Features
Hosting Pelė In Jamaica
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
Greatest Of All Time (GOAT)
Today, instead of chronologically narrating another episode of my career, I decided to write about the number one game in the world – football and the greatest football player of all time – Pelé. He was the only player in history to have played in three World Cup winning teams.
The term ‘football’ is the original and globally accepted, popular term, as identified by the country which invented the modern game of football in 1863, England. Over 200 countries call the game ‘football’ while just nine countries, including USA, Canada, South Africa, and Australia call it ‘soccer’.
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) was established in Paris in 1904. The inaugural FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men’s national football teams, took place in Uruguay. There has been a total of 22 World Cups since then: the first was in 1930 and the most recent in 2022. FIFA World Cup is the most watched sporting event in the world, ahead of Tour de France, Cricket World Cup, Summer Olympic Games and Winter Olympic Games. FIFA Women’s World Cup, which commenced in 1991. now ranks the number six sporting event in the world.
I hosted Pelé for two days as a VIP guest at one of the hotels I managed over the years. In my career as an international hotelier, I have hosted 35 heads of state and government, as well as hundreds of celebrities. Pelé was the friendliest celebrity I ever met. Therefore, I fondly remember those two memorable days in May, 1998 very clearly. Twenty-five years have passed, but the lasting memory Pelé left in my mind has stayed fresh.
I am deeply saddened about Pelé passing away just a few days after the FIFA World Cup 2022. Three days of mourning were declared by the Brazilian government after Pele’s death was announced on December 29, 2022. The world united in mourning for Pelé.
In the history of World Cup Football, he played an important role from 1959 to 2022. In spite of a few scandals, Pelé performed most brilliantly on and off the field while creating unprecedented and unmatched excitement, setting records – some yet to be broken – spreading the love for the beautiful game like no other professional football player has ever done.
Football Fever in Jamaica
From 1995 to 1998 I was the General Manager of the largest hotel in Kingston, the capital city of Jamaica. Le Meridien Jamaica Pegasus Hotel (Pegasus) was operated by Forte PLC, the largest British hotel company at that time, and I represented that company in Jamaica. Most heads of state and government, showbiz personalities and national cricket and football teams visiting Jamaica stayed at the Pegasus.
In 1997, a year before I met Pelé, I became more interested in football. By the mid-1990s, in one of my adopted countries, the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) had invested heavily in developing football to an international competitive level in that country. Three years prior to that, JFF had recruited a top-ranking Brazilian football coach/technical director – René Rodrigues Simões, to train the national football team of Jamaica. His mission was to have Jamaica qualify for the FIFA World Cup held in France in 1998.
The government and private sector were brought fully on board. The national stadium near Pegasus, dubbed ‘The Office’ became a fortress. Support for local football reached unprecedented levels. In 1996 Jamaica won FIFA’s Best Mover Award after a big improvement in the country’s football rankings.
As the main business hotel in Jamaica, Pegasus fully supported the JFF campaign themed ‘Road to France.’ None of the 18 English-speaking nations in the Caribbean had ever qualified for a World Cup before. With the ‘can do’ attitude of the Jamaican team and the world-class training they received from their Brazilian head coach, Jamaicans were ready for the challenge.
René Rodrigues Simões, his wife and daughters were regular visitors to restaurants at Pegasus. They soon became friends of mine and my elder son Marlon, who lived at the Pegasus with me. René invited us to all World Cup qualifying matches played in Jamaica. He ensured that Marlon and I were given VIP seats just behind the seats allocated to the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition. The Jamaican team was fondly called ‘The Reggae Boyz’ by all their fans.
On November 16, 1997, Jamaica’s football team made history by becoming the first English speaking Caribbean Island to ever qualify for the World Cup. Marlon and I joined our many Jamaican friends to celebrate when Jamaica qualified to go to France as one of the top 32 countries to compete for the prize. There was so much joy, excitement and celebration on this little island that the Prime Minister, P.J. Patterson, had to declare the next day a public holiday.A commemorative ball that cost US$9 million was built in honour of the Reggae Boyz soon after they had qualified to go to France. With that initiative, Jamaica entered into the Guinness Book of world records for the largest football in the world. On the request of the Jamaica Tourist Board, I offered the front lawn of Pegasus free of charge, as the first location and the ceremonial launch of that massive ball.
The Governor General and the Prime Minister of Jamaica, three former Miss World winners from Jamaica and many Jamaican celebrities were invited to sign the ball after climbing a ladder which was three floors tall. I felt honoured when I was also asked to sign the massive ball in public, by the Jamaica Tourist Board. By then I was treated by most Jamaicans as one of them, rather than a Sri Lankan (the very next year I married a Jamaican). That evening, the news of the record-breaking ball with Pegasus in the background appeared on the 9:00 pm prime time TV news in over 25 countries.
The very next day, René came to see me at the hotel and gave me some great news: “To motivate the Reggae Boyz, we have arranged for the King to come to Jamaica for two days!” “Which king?” I ignorantly asked René. He jovially screamed”: “Chandi, it is the Football King of the world – my countryman, Pelé! He will stay at the Pegasus. My friend, look after the greatest legend of football”
The Legend
Pelé was born Edson Arantes do Nascimento on October 23, 1940 in Brazil. He received the nickname ‘Pelé’ during his school days, but the word has no known meaning in Portuguese. Pelé grew up in poverty in the state of São Paulo. He was taught to play football by his father. The family could not afford a proper football and Pelé usually played with either an old sock stuffed with newspaper and tied with string or a grapefruit.
After playing for several amateur teams in his youth, at the age of 15, Pelé signed a professional contract with the famous club – Santos FC in Brazil in 1956. Ten months after signing professionally, the teenager was called up to the Brazil national team. In 1958, he became the youngest player (and the only teenager until Kylian Mbappé scored for France in 2018) to score a goal in the finals. After the 1958 and the 1962 World Cup wins for Brazil, some wealthy European clubs were eager to sign Pelé, but he loyally stayed on with Santos FC. With Pelé, Brazil achieved their third World Cup win in 1970.
During his time at Santos FC, Pelé played alongside many gifted players. Pelé’s 643 goals for Santos FC were the most goals scored for a single club until it was surpassed by Lionel Messi of Barcelona in 2020. Following a long and successful tenure with Santos FC (1956-1974) in which he won 10 club titles, the legend went on to finish his career playing three seasons for the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League (1974-1977). Pelé’s presence greatly enhanced the interest for soccer in the USA. The 23rd FIFA world Cup tournament will be jointly hosted by 16 cities in three North American countries: Canada, Mexico, and USA.
In 1977, prior to taking on new roles in sports, Pelé closed out his football playing career in an exhibition match between the Cosmos and Santos. The match was played in front of a sold-out crowd at Giants Stadium and was televised throughout the world. In later years, Pelé was labelled “the greatest” by FIFA. He was among the most successful and popular sports figures of the 20th century. Perhaps, Pelé was comparable to just one other sportsman – Muhammad Ali – who was there to watch Pelé playing his last football game in 1977.
In his final game, Pelé played the first half with the Cosmos, the second with Santos FC. The game ended with the Cosmos winning 2–1, with Pelé scoring with a 30-yard free-kick for the Cosmos in what was the final goal of his career. During the second half, it started to rain, prompting a Brazilian newspaper to come out with the headline the following day: “Even the Sky Was Crying.”
Alongside incredible success with Brazil and Santos FC, Pele was given FIFA’s Player of the Century Award in 2000, alongside seven retrospective Ballon d’Or wins.
Friendliest Celebrity
On May 8, 1998, I was waiting by the front entrance of Pegasus to welcome Pelé. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew that he was very busy at that time working as a football pundit on TV and serving as the Minister for Sports in Brazil. My approach was to be very formal, respectful and professional. On their arrival at the hotel, Captain Horace Burrell, President JFF, introduced me to Pelé.
“Welcome to Le Meridien Jamaica Pegasus Hotel. It is an honour for our team to provide hospitality to you for two days, Sir,” I said. Pelé was a humble man and had a pleasing manner with which to place others at ease. “Call me Pelé,” he said while shaking my right hand and patting my right shoulder with his left palm at the same time. He was charming, pleasant and always had a nice smile.
I ushered Pelé to his suite on the 16th floor and introduced Cecile Hyatt-Reynolds, Guest Relations Manager who was there to handle his registration. Pelé responded to Cecile in the same polite, friendly and informal manner. He joked with the newspaper reporters and cameraman who were there to take some photographs.
The next day, I had an opportunity to have a brief discussion with Pelé and Captain Burrell. Having seen the launch of the ‘record-breaking’ massive football in the front of the hotel, on TV, Pelé wondered where the ball was now. I explained to him that the Jamaica Tourist Board was planning to set up the ball in New York for some weeks. It would then ship to London, before displaying it in Paris during the FIFA World Cup 1998. Pelé said, “Jamaica knows how to create extra publicity for tourism through football” and smiled. He was correct.
Before his departure from the hotel, I told Pelé about an idea I had. I planned to make a deal with the main broadcasting company in Jamaica. I would convert a large section of the hotel lobby to become the main station for TV and radio, during the 32 days of the World Cup 1998. Pegasus lobby was the most fashionable meeting place in New Kingston. Part of my planning was to get some top, theatre set designers to make it look like a Jamaican dancehall, popular with less affluent Jamaicans. I told Pelé all pre-game and post-game interviews as well as commentary during all the games would be broadcast to the whole country from the hotel lobby.
Pelé was pleased and impressed. “Great idea! You are also like the Jamaica Tourist Board! You know how to keep your hotel always in the limelight!” Pelé encouraged me. I went ahead with the ‘dancehall in the lobby’ plan, in spite of objections by a few members of the hotel’s board of directors. It certainly became the ‘talk of the town’ for over a month in the summer of 1998. At the end of the day, sports, broadcasting, hoteliering – all are similar to showbiz. At least that’s what I always believed in. I was happy when the King agreed with me.
Although Pelé stayed with us only for two days, I felt that I had known him closely for a long time. At the time of his departure, he gave me a big hug in the middle of the hotel lobby. “All the best with your ‘dancehall in the lobby’ during the World Cup!” he whispered into my ear.
Rest in Peace, King Pelé!
Dr. Chandana (Chandi) Jayawardena
has been an Executive Chef, Food & Beverage Director, Hotel GM, Professor, Dean, VP, President and Consultant. He has published 21 textbooks. This weekly column narrates ‘fun’ stories from his 50-year career in South Asia, the Middle East, Europe, South America, the Caribbean and North America, and his travels to 98 countries and assignments in 44 countries.
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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