Features
Jokes at the 2024 White House Correspondent’s Association Dinner
US Supreme Court kicks presidential immunity can of worms down the road
by Vijaya Chandrasoma
The White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA), founded over a century ago, is an organization of accredited journalists who cover the activities of the President of the United States.
The WHCA Annual Dinner, traditionally held on the last Saturday in April celebrated its centenary on Saturday, April 27, 2024. A star-studded event, attended by President Biden and Dr. Jill Biden, Vice-President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman, Douglas Emhoff, political and media luminaries of all stripes, and a host of celebrities from every field of public life in the USA.
Predictably, Donald Trump refused to “honor” the occasion with his presence, knowing he would have been ruthlessly mocked with jokes that write themselves. A moron with no sense of humor, Trump has proved over the years that while he can dish out lies and abuse, he is too small and petty a man to take any criticism, however justified and factual, against himself.
The Dinner is seen as a light-hearted celebration of the First Amendment and the freedom of the press, when the nation’s elite, including the president, journalists and comedians delight in roasting each other with sometimes outrageous insults, even inappropriate interpretations of current, sometimes tragic crises developing in the world. The epitome and essence of free speech guaranteed by a vibrant democracy – the naked truth embellished with fact, comedy and satire. An event originated, to quote Lincoln’s words spoken in a different, nevertheless eternally appropriate, context, “with malice to none; with charity for all…. let us strive to finish the work we are in….to bind up the nation’s wounds….to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace”.
At his final WHCA dinner in 2016, President Obama stressed the need for the media to band themselves to protect one of the fundamental rights guaranteed in the US Constitution – a free and unfettered press. He said that “a free press is needed more than ever in this age, when liberal democracies are under attack and when notions of objectivity, of free press, and of facts and evidence, were being undermined, and in some cases entirely ignored”.
Prophetic words when we recall Donald Trump’s frequent and infamous rants, calling the free press the “enemy of the people”, an opinion shared by one of his idols, Adolf Hitler, exhorting his supporters “not to believe their own eyes, but to believe only what he says”. Which many millions do, to this day.
The two main speeches of the Dinner are usually reserved for the incumbent president and one of the nation’s many renowned comedians or satirists. President Obama was famous for his wonderfully funny and self-deprecating speeches. President Biden’s speech did not reach those lofty standards, but his relatively short address was also self-deprecatory and funny, though perhaps more political than usual or appropriate.
After the initial pleasantries, President Biden had some fun with a few Trump jokes:
“Of course, the election is in full swing. I am a grown man running against a six-year-old!”
“Donald has had a few tough days lately. You might call it stormy weather” (a snide reference to Stormy Daniels, the porn star with whom he had a sexual encounter, the subject of the criminal trial against him currently in progress in the New York courts).
“Trump is so desperate (he is in debt for more than $500 million in court ordered damages for sexual harassment and financial fraud), he started reading those Bibles he’s selling. Then he got to the First Commandment, ‘You shall have no other Gods before me.’ That’s when he put it down and said, this book is not for me”.
Jokes aside, Biden emphasized that after the Trump-incited insurrection of January 6, 2021, “the most urgent question of our time is whether democracy is still the sacred cause of America. That is the question the American people must answer this year”.
Trump has “promised a bloodbath when he loses again. Eight years ago, we could have written it off as just Trump talk. But no longer. Not after January 6”.
He ended his speech with a toast to the free press:
“In the age of disinformation, credible information that people can trust is more important than ever. And that makes you – and I mean this from the bottom of my heart – it makes you more important than ever.
“So tonight, I would like to make a toast.
“To a free press, to an informed citizenry, to an America where freedom and democracy endure. God bless America”.
Colin Jost, the host of the Weekend Update section of Saturday Night Live, the most popular weekly TV show in the US which has topped national ratings for over four decades, had the singular honor of making the keynote speech at the Dinner. A privilege accorded in the past to such superstars of the entertainment community, as Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and Jay Leno.
Jost started off with a few mild cracks about Biden’s age and their common Irish heritage, but soon voiced one of the greatest mysteries of our time:
“There’s an election six extremely long months from now. So let me see if I can summarize where this race stands at the moment: The Republican candidate for president owes half a billion dollars in fines for bank fraud and damages for sexual harassment, and is currently spending his days in a New York court, farting himself awake during a porn star hush money trial, and the race is tied? THE RACE IS TIED! Nothing makes sense anymore.
“The candidate who was a famous New York City playboy took your abortion rights away, and the guy who’s trying to give you your abortion rights back is an 80-year-old Irish Catholic. And the race is tied?
“NOTHING MAKES SENSE ANYMORE!”
The Dinner took place while two of the most important cases in the nation’s history were in progress in New York and Washington D.C.
The New York trial featured the first time in history that a US president faced criminal charges, the aforementioned hush money trial. Trump faces 34 felony counts for election campaign fraud. Jury selection has been completed, and several prosecution witnesses have already testified, providing ample evidence of Trump’s complicity in the alleged crimes. Trump is required by law to be present at court, and made good use of his entrances and exits from the courthouse to give press conferences on the injustices Crooked Joe has brought upon him, to interfere with his election campaign.
In fact, on April 26, he took advantage of one of these press conferences to wish his wife, Melania a Happy Birthday. Trump sent his loving wishes (Happy Birthday, honey, I love you!) on national TV, in a most romantic setting: the lobby of a New York courthouse, where he is the defendant in a trial he has been accused of banging a porn star and a Playboy model, while his loving wife was pregnant with his son. I guess Melania was too busy looking for any loopholes in her prenup to take her husband’s birthday wishes seriously.
Strangely, though, Trump’s defense is that he has never had sexual relations with either of these ladies, although there is irrefutable evidence that he has made payments of $130,000 and $150,000, respectively, to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal. Perhaps Trump’s amended explanation to his wife should be, “I am sorry, darling, I did pay those women, but I swear I never had sex with them. I promise you I won’t make that mistake again!”
The trial has now completed its third week, and Trump, apart from providing entertainment for the accredited press and spectators by farting himself to sleep, has been fined $9,000 for nine counts of violating his gag order, the maximum permitted by law. Judge Merchan has threatened him with incarceration if he persists with such violations.
Sadly, I personally feel that this is a weak case which will end up either as a mistrial with a hung jury, or a settlement not amounting to a felony and jail time. I hope I am wrong. Trump, who is facing far more serious crimes, like sedition, obstruction of justice and espionage, will once again announce such a result as a “victory”, further evidence of being the eternal victim of a witch hunt, persecuted by a crooked Biden government.
The Supreme Court is also currently hearing oral arguments on the Presidential Immunity case. Trump’s counsel argues that an incumbent president enjoys complete immunity for any crime he may commit, personal or official, as long as, in his sole opinion, such an act is deemed to be necessary in the national interest.
Justice Sotomayor asked Trump counsel, John Sauer, if the president, deciding “that his (political) rival is a corrupt person and he orders the military to assassinate him, would that constitute an official act subject to immunity?”. Incredibly, Sauer said that it could well be an official act, depending on the context, and therefore the president would not be subject to prosecution.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said during the hearings, “I am deeply concerned that granting immunity would embolden future presidents to commit crimes and use their office as a shield. I’m trying to understand what the disincentive is of turning the Oval Office into the seat of criminality”. Which Trump has publicly stated he would do if he is re-elected.
The 6/3 Republican dominated US Supreme Court, including three Trump appointed Justices, and two, Justices Thomas and Alito, proven of prejudice and corruption, has decided that this appeal, which is devoid of any constitutional merit whatsoever, is worthy of further consideration.
Specifically, the Court is unable to decide if former president Donald J. Trump would be immune from prosecution for the 91 felonies, including rape, fraud, sedition, obstruction of justice and espionage, with which he has been charged of committing during his first term of presidency.
The Court will make its ruling by the end of June, a delay which would render the trials against Trump impossible to be concluded before the November election. Another win for Trump.
The US Supreme Court is vacillating on a principle held inviolate by the vast majority of the global legal community, and the cornerstone of democracy, purely with the corrupt motive of delaying and denying Donald Trump justice and accountability for the crimes he has committed.
In other words, Donald Trump, and any future president of the United States is above the law.
Trump has already laid down the groundwork for violence if he loses the November election. At a recent interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Trump said, “if everything is honest, I’d gladly accept the results. If it’s not, you have to fight for the right of the country”. And who will be the judge of the integrity of the election? Trump himself, of course.
Trump is echoing the words he used to incite his cult before the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, when he had lied that the 2020 election had been stolen from him, against all evidence:
“The election was stolen by the radical left and the fake news media…. We will never give up, we will never concede. We fight like hell. And if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country”.
It is therefore obvious that Trump will not “go gentle into that good night”, when he loses in November, as he already knows he will, in spite of his bravado about the polls. Terrified about his impending imprisonment, he will “burn and rave at close of day; rage, rage against the dying of the light”. He will, once again, refuse to concede defeat and unleash his white supremacist, Nazi cult to violence, in his words, incite a “bloodbath”. And he will fail, again.
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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