Features
Heard at the club – Part III
Early one morning, the Ven. Polwatte Buddhadaththa Nayaka Thero left Ambalangoda, bound for Colombo, in his car, with his faithful driver Martin at the wheel.
Very soon, as was his wont, the Nayaka Thero was immersed in a book in the rear seat.
Suddenly the car vent with a bump! Over something lying on the road. It was a pup, a stray sleeping on the road.
“What was that, Martin?” asked the Nayaka Ther.
“A pol-lella, hamuduruwane” replied the considerate Martin, to spare the good monk, unnecessary sorrow and anguish (Pol-lella – coconut husk).
After proceeding a few miles, the thero saw a pup about to cross the road.
“Careful Martin” he cautioned the driver”. There is another “polella” about to cross the road.”
The village “kasippu-kaaraya” died and was given a grand funeral by his near and dear ones.
Heaven knows they could afford it, for the dead man was not only a bootlegger, but also a purveyor of “kansa” (ganja, marijuwana) and illicit toddy (Raa).
As usual at his funeral there were many speeches, and every one of them extolled virtues that the dead scoundral did not remotely possess. This load of hypocritical rubbish incensed the more honest among the villagers.
Across the road leading to the dead man’s house, a huge banner had been drawn overhead, and on it, under the dead man’s name and the pious wish that he attain Nirvana, were the well known words “Anichchawatha Sankara” (All thing’s are transient).
The morning after, the entire village shook with laughter, for during the night, someone had changed the last word and it now read “Anichchwatha Kansa – Raa”.
A notorious feller of illicit timber celebrated his daughters’ wedding. He erected a pandal spanning his gate and on the pandal were the words “Saadarayen Piliganimu” (cordial welcome).
In the night a prankstar had changed it slightly to read “Saadarayen Lee Ganimu”.
This reminds me of the legendary Haras Mudalali who had a house to let. He then had a board put up outside saying “To let” in English. A few days later he found that a mischief – maker had made it read “Toilet”. He also found that some vendals had used it for that purpose.
A friend of his then suggested that he put up the board in Sinhala. So a board with the words “Badhu Deemata Thibey” was put up. The next day to his rage, he discovered that the first letter “Ba” had been erased and the board now read “Dhu Deemata Thieby” (daughter available for marriage).
This was a time when English was the official language. One night Gnanadasa was riding his bicycle without a light when he was copped by a policeman without a light when he was copped by a policeman on night patrol. Taking out his notebook, the policeman asked Gnanadasa his name and address and began writing them laboriously in his notebook.
Peeping over the cop’s shoulder Gnanadasa said “Ralahamy! You have written Gunadasa when my name is Gnanadasa”.
The ralahamy scratched it out, them scratched his head and made a few attempts to get the name right. Failing, he gave it up and snapped the book closed, and gave Gnanadasa a severe lecture on his civic responsibilities and warned him not to repeat the offence.
Premier Sirimavo Bandaranaike was on an official visit to the Soviet Union in the nineteen sixties.
One day she was hosted by the Soviet-Ceylon Friendship Society Union in the nineteen sixties.
And there was a beautiful red banner right across the road in Sinhala which read “Garu Methiniya Aadarayen Paliganimu”. Seeing it Methiniya had laughed and said “It doesn’t matter, as long as it’s “Aadarayen” (cordially).
Uncle Soysa was a genial and sociable man who lost his cool one day, in a caste – conscious Ceylon, almost six decades ago. Though he was invited to a very important and largely attended function in his village, he was conspicuous by his absence. And, when a friend asked him as to why he did not attend the function, he had said furiously “How can I come, I say? When these bloody jackasses don’t know how to spell a name”.
“I am Soysa and not Zoysa”.
One day a person addressed a letter to the Excise Commissioner, Western Region, using Sinhala initials only, thus: “Suko Bako”? (Surdbadhu Komasaris Batahira Kottasaya).
The following day the GPO returned the letter to him, with the Sinhala words “Moko Yako?”
On receipt of it, he met a high official of the GPO and protested vehemently at the proffered insult.
The GPO official then soothingly said “We didn’t mean to insult you at all. The words “Moko Yako” stands for “Mohu Koheda?” Yavanney Kohatada?” (Where is he? Where do we send it?)
A man who had just built a new house for himself, wrote (in Sinhala, to the relevant officer requesting him to issue him, the house owner, a Certificate of Conformity. To issue it, the official had to first inspect the house. So the official wrote back to the owner of the house, also in Sinhala, asking him to send a hundred rupees as “pagaawa”.
Shocked at the official’s efforntery and bravado in solciiting a bribe so openly, and in writing too, the man wrote back indignantly that he was not prepared to give a cent as a bribe.
The official replied back to say that his letter had been misunderstood by the owner of the new house. The hundred rupees was the inspection Fee – Parikshana Gaasthu Wasayen (Pa – Gaa – Wa). The official further added that nowadays a bribe is not called “pagawa” but “jaraawa”.
“One day an old woman got into a bus and placed the marketing-bag she was carrying on the gear box. Seeing this the driver has asked good naturedly, “Ammay, when you keep your “malla’ here, how do I put the gear?”
“Put it into my “malla”, puthay,” said the old lady cheerily “put it into my Mall!”
(10A) Five Buddhist monks from Sri Lanka were at the Heathrow Airport and the Immigration Officer who was going through their passports said with an amused grin”, Five brothers with the same surname Thero, from the same family?”
One day a club member addressed a temperance meeting. He spoke eloquently on the evil of drinking arrack, toddy and kasippu. That evening when he was there at the club with a glass of whisky in his hand another member told him “You are a damn hypocrite.”
“Why?” he asked quite astonished.
“It was just this afternoon, that I heard you speak out passionately about the evils of taking liquor…”
“Hold it! Hold it!” he said. “I spoke on the evils of drinking arrack, toddy and kasippu. And, I did not mention a word about the drking of whisky!”
Ruthan Appu was an incurable drunkard. He drank 365 day a year and that extra day in the leap year.
One Vesak evening, drunk as usual, Ruvithan was walking past the village temple, singing a song, when an angry voice called out to him.
“Ruvithan Unnahe!” said the voice, which Ruvithan recognised as the voice of the High Priest of the temple.
“Loku Hamuduruwane?” said Ruvithan humbly.
“Chee, Ruvithan Unnahe, chee!” said the the Loku Hamuduruwo in disgust. “Even on this thrice blessed Vesak Poya Day, you cannot refrain from taking liquor.”
“Thrice Blessed?” asked Ruvithan vaguely.
“Yes, Thrice Blessed!” said the venerable monk vehemently. “It commemorates the Birth, the attaining Enlgihtment, and the passing away of the Buddha. You should observe at least this Thrice Blessed Day in a more appropriate manner!”
“And I am! Loku Hamuduruwane, I am! Said Ruvithan, quickly gathering his wits. “Today I drank to celebrate the first two joyous events, and to drown my sorrow at the last unhappy event!”
A club member, a very rich planter, was sending his daughter abroad for further studies. Meeting him one evening at the club, the club Malaprop inquired “I say! I hear your daughter is going to Europe. What for I say?”
“Oh!” said the planter airily, waving his whisky and soda. “She’s going to enlarge her repertoire!”
“What I say!” said the Malapop in concern, “Can’t our doctors do it?”
Once a lunatic wrote a letter to God, asking him for ten rupees, as he did not have any money.
The Superintendent of the Asylum, as a rule, opened all letters written by the inmates. And, when he read this letter, his heart melted. Slipping five rupees into an envelope, he went to the lunatic’s cell the next morning saying “I say, here’s the reply to your letter” and handed it to him.
That evening another letter to God lay on the officer’s table. “Dear God”, it read, “thank you very much for the money, but in future, please don’t send it through the Superintendent. The rascal has lifted five bucks.”
This little boy was saving his pocket money to buy a cricket bat. And, one night when he was saying prayers, his mother was amused to hear him add “And please God, help me to save the money for the bat, by stopping the icecream man from coming down our road.”
Another little boy wrote this letter to his grandmother. “Dear Granny! I am sorry I forgot your birthday last week. It would serve me right if you forgot mine next Wednesday.”
One great leader of his country who waged an unrelenting war against public life was Jomo Kenyatta, the founder President of free Kenya.
When he got to know that one of his ministers was notorious for his corrupt ways, he summoned the man and asked him “What is your name?”
Surprised, the minister gave his name. Slashing the man’s face with his famous fly-whisk, Kenyatta roared “No, not that name! Tell me what the people call you!”
And in a subdued and chagrined voice, the rascal replied: “Mr. one-and-half percent!” (Thank God it is not ten percent, like elsewhere).
Once a businessman in a provincial town applied for a licence to open a wine-store at a prominent place in the town. The local kasippu mudalali got wind of this, and one night, he got some of his “catchers’ to plant a large Bo-plant close to the place. Then he got a big Buddha statue placed under the Bo-tree. Thereafter he petitioned the authorities that the businessman was going to open his wine store close to a place of religious worship.
The authorities informed the petitioner (the kasippu mudalali) that they were going to inspect the place on a certain day. When they arrived a big “pooja” was going on, complete with he wisi and all, with a large crowd of “Upasaka – Upasikawas” (all hired by the mudalali) participating.
The businessman’s application to open a wine-store was rejected, and the kasippu mudalali carried on regardless.
A temperance worker, after an impassioned speech on the evils of liquor, carried out the usual demonstration. He held up a glass of arrack and dropped a worm into it. The worm wriggled for a second or two, and was still.
“There!” shouted the temperance worker.” That should prove what arrack is like! This worm that was happy and alive just a few seconds ago, is now dead. And what killed it? Arrack!”
“Aney deiyyane” cried a woman in the crowd. “For the last ten years, I have been going miles to the government dispensary, wasting good money on bus-fare, to get worm treatment for my children, when all I had to do was to give them a little of my husband’s arrack!”
When bus fares weren’t as high as they are today, and when the balance was sometimes five or ten cents, there was a severe shortage of these coins. And some bus conductors were in the habit of giving commuters their balance in toffees, with a toffee for every unit of five cents, that being the price of a toffee in those not so distant days. But one conductor promply stopped this when one enterprising passenger one day offered him ten toffees as bus fare.
Once at a party there was a little cross talk between two of the guests, and one rose to assault the other. Some of the other guests quickly rushed up, and separated the two. Apparently, they were arguing about the so-called prestige of the trousers, and the man who was decrying the garment had said, “I say, did your bloody forefathers wear trousers?”
The other had yelled, “Why, you s-o-b, are you trying to insult my mother?” and tried to hit the chap. He had thought the other meant “four fathers.”
Like the late Father Rev. Justin Perera, the late Bishop of Galle, the Right Rev. Dr. Anthony de Saram also had a warm heart and a delightful sense of humour. One day a Parish Priest – Father Elmo Perera (he himself was the Bishop of Galle, later) took some documents to Biship de Saram for signature.
Borrowing the priest’s pen, his Lordship signed the papers, and then examining the pen with admiration commented on its beauty and elegance.
“Elmo” said the Bishop with a very straight face, “would you consider gifting this to me?”
“Gladly, my Lord” replied Father Elmo”, but unfortunately my name is inscribed on it.”
“Oh! That doesn’t matter, I have only to get the word “From” inscribed in front of your name,” laughed Bishop Anthony de Saram as he returned the pen.
A member of the Faculty, in a London Medical College was appointed Honorary Physician to the Queen, and next day he proudly wrote on the blackboard in his classroom” “Your Professor would like to inform his students that he has been appointed Honorary Physician to Her Majesty the Queen”. When he returned after lunch, someone had written below it, in large letters, the words “God Save the Queen”.
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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