Features
Esmond reveals JR’s offer of foreign ministry to Mrs. B
Bombshell disclosure to Madam Chou in China
Excerpted from volume two of Sarath Amunugama’s autobiography
I had always followed developments in Communist China with great interest. I recalled the helpless and feeble Christian missionaries who had been expelled after Mao’s victory, who spoke to us during Trinity College assemblies. Though they had left China on the orders of the new Government these missionaries spoke kindly of the Communists whose dedication to improving the lives of the humble Chinese peasant was admired.
The missionaries told us that the Communist cadres were honest and were improving the living conditions of the poverty stricken villagers. Later as Director of Information I had moved closely with the Chinese and Vietnamese Ambassadors whose low key efforts to counter the “black propaganda” of the West that had demonized them were highly effective.
When I studied in Canada my radical professors were admirers of China, having being disillusioned by the growing entente between the USA and the geriatric leaders of the then USSR. Many of them with their ultra radicalism were unabashed supporters of the hardliners of the ‘Cultural Revolution’. The Monthly Review published in New York was the mouth piece of these radicals and was circulated widely during that time.
My own Professor and friend Dallas Walker Smythe, who was a young economist in the US Board of Trade promoting Roosevelt’s ‘New Deal’, had been sacked after the McCarthy hearings. He became an admirer of the Chinese path to communism. Naturally therefore I looked forward to this visit (to China on China’s invitation of a press delegation from here) and became a close confidant of Esmond (Wickremesinghe who led the delegation) who had leftist antecedents and could empathize with the new developments taking place in China after the fall of the ‘Gang of Four’.
The other members of our delegation, though they were important media leaders were not very interested in the gigantic political upheavals that were going on behind the scenes. A key signal which was lost on them, but not Esmond and me, was that Madame Deng Ying Chao, the revered wife of Chou En Lai, was to be the high level dignitary who was to supervise our visit and dine and wine us at the Great Hall of the People. This was a great honour indeed and showed the keenness of the Chinese administration in normalizing relations with the JRJ regime which had swept their favourite Sri Lankan personality, Mrs, Bandaranaike, out of power. I shall describe our interactions With Madame Deng later.
Looking back, I find that the Chinese had several objectives in planning this visit. The first was obviously to send the message that the lunacy of the Cultural Revolution was now over and they were willing to do normal business through international procedures with the new government. Secondly they were keen to show us that the new path advocated by leaders Hua Gua Feng and Deng Mao Ping was to promote industries and agriculture by the gradual introduction of private enterprise.
Our schedule of visits Included travel to reformed communes and new factories producing consumer goods. The trip to a ‘show commune’ helped us to understand the new policy of freeing the peasants from control of rural cooperatives. Whereas earlier the total produce of the communal farms were taken over by the state in order to achieve the targets set out for their region by the planning commission, the Deng reforms gave small plots of land to the peasants to be farmed on an individual basis.
What we saw was that while the state farms were undeveloped and barely reached the targets set for them, the private lots were farmed round the clock by the peasants as they could now retain the surplus. This led to a massive increase in production which had earlier declined under the ideological mayhem created by the Cultural Revolution. This so called revolution had led to massive starvation and famines which were unprecedented in modern times.
Now due to the increase in production small markets were emerging where the more enterprising farmers could sell or barter their surplus. We saw farmers bringing pingo loads of piglets to be sold in those markets which were emblematic of the beginning of private enterprise. As a result of this opening to private incentives the more enterprising workers were getting richer while the party functionaries who had earlier siphoned off a part of the produce in exchange for monitoring production quotas, were becoming redundant. Consequent to the increase in domestic agricultural production farmers were eating better and the famine caused by the ‘Cultural Revolution’ was overcome.
Gang of Four
Because of the practical benefits of liberalization there was a wave of revulsion against the ideologically inflexible ‘Gang of Four’ who were close to Mao. They were convicted after a trial and were in custody when we were in China. Their conduct was condemned by Madame Chou En Lai in her discussions with us. She began the discussion by mentioning the affection that Premier Chou had for Sri Lanka which he had visited twice.
He had been accompanied by Foreign Minister Chen Yi who had been a close friend of the Chou family from the days of struggle against Chiang Kai Shek. However, the Premier, and Chen Yi in particular, had been badly treated by the Gang of Four. She was thankful to Sri Lanka for the concern shown about the Premier in his last days .He had enjoyed the mango fruits that had been sent to him in hospital by Mrs. Bandaranaike.
Then she broached a subject which was presented with great tact. While complimenting the new government she wished to say that they were concerned to see that no personal harm should come to Mrs. Bandaranaike. Esmond with his diplomatic training, immediately put Madame Chou at ease by dropping a bombshell which surprised even us. He said that far from harming Mrs. B, the new President JRJ had offered to make her the Foreign Minister in his Cabinet.
Esmond himself had carried the message from the President to Mrs. B, but she had declined and said that another senior from her party, perhaps Maithripala Senanayake, could be nominated instead. All this was news to the media moguls themselves who were shocked while Esmond went on to discuss JRJ’s political secrets with great aplomb.
Our hostess then replied that she was greatly relieved by Esmond’s assurances and wanted to thank the President for it. Then she guided us to a banquet hall in the Great Hall complex where a 10-course Chinese lunch awaited us. The lunch proceeded with Madame and senior Chinese officials going round the table exchanging toasts with all of us. It was an exquisitely choreographed event. After lunch, like her legendary husband, our hostess dispensed with protocol and personally walked us down the many steps to the waiting cars and wished each one goodbye.
It was a memorable occasion which was recreated several times later when I was part of the official delegation of our President or Prime Minister visiting China on a high level tour. With President Mahinda Rajapaksa I met Hu Jin Tao and with Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe I met Me Jin Ping. On both those latter occasions we were treated with the same courtesy. Since they were the highest state banquets, a navy band played Chinese and Sri Lankan songs while we ate and drank.
Special mention must be made of the fiery Maotai thimblefuls which after many toasts had our heads reeling. This inebriation vanished when we stepped out to the bitterly cold Beijing air to get to our cars.Our Ambassador in China at that time was a senior Foreign Service officer ‘Charlie’ Mahendran. He entertained us right royally in his residence.
I felt quite at home because Charlie had read history at Peradeniya and his charming wife Mohana Coomaraswamy was my contemporary at the University. They were the parents of Arjuna Mahendran of the celebrated Bond scam which spelt the end of the political career of Ranil, Esmond’s son, when he crashed to a humiliating defeat in 2019. It also marked the end of the UNP as a credible party in the country.
My Notes
While going through my old papers recently I came across the notes I had made during my China tour. These notes were written up on the same day of the events described. They may be useful to the students of Chinese history of the immediate period following the Cultural Revolution since such eyewitness accounts are rare and now hard to come by. Our visit was undertaken when the `Gang’ had been defeated by the government of Hua Gua Feng.
Deng Xiaoping was still not in full control. It was only a short time later that he would effect a sea change in the CCP’s policies. But this was a period of transition when the liberalization policies were being introduced for the first time. The old ‘long march’ leaders were preparing a new economic agenda.
Madame Deng [Wife of Chou En Lai]
“We were asked to remain in the hotel lobby within reach of a telephone and to expect a call from the Great Hall of the People [GHP]. Exactly at 10.30 a call comes through and we are bundled into our cars to drive straight to the GHR Officials accompanying us are all very excited and full of anticipation as it was a rare privilege for them to go to a ceremony like this and interact with a national leader. As we enter, Madame Deng is at the entrance to the large lobby. She is very gracious and has a word with every member of the delegation. She is full of smiles and witticisms which are immediately translated for us. Laughter brightens her eyes. The face is very wrinkled showing her age. A group photograph is to be taken in the lobby.
Arrangements are going like clockwork with senior officials now assembling In the lobby. Deng briskly moves over to a stage and poses for photos with the delegation. After picture taking we are led into a spacious room for a discussion. Deng shuffles up to the main chair sits and motions for all of us to sit in the designated seats.
She looks elegant and a cut above the officials. Wears fashionable ankle length suede boots and a well cut serge trouser suit. Looks like a friendly grandmother. She asks whether we are comfortable and well looked after. Wants us to be careful not to catch a cold in the Beijing air. Refers to her visit to Sri Lanka. It is a beautiful country with gracious people who are friends of China.
Then she talks about the conditions in China and criticizes the ‘Gang of Four’. She asks for our itinerary from the officials and studies it. Says it is good to visit Shanghai and the other cities. She jokes with our Ambassador Mahendran saying that he knows China very well and recalls that she attended our national day party at his invitation earlier that year.
We asked about Premier Chou and she referred to the Non-aligned conference in Bandung. [Perhaps a subtle dig at Esmond who was active in Bandung as an advisor to (Sir John) Kotelawala who followed a pro-American line there]. She also referred to the Rice—Rubber deal which was so important for China at that time. It came at a very difficult time for China and that gesture would therefore never be forgotten by the Chinese people.
She then went on to explain what had happened in China recently after the Cultural Revolution. Recalling the role of her husband Chou she said that he played a role in the Nanking uprising. Today the Peoples Liberation Army flag and the army cap have the inscription I\8 on them denoting the date of the uprising.
Mao called it the first revolutionary military attack on the KMT of Chiang kai-Shek. The Gang of Four and Lin Piao wanted that inscription removed. But Mao would not allow it. Chairman Mao’s theoretical positions were always better than theirs [Chou and hers] when they were young. Mao changed the strategy of the Chinese Revolution. He depended on the countryside and finally captured the cities. She wanted us to visit Changshan. There is a saying that, “As long as the red flag flies in Changshan’s mountain, the Chinese revolution will go on from generation to generation”. That was the first base area of the Communists.
Then she referred to the ‘Gang of Four’ who had not only hounded her husband to death but also hindered the growth of the country in the name of ideological purity. Hers was an important statement about the activities of the group which was then shrouded in secrecy. She said that, “The Gang tried to distort the history of the Chinese revolution and disrupt the working of the country. Since their fall 18 months ago there have been many great achievements in China and many of the misdeeds of the Gang of Four had been exposed. The fifth National Congress and the 11th party meeting had decreed that the exposure of their misdeeds is still a major task. There is a Chinese saying that “it is better to see once than to hear a hundred times”.
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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