Queen Elizabeth was being posted on the gates of Buckingham Palace, the autumn showers, bathing London from morning, eased off and a ray of sunshine emanated through the thick dark clouds, dominating the western skies forming a rainbow over the Union Jack fluttering, lazily, half-mast. The much-loved Queen was no more!
Queen Elizabeth II was the most famous woman, perhaps the most famous person, in the whole world, and much had been written about her. When I wrote an article on the occasion of her celebrating an unprecedented Platinum Jubilee (A Queen Unmatched, The Island 23rd April) I never imagined I would be writing again on her, so soon. More so, because just two days before, she was seen with all smiles, bidding farewell to her 14th Prime Minister and welcoming the 15th. How uncertain life is!
I wish to highlight some of her unique achievements and defend her from some of the unfair accusations made. Unfortunately, most hurting for her, some these came from within; first from Diana and then from Megan. A few have endured so much they seem to have come to be regarded as true. Perhaps, unfortunately, the royal tradition is not to use the right of reply and Her Majesty has famously stated “Don’t complain – Don’t explain!”
In an excellent editorial, titled “Death of a great leader” (The Island, 10th September), whilst paying a glowing tribute to Queen Elizabeth, the editor has stated:
“Great as she was, Queen Elizabeth II was not infallible. Her handling of some of her family affairs came in for criticism, as in the case of the Diana controversy, which had an adverse effect on the reputation of Buckingham Palace. A much-publicised claim by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, in an interview with Oprah Winfrey, earlier this year, that Buckingham Palace’s decision to deny Archie the title of Prince had been driven by institutional racism, within the monarchy, also reflected badly on the Queen, who, however, remained unfazed. Despite such blemishes, as it were, and what her critics may say, all in all, her reign was hugely successful and stood Britain in good stead.”
Unfortunately, Princess Diana was being manipulated by many including journalists, and the then PM Tony Blair, who wanted to showcase Diana as the face of the new monarchy. With the resounding majority he received, Tony Blair may have thought that he could reform the monarchy, too. His wife declared that she did not intend curtsy to the queen. Apparently, Her Majesty cut him down to size, stating at their first meeting “You are my 10th Prime Minister. The first was Winston. That was before you were born”. Perhaps, this made Blair’s resolve even greater but, to his credit, he gave sound advice to the Queen, following the death of Diana.
Diana’s sudden death evoked mass hysteria, more so because the media made her a saint in spite of many indiscreet liaisons, and made Charles a pariah because of his public admission that he had a liaison with Camilla, after his marriage had broken down, irretrievably. The Queen was in Balmoral, consoling her two young grandsons, who had lost their mother. The resultant delayed return to Buckingham Palace evoked public criticism and generated newspaper headlines. Added to that, Mohamed Al-Fayed was making wild accusations that the monarchy was instrumental in murdering Diana, and his son Dodi, who, by the way, was carrying-on with Diana, whilst having an American girlfriend! ‘Operation Paget’, the Metropolitan police inquiry, headed by Lord Stevens, established that it was a tragic accident. An interesting fact that was disclosed during the inquiry was that both Diana and Dodi may have survived the crash had they worn seat belts. The only survivor was the security officer, the only person to wear a seat belt. Al-Fayed disagreed with the inquiry report but had to stop slandering once the coroner’s inquest was concluded, in April 2008, when the jury returned the verdict that Diana and Fayed were unlawfully killed as a result of “gross negligence” of the driver Henri Paul and the paparazzi.
The Oprah Winfrey interview, with the Sussexes, turned out to be a publicity stunt where Oprah demonstrated a total lack of tough questioning she is renowned for. Had she done her research, she could have brought to their attention “letters patent dated 20 November 1917 by King George V” when the accusation was made that Archie was denied the title ‘Prince’ because of institutional racism within the monarchy. Archie was not entitled to be a prince as the ‘letters patent’ restricted the title of Prince to the children of the sovereign, the children of the sovereign’s sons, and the eldest living son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales. They forgot to mention that the Queen conferred an appropriate title which they refused. Megan stated that they requested this title for security purposes. The fact is that security does not depend on the title but on the basis of individual assessments made by the security services. She also stated that Charles will deny Archie the title. In spite of the atrocious campaign carried out, sometime ago by Diana supporters, to skip a generation and make William the king, Charles has become King and we have Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet! What a pity that a publicity seeking American actress, not a Hollywood actress even of B-grade but a minor one who acted in some TV series, who got married to a Prince, has done so much of reputational damage to the British Monarchy?
The Queen is far from being a racist. In fact, when in 1961 she danced with Ghana’s first President Kwame Nkrumah at a farewell reception, it was the racist segment of the British populace that was infuriated. Though the Netflix series ‘The Crown’ tried portray it as ‘the dance that changed history’, it probably is an exaggeration. Nkrumah remained a socialist till he was deposed, but this dance may well have catalysed the process of many African countries joining the Commonwealth.
The other Prime Minister the Queen did not get on well with was Margaret Thatcher. It is well known that Her Majesty was concerned about Thatcherite policies causing social upheaval. In fact, Thatcher had once commented that if the Queen had the vote, she would probably vote for Social-Democrats! This makes it obvious that though born to riches, Her Majesty felt the pulse of the poor. But the main disagreement was about sanctions on South Africa. Thatcher found excuses not to impose sanctions, perhaps because her husband had business interests but, ultimately, the Queen prevailed and sanctions were imposed which facilitated the dismantling of apartheid. This was the reason for the close association between the Queen and Nelson Mandela.
The British Commonwealth was started by the Queen’s father and she transformed it to be the powerful organization, the Commonwealth of Nations. When she became Queen, there were eight members and, at the time of her death, the number stood at 56 countries, from all inhabited continents, with a combined population of 2.4 billion. All the English-speaking countries are members, except the USA, which, in a way, is an advantage as the USA would have distorted the Commonwealth. Still, some Americans seem to be looking upon Britain as the ‘mother country’ as stated by a couple from California who were laying flowers at Buckingham Palace. Interestingly, four African countries, that were not under British rule, too, have opted to join the Commonwealth. Mozambique, formerly under Portugal, joined in 1995, and Rwanda, formerly under Germany, and then the Netherlands, joined in 2009. Gabon and Togo, both formerly under France, joined on 29th June 2022. Many others have applied to join which dispels the accusation that the British Monarchy is racist. As suggested by the Queen, King Charles has taken over the responsibility of heading the Commonwealth.
The Queen has shown an abiding interest in Sri Lanka. Victoria Dam was a British gift, under the patronage of Her Majesty. A former Sri Lanka High Commissioner to the UK told me how, on two occasions, during largely attended diplomatic receptions, the Queen came looking for him to inquire how we are coping after the 2004 Tsunami and how our Cricket team was faring after the 2009 attack in Pakistan. In spite of all this, some ‘liberal’ commentators have taken objections to flying the Sri Lankan flag half-mast and having a National Day of Mourning because we are a republic. These narrow-minded experts are a minority, fortunately. Judging by the reactions across the world, these measures are more than justified.
Monuments across the world were illuminated in the Queen’s honour, including ‘Christ, the Redeemer, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Politicians, around the world, have been paying tribute, the best coming from President Macron of France. In spite of the traditional Franco-British rivalry and derogatory personal references by Liz Truss, during the leadership campaign, President Macron responded with magnanimity. While conveying his condolences to the British people, he stated: “To you, she is your Queen but to us, she is THE Queen”! No one could have better described the high esteem with which Queen Elizabeth was held around the world.
According to the British regnal system she is Queen Elizabeth, the Second but she was second to none. She was the most successful British Monarch ever. Therefore, I, too, join the clamour that the best way to honour this magnificent lady is by calling her “Elizabeth, the Great!”
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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