Features
From a ‘Gut-Feeling’, 50 Years ago…
CONFESSIONS OF A GLOBAL GYPSY
Dr. Chandana (Chandi) Jayawardena DPhil
President – Chandi J. Associates Inc. Consulting, Canada
Founder & Administrator – Global Hospitality Forum
chandij@sympatico.ca
Continued from last week…
Acknowledgement
A special thank you to Mr. Sriyantha (Simon) Senaratna, Precedent Partner, Simon & Associates, Attorney’s-at-Law and Notary Public, Sri Lanka, who was the Managing Director of Walkers Tours, 50 years ago when they entered the hotel industry. He provided valuable historic information about the beginning of a remarkable journey of a hotel company, for this article.
Cinnamon Hotel Brand
John Keells Group operated their hotel management company under different brand names. In 1970s as Walkers Tours Hotels, in 1980s as Hotel Management & Marketing Services Limited, and in 1990s as John Keells Hotels. In the year 2005, they rebranded their hotel chain as Cinnamon. In 2023, Cinnamon is the largest hotel company in Sri Lanka. They also have four hotels in the Maldives. With the opening of their 16th hotel – Cinnamon Life Colombo, the company will have a stock of 3,288 hotel bedrooms in Sri Lanka and The Maldives. Today, both in terms of the quality of the hotels and the quantity of the room stock, Cinnamon is arguably the greatest hotel company in Sri Lanka.
Generations of board members and professional hoteliers have contributed to this remarkable journey, having many unprecedented successes. In spite of various macro level challenges such as corruption, political instability and the 26-year civil war in Sri Lanka from 1983 to 2009, Walkers Tours/John Keells hotels managed to survive and progress. At the end of the day, it is still important to understand the humble beginning of this hotel company and appreciate the pioneers who commenced that amazing journey, 50 years ago…
How Did Everything Start in 1973?
After reading my recent episodes of ‘Confessions of a Global Gypsy’ dedicated to my time at The Lodge and The Village, Habarana, I received more than the normal volume of reader’s mail. One was a long e-mail from a person with whom I had no contact for 40 years. This person, Sriyantha (Simon) Senaratna was the Managing Director of Walkers Tours when I joined them in 1977.
He wrote to me: “Chandana, this is a voice from the past. I have been following with great interest your series of articles on your life in the leisure industry appearing in the Sunday Island. Firstly, I want to thank you very much for the kind references that you have made about me personally in some of your articles. I was greatly overjoyed, last Sunday when you mentioned the name of Somaratna Silva as the architect of Habarana Village. I would like to mention the background to Habarana Village, which almost did not happen.” After exchanging a couple of further e-mails, he kindly agreed to collaborate with me in writing the following question and answer section of this article. Thank you, Mr. Senaratna!
As a US trained lawyer, how did you end up in the Tourism and Hotel Industry, over 50 years ago?
Answer: In 1970 I returned to Sri Lanka from the US and became an employee of Mr. N. S. O. Mendis, one of the great corporate leaders in Ceylon of that period, owning Mackwoods, Mackinnons, Delmege and the later acquisition, Walkers. He appointed me to the Board of Management to overlook the legal affairs of the behemoth Walkers & Sons. He never stepped into any of his acquisitions, but let the boards run them and report to him directly from time to time at his residence.
At one of the meetings, he mentioned to me that Walkers had a small travel company called Walkers Tours & Travels Limited, and whether I could look it over, in addition to my other duties. I had no idea of the Travel Industry, but he was a marvellous judge of people and he thought that I could do something. So, at the age of 30, I became the Managing Director at Walkers Tours.
How did Walkers Tours & Travels Limited operate in the early 1970s?
They were handling two large charter operations — Tjaereborg Rejser from Denmark and Neckermann from West Germany. I studied the statistics and found out that the profits were razor thin. The greater portion of money was made by the hotels. You will recall that all these groups went on a week-long round trip, which usually included a night in Kandy, a night in Polonnaruwa/Sigiriya and another night in Annuradhapura. I was of the view, if we acquired three nights of the round trip, we would be doing well.
How was the location of Habarana chosen to build the first hotel project of Walkers Tours — The Village?
I felt that the best central location was Habarana, which was the cross road to all these historic attractions in the Cultural Triangle. I suggested to Adrian Wijemanne, the Chairman of the Board of Management, that Walkers build a hotel at Habarana, which would result in Walkers Tour’s profits increasin dramatically. We put forward a proposition to Mr. Mendis who accepted it. I was happy that my ‘gut-feeling’ was accepted by my superiors, at that time.
Thereafter Adrian, Neville Arnolda, Norman Impett and myself went to Habarana to see whether there was a suitable site. After a fruitless day of searching, we returned. After a few days Adrian, who was by then a firm believer in the idea of a hotel in Habarana, suggested that he and I meet the land officials at the Anuradhapura Kachcheri. In his work as a civil servant, he had many dealings with the Anuradhapua Kachcheri.
We met the Chief Clerk at the Kachcheri whom he knew to be a very experienced officer by the name of Perera. He immediately pulled out the one inch survey map of the area, after we advised him of the purpose of our visit. He studied the map for a few minutes, looked up and said, “I have found the ideal place for you at Habarana!”
We were quite surprised, but he said, “Let me come with you to show you the site.” So, when we came to the Habarana junction, we turned right towards Sigiriya and about 200 yards from the junction he asked us to stop the car. We looked around, it was an impenetrable jungle.
He got the help of some villagers and he took us about 200 yards into the jungle and suddenly we were looking at the Habarana Lake. Both Adrian and I looked at each other and smiled. We knew we found our site. The Government gave us 50 acres for 50 years. That was the beginning of Walkers Tours Hotels.
Who originated the concept for The Village Habarana?
Soon after we returned from Habarana to Colombo I immediately contacted Somaratna Silva (Soma) and discussed it with him. Soma was a very close friend of our family and I was his Power-of-Attorney holder whenever he was out of the country. He and I went back to the site and he identified what needed to be done. A few weeks later he came up with the concept of the Village. Mr. Mendis agreed.
Believe it or not, Soma was not a qualified architect, so there are no drawings of the village signed by him. He was the Sri Lankan representative for a large pharmaceutical group, a part of the Heineken Beer empire. In Amsterdam he followed his life’s passion of architecture and went through his training in architecture. When he came back to Sri Lanka, he showed me some of the houses he had constructed for his friends and I was deeply impressed by the concepts and the innovative use of space. In fact, the house I am living in today was designed by Soma, but for purposes of obtaining approval, all his buildings including Habarana Village and Sigiriya Village were signed by local architects.
How did the Ceylon Tourist Board react to The Village Habarana proposal?
Mr. Mendis agreed with Soma’s plans and the drawings. I took those to the Ceylon Tourist Board (CTB) to get their approval. The Development Director at CTB took a look at the drawings and said “What is this? This is not a hotel! I cannot approve this!” As you will recall at that time, the concept of a hotel was a brick-and-mortar structure with a central front office, dining room and bar. That is what he expected. Then I met with M. Y. M. Thahir, the Director General and Dharmasiri Senannayake the Chairman of CTB to convince them of this new concept. Fortunately, after several days they accepted. We commenced the project which was called ‘Habarana Walkinn’.
Who else made significant contributions to The Village Habarana project?
The interior décor of each of 60 initial cottages was done by Chole de Soysa, the wife of our Chairman A. C. H. De Soysa who had just retired as the first Chairman of the CTB. The gardens were landscaped by Bevis Bawa, and Lucky Senanayake did a magnificent mural in the lobby. Then came the choice of a manager. Soma, who had an unerring eye for people, suggested Bobby Adams, whom he had met as the Catering Manager at Queens Hotel in Kandy in 1973.
How and when did John Keells Company get involved in The Village Habarana project?
Meanwhile Mr. Mendis called me one day and said, I am selling Walkers Tours to John Keells, who were then exploring the possibility of entering the tourism sector. They started with Walkers Tours and I joined their main board. With that, Walkers Tours commenced The Village project in 1973 and joined the hotel industry with optimism and ambition to expand quickly.
When I put forward the name of Bobby Adams as the hotel opening Manager for The Village, the board, particularly David Blackler and Mark Bostock objected, saying that Bobby had no experience as a manager of a hotel, but I stood my ground and the rest is history. As you know Chandana, Bobby progressed very well.
When I was working at The Village and The Lodge in the mid-1980s, both hotels had a few weekly buffet dinners, which I heard that you were not keen about. Is that a fact?
Yes, when Habarana Village opened in 1976, I insisted that there will be no buffets whatsoever! Each meal was a sit-down meal. This was equally so when we opened Sigiriya Village. As weekly buffets were so common in all city, resort and roundtrip hotels in Sri Lanka, I wanted The Village to be different and unique, not only in its concept and design, but also in its products and services.
‘No buffet’ policy was not popular with the restaurant staff as you can imagine. When I sat for meals, it sometimes arrived late… perhaps a subtle message to me!! Of course, I noted but let it pass. After I left the company, I believe that policy was changed.
What are the other hotel projects you became involved in when you were the Managing Director of Walkers Tours?
We started with Habarana Village and just before its opening, Dr. Neville Fernando approached me to manage Hotel Swanee. After that, we took over another hotel in the same area called Dulmini owned by a local businessman. Thereafter, the film idol Gamini Fonseka approached me to manage his Sanasuma Hotel in Weerawila. Finally, before I left, we took over Hotel Ceysands owned by Lalith Kotalawela. These were the hotels under my purview in my time at Walkers Tours.
When, why and how did you become a competitor to Walkers Tours / John Keells?
A few years later, in 1979, I left John Keells as I was not in agreement with the manner in which they wished to expand the industry. I resigned and formed Gemini Tours and went on to build Sigiriya Village, which to me is a more classic example of Soma’s ability, where once again Bevis Bawa did marvels with the garden and Lucky Senanayake produced another magnificent mural in the lobby, with the interior décor of the rooms being attended to by Chloe de Soysa.
Before leaving the leisure industry during the time of the LTTE civil war, I also became one of the first Sri Lankans to invest in the Maldives, which I realised at that time was going to be an important tourist destination. When I left the industry on the invitation to be a partner of the long-established law firm D. L. & F. de Sarams, I really was going back to my first love, Law. When I left de Sarams about 29 years ago, I set up my own law firm of ‘Simon and Associates,’ where I still work, leading a set of marvellous lawyers and chartered secretaries, who handle over 400 client companies.
Do you have any other concluding comments?
Yes. In conclusion, I must mention Chandana, that when the Sigiriya Village project was nearing completion in 1980, having already become familiar with your ability and talents, I got Soma to approach you with an offer to be the hotel opening Manager of the Sigiriya Village. With 20/20 hindsight, I believe you made the correct decision by not accepting our offer, because as I see it, you blossomed under John Keells, and thereafter you had a fantastic global career. Congratulations, Chandana! I look forward to reading your column every Sunday.
FINAL ‘CONFESSIONS…’ ARTICLE
After three more articles, on March 5th, 2023, the concluding article of the weekly column: ‘Confessions of a Global Gypsy’ will be published by the Sunday Island. Thank you for your readership over the last two years.
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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