Features
Fiddling while the nation burns
by Dr F E Dias
Section 365A of Sri Lanka’s Penal Code criminalises “any act of gross indecency” between persons. One would have imagined that it would be a grave and substantial challenge for a reasonable person to justify that acts of gross indecency and carnal intercourse against the order of nature, should be declared human rights, and be sanctioned, endorsed and celebrated.
UN CEDAW
On February 21, 2022, the notorious CEDAW committee of the UN, a battery of unelected radical feminists who issue recommendations to governments of the developing world as if they had the authority to mandate, decided that the sovereign nation of Sri Lanka should repeal 365A and endorse and encourage lesbianism together with other ingredients in the alphabet soup. They even decreed inter alia that the government should provide training to the nation’s law enforcement agencies regarding the normalization of homosexual activity inclusive of bisexualism, even tagging transgenderism into the melée.
On August 24, 2022, MP Premanath Dolawatta submitted a private member’s bill to parliament seeking to amend the penal code in order to legalise sodomy among youth who have reached their 16th birthday, and adults, as long as it was consensual, and between humans. A concession was provided that the provision on bestiality will remain unchanged, although the reasoning for justifiying homosexuality can be likewise applied to justify bestiality.
It was deemed that Sri Lankans have “an extremely backward notion” regarding deviant sexual behaviour – id est it is queer not to be queer. “Modern psychiatry” was said not consider sodomy to be perverted, and that the perversity of sodomy was a Victorian and colonial remnant – perhaps expecting that the populace will acquiesce to institutionalisation of queerness since they no longer desire empire. While it was activism rather than integrity that removed ego-syntonic homosexuality from the manual of mental disorders, and the mental health of the perpetrator does not determine the perversity of the act, irrelevant arguments and unsound reasoning cloak the reality that these attempts at transmogrification of Sri Lankan culture is in fact subordination to neocolonialism.
US President Biden has stated that LGBT “rights” are core to US foreign policy, and the US is the largest donor to the United Nations. Freshly returned from Davos, the president of bankrupt Sri Lanka which is on its knees before the IMF, stated that the Government will not oppose the Dolawatta bill.
UN HRC
The national report obsequiously submitted in late 2022 for review by the United Nations’ Human Rights Council’s Working Group during its 42nd session held in Geneva, indicated the Sri Lankan government’s keen desire to conform to the LGBTIQ+ ideologies, even mentioning the prevalence of a legal gender recognition certificate that could be obtained in three to five days by “transgender” persons. When men obtain this legal certification that they are, for example, women, they could with impunity enter female washrooms and shower cubicles – and compete against real women in sports. Anyone who objects, let alone resists this insanity will be accused and perhaps penalized for harassment, discrimination and all else that is whined about.
The Working Group of UN bureaucrats, some from the wealthy countries and others from Latvia, Costa Rica, Czechia and Uruguay, issued a report on February 1 resolving that the sovereign nation of Sri Lanka should repeal section 365 and 365A, and normalize not only LGB and T but also I, Q, and the even more vague “+”, that encompasses all conceivable “genders”, “gender identities” and sexual orientations – including paedophilia.
The representative from Chile required Sri Lanka to ensure the legal prevention of persons with homosexual inclinations from seeking and receiving rehabilitation or therapy, thus providing clarity to their objectives which is not the well being of individuals struggling with unnatural desires, but the propagation of a culture of vice. The directives from the UN HRC if pursued would logically lead to the position where it would be illegal for a kleptomaniac to seek remedy, and illegal for a therapist to provide treatment to cure his disordered propensities – and our government would repeal the penal codes concerning theft because the apparatchiks of a supranational organization seeking global government mandates it.
The Fifth Column
Activists such as Ambika Satkunanathan state that “progressive” values associated unnatural and obscene acts related to sodomy and gender dysphoria being put into the educational curriculum of the state’s children would be a high priority, and indicated that textbooks could be changed even prior to the sanctioning of grossly indecent carnal acts by law. She also stated honestly that the legislative proposal at hand is merely a “small step” in the journey into establishing in this nation what would be a polychromatic dystopia. While it will be commendable to treat each human being with respect and dignity since they are human beings, it does not imply that all human acts, lifestyles and lusts need likewise to be respected, since there is a distinction to be made between the sinner and the sin. Those inflicted with tuberculosis need to be loved and protected, and not made afraid or harassed, but this does not require the national repeal of the BCG.
A petition was filed in April 2023 for the sake of protecting decency by Jehan Hameed, Shenali Waduge and Athula De Silva, pointing out the unconstitutionality of the proposed bill of MP Dolawatte, stressing on the scandalization of the nation’s children when their elders betray them, and the escalation of sexually transmitted disease especially involving viruses received anally from one man who passes it on anally to another.
A flurry of intervening petitions was subsequently submitted in support of decriminalising acts of gross indecency, many petitioners being ex-officio radicals already long in the tooth. Some of the persons who support the promotion of homosexuality ironically are associated with Saving Children, Child Protection and Child Rights. Less surprisingly, others are passionate promoters of abortion and have decades of experience in lobbying for the abortion of Sri Lanka’s children, often in association with foreign-funded NGOs. The local arm of the global abortion business International Planned Parenthood Association, namely the SL Family Planning Association which for years have inter alia been corrupting the nations’ youth, subtly encouraging promiscuity with the promise of the availability of abortifacient drugs and devices to flush out the consequences, is another intervening petitioner. HIV services are also in the fray, since without homosexuality, HIV services will cease to be required.
Roots and Reasoning
While it is understood that international pressure, money and pride are decisive forces driving this agenda, the reasoning put forward for propagating LGB, T and other diverse concepts collectively, and the associated assault on the virtue of self-restraint, traditional marriage and the natural family, deserves scrutiny. While proposed variously and emotionally, the underlying rationale is the alleged discrimination, harassment and fear of violence felt by persons self-identifying under one or more of the letters of the rainbow. It is of the essence to recognize that the deception occurs via conflation of genuine problems, with the justification of the lifestyle – while its raw reality, inevitable consequences and ultimate objectives are camouflaged.
Let us consider a thief, practicing or non-practicing, having an inclination to theft or devoid of it, as long as thief is her identity. Suppose she goes to a bank and is harassed by the teller, and discriminated against by the manager, and made afraid by the cashier. The fitting course of action would be first to investigate whether these were her unfounded perceptions, whether incidents occurred and if so whether they were intentional. It would subsequently be necessary to find out the causes for these incidents, and whether they were related to the black and white horizontal stripes on the thief’s top, whether she insinuated deviously that the cashier issued one note less when he didn’t, whether the manager tried to over-charge her for the cheque-book for personal gain, or if the security officer at the exit didn’t open the door for her as was expected simply because he was lazy.
Whether her wallet was forcibly examined, and whether she refrained from complaining to the GM due to self-doubt regarding receipt of fair treatment on account of her thief-like garb and demeanour or for other unrelated reasons, wrongs done need to be rectified, and the nation and its institutions already have sufficient laws and rules to deal with it. If these laws are not enforced, then non-enforcement is the problem, not the law. While it is acceptable that every citizen should be treated equally by the law, it would be ridiculous to make theft legal on account of thieves’ feelings of vulnerability. Even more ridiculous would it be, if not only theft, but also laundering, pilfering, misappropriation, burglary, smuggling, and even “+” were to be legalized, and children’s school text books were amended to portray the goodness of LPMBS+ as a “small step” in the journey towards equality.
Deceit
The reason to normalize sodomy, as a first “small step” is not for the reason of enabling homosexuals to proceed with their lifestyle – which they already are doing, nor for the protection and care of individuals suffering from various deviant sexual inclinations who may seek a safe and understanding environment to proceed with their conversion or rehabilitation. It is evident that individuals having unnatural sexual inclinations, and who choose to indulge in them, cannot be penalized as long as they commit their sins in private. The victim of any action, not only sodomic, when coerced or brought about through “threat of unlawful detention”, “fear of death or hurt”, or when consent has been obtained via the “use of force, or intimidation” has protection through law already, so stressing on the consensuality of unnatural acts as justification for legalizing gross indecency would make little difference to extant private practitioners – and is irrational as a basis for amending the code.
Rather, decriminalization and subsequent efforts at “equality” for the entire ideological LGBTIQ+ spectrum is to enable propagation permeation proliferation empowerment and inculturation of its philosophy and lifestyle, that would even eventually legally enable the penalization of efforts to protect natural marriage, to affirm the natural family and to prevent scandal in society so that civilizational demise may proceed unhindered. The abortion mongers, the geriatric feminists and anti-life and anti-family NGOs and activists backed by their international patrons seek to change the law in order to change culture, and with culture to change our children, and thereby change the nation’s future.
Dystopia
Apart from homosexuality becoming more evident in society and homosexual displays becoming commonplace consequent to its approbation, sodomic marriages will be sought, since it would not be equality if a man may marry a woman, but not a another man, and vice versa. It will be harassment and violation of alleged human rights if three or four may not be wedded together, if two could, and the possibility of a dog being thrown into this communion is not remote or unrealistic. Caterers or hospitality providers who do not wish to provide services on such occasions on matters of principle will face litigation and a threat to their business since they would need to treat all customers equally, especially those categorized as oppressed.
Further when all colours of the rainbow are legal and equal, it will be necessary to extend the already fashionable and irrational gender equality practices to more than women. Presently companies are bending over backwards with diversity-hiring and -promoting in order to have parities in positions of power, and currently women are breaking ceilings and making news, and quotas are being legislated for them.
To ensure equality and to break the bias against all “genders” there will consequently arise requirements to eliminate under-representation of homosexuals and other “genders” on the boards and in the leadership of all institutions, since that would be “gender equality”. Naturally, a significant proportion of the population will be inclined to identify into these expanded privileged categories to obtain status, positions, and scholarships that they could not have achieved were they grounded on competency, and the beta males can transition into women to fill the women’s quotas in power positions.
The legal transgender certificate will enable a woman certified as a legal man to pray among the men in a mosque, and “mother” and “father” could be words found to be offensive and replaceable by parent 1, parent 2, and even 3, 4, 5 as the case may be, since equality requires that “throuples” may have children, even if they cannot beget them. These are but the tip of the “decriminalize homosexuality” and “LGBTQI+ equality” project. And what is mentioned is not the outpouring of a deluded imagination but examples of actualities in nations that followed the rainbow and found a can of worms at the end of it.
Silence is Assent
What the United Nations Organisation, its committees, the NGOs, and the local activists and special rapporteurs have been working on for decades, sustained by the billions of dollars from their patrons, is a redefinition of values. Chastity among the young, and life-long marriage between a man and a woman who are open to fruitfulness and are faithful to each other, are the essence of strong natural families – which are the fundamental units of society and the bedrock of a stable and thriving culture. The demeaning of marriage, the corruption of youth, and the destruction of the natural family are the means through which nations are weakened and made vulnerable to control.
Uganda, under similar attack from activists in NGOs and Western governments pushing the LGBT agenda, has taken a courageous stand. President Museveni says he has “rejected the pressure from the imperialists”. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán at the State of the Nation address on February 18th declared that gender propaganda is the greatest threat stalking a nation’s children. In April 2023, at the UN’s Commission on Population and Development conference, 22 nations resisted their colleagues from the Western countries and defeated the Biden administration’s attempt to include LBGT education for children, under the far broader scope of the euphemistic “comprehensive sexuality education” in the resolution document of the 56th session. And yet, will Sri Lanka sing and dance as society and culture takes the next leap headlong and happily into self-disintegration? This is the conflagration of civilisation, albeit in a kaleidoscopic inferno.
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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