Features
Hail Mary pass to avoid arrest and/or imprisonment?
Early Announcement for Trump’s Candidature for 2024
by Vijaya Chandrasoma
On Tuesday, November 15, former disgraced, twice-impeached former President Donald Trump announced his candidacy for the Presidency in 2024, under the aegis of the Republican Party. The announcement was made unilaterally, without consensual agreement, even discussion, with members of the Party.An announcement of candidature for the presidency, over two years before the scheduled election, is unprecedented. It is the earliest such an announcement has been made in history. It was also made at a time when numerous Republicans are publicly declaring their intentions to run for the 2024 Presidency.
Trump will almost certainly not be the only Republican candidate in 2024, even if he wriggles out of his criminal charges. Already, several candidates, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, former Vice President Mike Pence and former Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, have declared their intentions to run. There will be others.
Trump’s rally for his announcement was scheduled in the certainty, according to all polls, of celebrating an unprecedented Republican triumph in the midterms with substantial gains in both Houses. Also, to celebrate the election wins of the slate of Trump endorsed candidates in the House and the Senate. Sadly for the Republicans, and against all expert forecasts, Democrats retained their majority in the Senate, lost its majority in the House by a razor thin majority, in contrast to the polls’ prediction of a Republican flip of 50/60 seats.
Trump’s endorsees lost in all the competitive states and the incumbent Republican Congressmen endorsed by Trump, either lost, or won with reduced majorities, even in deep red districts. Although Trump only takes credit for the wins, many members of the rank and file have complained that their abysmal performance in the midterms was caused mainly by Trump’s involvement.
The atmosphere at the Republican rally was subdued and somber. Trump’s speech was lackluster, very different from his usual performance of vulgar histrionics. He read from the prepared speech, and did not stray onto his hypocritical displays of patriotic emotion. He had no reason to lie, because the lies were already included in the prepared script. He reflected the doleful mien of a desperate gambler who has played his last card, and is now facing dire consequences. I am personally familiar with that countenance.
Trump is facing several civil and criminal charges. Most of these investigations have reached conclusion, and an arrest of the former president is imminent. His crimes fall under several themes: financial, tax and insurance frauds during his presidency; extortion and obstruction of justice; his role in the January 6 insurrection; his alleged interference in the 2020 election; and the mishandling – a polite word for stealing – of confidential documents, 15 boxes of them, and storing them in an unsecured basement at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida.
Some of these documents included Top Secret information about allies’ nuclear capabilities and information about the progress of CIA operations. The stealing of these documents, the rightful property of the government to be secured at the National Archives, is a felony tantamount to espionage and treason. It is alleged that his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has already sold some of these Top-Secret documents to a foreign country.
I believe the primary motive behind this extraordinarily early announcement of his candidature for the 2024 election has nothing to do with a desire for a second term at the White House, and everything to do with staying out of prison. Trump has played his “Hail Mary” pass, which in American football parlance means “a very long forward pass, typically made in desperation, with an exceptionally small chance of achieving completion”. Trump, the Chosen One, is begging the Virgin Mary (his heavenly grandmother?) for strength and help in keeping him out of prison.
The law demands that no criminal action should be taken against a political candidate two months before an election, be it dogcatcher or president. Trump, in his convoluted logic, is of the lopsided opinion that the announcement of his candidacy for the highest post in the land two years before the election should give him immunity from arrest and/or imprisonment.
This will probably end up as his second Big Lie, that the period of immunity from arrest is not two months but two years. Ever the victim, Trump will replace his first slogan about the 2020 election, STOP THE STEAL with a new lie, “TWO YEARS, NOT TWO MONTHS” to his frenzied cult at rallies, which they will believe without a shred of evidence or any basis in the law. As they still believe the STOP THE STEAL lie even after two years after the election.
Which brings us to his second motive. This early announcement will succeed in fleecing his gullible supporters of millions of dollars, on the pretext of the need to pay legal fees to fight this second Big Lie in the courts. They continue to believe, in the face of conclusive evidence to the contrary, that Trump is the victim of a witch hunt surpassing the infamous witch trials in Salem, over 300 years ago. And again put millions of dollars into Trump’s pockets.
They will likely kiss the ring yet again, and recoronate Trump as their leader. Trump, in their bigoted minds, remains the last white hope to perpetuate White Supremacy, which they fear is slipping away. They will place the blame for the debacle in the recent midterms on someone else: Senator Mitch McConnell? Speaker Kevin McCarthy? His cokehead son, Donald Jr? For the radical right, any Republican, bar one, is expendable.
Who knows what people whose minds are twisted, whose hearts are full of hate, will do? They are more than likely to indulge in January 6 type riots if their Fuhrer is arrested. “Blood in the streets” has already been predicted/incited by Trump and Senator Lindsey Graham if Trump is arrested. But if that happens, the U.S. now has a President who will immediately use its military and law enforcement might to crush them and send them back into the woodwork where they belong.
The Democrats also face an important decision. Nancy Pelosi will no longer be the Speaker of the House. Sadly, she announced on Thursday that she will no longer seek to be the minority leader of the House. She is 82 years old, and the recent attack by a Republican white supremacist thug on her 82-year-old husband of 60 years, an attack in which she was the target, has probably persuaded her to leave the job she has been carrying out magnificently for over two decades.
Whoever takes over as minority leader of the House will have a tough act to follow; who will have to contend with a ruthless and vengeful Republican holding the gavel, and a Party which will use its slim majority to bring dishonour to President Biden and block his progressive legislation.
Nancy Pelosi has been one of the outstanding heroines of her generation who inspired, and continues to inspire, many women to challenge for positions of leadership which had hitherto been denied to them. Most importantly, she has been the perfect role model for the younger generation, the little girls of today, to be a part of the present global movement proving that the phrase, even in current usage, describing women as “the weaker sex” to be a total misnomer, as they dare to claim their rightful place of gender equality in society.
As English philosopher John Stuart Mill said in 1869, “The principle which regulates the existing social relations between the two sexes – the legal subordination of one sex to another – is wrong in itself and is now one of the chief hindrances to human improvement.” True in 1869, true in 2022.
Liz Cheney, the defeated Congresswoman from Wyoming and Trump bete noire, is considering presidential a run as an Independent. In a recent interview on NBC’s Today television show, Liz Cheney said, “It (a 2024 presidential run) is something I’m thinking about. I’ll make a decision in the coming months”, emphasizing that she’ll be “doing whatever it takes to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office”.
The idea that Liz Cheney would win the Republican nomination for 2024 is not within the realms of reality, today. She is playing the long game, given that the volatile political climate will change several times in the next two years. Once Trump is eliminated and hopefully punished for his numerous crimes, she may be welcomed back into the folds of the Republican Party. In which case, she would be a participant in Republican Primaries and pre-election debates, which will include other Republican aspirants. While Ms Cheney may not have much of a chance of winning the Republican nomination, she is undeniably the perfect person to expose Trump’s crimes of fraud, sedition and treason on national television. And also reveal those of her 2024 rivals who were Trump’s enablers/sycophants complicit in his crimes until he fell out of favour.
Cheney’s second route would be to announce her candidature, in due time, by joining an existing, though lesser-known Party (American Independent, Libertarian, Green, to name three) and contest the presidency as an Independent under its aegis. As things stand today, Liz Cheney surely would act as a spoiler (if such a spoiler is needed) to ensure the victory for the Democrats by splitting the Republican vote in 2024. Liz Cheney is a staunch old-school Conservative, with the integrity and values of the pre-Nixon Republican Party. She has already proved that she will not support any Party which threatens the preservation of U.S. Democracy.
It is of vital importance that Democrats field a candidate capable of conclusively defeating any racist and regressive Republican. Whether it is President Biden or someone younger, we have to ensure that Democrats will be allowed to continue on the path they have taken towards social and economic justice – universal healthcare, free schooling up to and including universities, realistic minimum wages, affordable housing and all those benefits enjoyed by the citizens of all developed countries, bar, shamefully, the richest and most developed country in the world.
The younger generation played a decisive role in defeating the Republicans in the midterms. Even more importantly, they represent the generation that played the pivotal role in saving democracy in the United States. As long as they continue to play that dominant role, the U.S.’ future is in good hands.
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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