Features
JRJ’s impulsive utterances & startling statements
Excerpted from the memoirs of Chandra Wickremasinghe, Retd. Addl. Sec. to President
President Jayewardene had an amazingly retentive memory which enabled him to make elegant speeches on varied subjects, extempore.
He often amazed foreigners with the exhaustive and detailed knowledge he possessed of their own history. He was happiest I felt, browsing in the library in his home ‘Braemar’ where he used to relax among his books dressed casually in sarong and shirt.
President Jayewardene being a UNP stalwart, had an all too well known partiality for the US which earned him the sobriquet ‘Yankee Dicky’! After the landslide electoral victory the party received in 1977, it was therefore natural for him to try to cosy up to the US and the West. The ideological shift following his party victory was underscored euphorically, with undiluted free-market epithets like – ‘Let the robber barons come’! Unlike Prime Minister Sirima Bandaranaike, whose relations with our immediate neighbour India, were most cordial, President JR by his rather uncharacteristic, impulsive utterances almost from the outset, appeared to want to distance himself from India, which he did succeed in doing somewhat dramatically, by his needlessly demeaning and unkind analogies about PM Indira Gandhi and her son.
This was something one would not have expected from an elegant and suave, worldly-wise person of the stature of President JR, who was at the time, fast reaching the level of recognition as an elder statesman in the Asian Region. The infuriated Indian PM never forgave President JR for this uncalled for personal insult and vented her rage on him and tragically on SL, by vengefully providing facilities for the training of LTTE terrorists on Indian soil. I consider this a major faux pas which President JR could never live down as long as the Indian Lady PM was living.
The Nehru and the Bandaranaike families
It will be recalled how well the Bandaranaikes got on with the Nehru family to the point where the two families became virtually close family friends. These were heady times when India and SL were literally bending over each other and generously awarding each other concessions which even entailed sensitive and far reaching ones, like ceding the island of Kachchativu to SL. This buoyant optimism and bonhomie quickly evaporated and was replaced by mutual suspicion and animosity with the assumption of President JR to office.
One factor which perhaps made Mrs. Gandhi change her attitude towards SL was in my reckoning, the abject humiliation her good friend Mrs. Sirima Bandaranaike was made to suffer when she was stripped off her civic rights. One often wonders what really prompted President JR to forget his chivalrous and magnanimous qualities and condescend to doing such an act which was widely perceived at the time, as something quite ungracious and even malicious. The talk at the time was that it was an act of revenge for the harassment and the incarceration of President JRJ’s son Ravi Jayawardene, during the earlier dispensation.
All this would only go to show how personal relationships between leaders of political parties within a country or between leaders of different countries, could either strengthen or foul up relationships between countries. In restrospect, one observes how very tragically, the failure in relations between the former Indian PM, Mrs. Indira Gandhi and President JR changed the course of Sri Lanka’s history.
After the ’83 communal riots when SL was being hauled over the coals by the international community for the atrocities committed on the minority Tamils, Mrs. Gandhi took the opportunity to upbraid SL at every turn. I was even told by people close to President JR that Mrs. Gandhi had at times taken the President to task on the telephone, for his failure to give adequate protection to the Tamils. This was a time when new ‘lows’ were reached in our rapidly deteriorating relations with India.
I recall a discussion that took place at a reception at the President’s House with the President, Mr. DBIPS Siriwardhana, Gen. Attygalla and myself being present in the group. There was at this time an imminent threat of a flotilla of vessels heading towards Jaffna from South India. The President said that such an ‘invasion’ was very likely to happen and asked how we should respond. Gen. Attygalla said with the least hesitation “We will perform satyagraha at the point they would land.” The President’s face betrayed no emotion and remained as usual, inscrutable. I really do not know whether it was a ‘tongue in cheek’ utterance of Gen. Attygalla or whether he meant it in all seriousness. Thankfully for us, the President moved away from our small group to another group.
President Jayewardene at times used to make rather out of character , startling statements, which may have been out of uninhibited hubris or sly cynicism. Right at the beginning of his assumption of office as President, he made the somewhat pretentious declaration that his Govt. would be a ‘Dharmista Rajaya’. The seasoned, worldly wise politician that he was, the President would have known in his own mind that politics and ethics are not a happy mix. If anything, they are polar opposites.
Readers will further recall how President JR on becoming the first Executive President of SL, made the baffling statement, reflecting uncharacteristic temerity on his part, that the only thing he could not do was ‘turning a man into a woman.’ Another instance was the totally out of character speech he made over the media at the height of the ’83 riots. Yet another incredibly preposterous statement he made with amazing sang froid, was that he was ‘well on his way to attaining Nirvana’! Strangely enough, even at that time, people were more amused rather than offended by these statements.
Still, President JR being so knowledgeable and politically accomplished, one found it difficult indeed to associate him with such improbably braggadocio utterances. I myself and many others in fact, wondered why such a wise man had to mouth such demotic banalities at all. He was again, in my view, too wise and politically savvy to have believed in his own mind in these extraordinary utterances of his, nor would he have for that matter expected others to believe them. This was the indeed the supreme enigma that President JR was!
An admirable side of President JR’s personality was brought out by an incident involving a visit made by me to Mr. Cyril Mathew’s residence after the latter’s removal from the post of Minister following certain differences he had had with the President. Soon after Mr. Mathew’s removal, I thought I must pay him a visit as, despite my abrupt exit from the Ministry, he had been very good to me. I however, took the precaution of telling Gen. Attygalla, Secy/Defence, about the proposed visit adding that I considered it my duty to see him particularly after he had been stripped off his ministerial portfolio, as Mr. Mathew had treated me well during my stay in his Ministry.
I waited for about three days following Mr. Mathew’s removal and dropped in to see him on the fourth day. To my surprise, there was not a soul at the time of my visit at Mr.Mathew’s residence, except for his mustachioed green shirted ‘Major Domo’, who usually acted as the ma ster of ceremonies. He seemed somewhat subdued in his demeanour and requested me the take a seat saying the ‘Minister’ would be coming to see me soon .A couple of minutes later Mr. Mathew came in and greeted me asking me somewhat cynically, I thought, how things were in the Public Service. My conversation with him was all too brief as just at the time the peon came and said that there were some Buddhist priests to see him. Mr. Mathew thanked me for coming and left the room to greet the priests.All in all,I had the feeling that he was still not too happy with me for leaving his Ministry.
On my way out, I did not fail to notice two plainclothesmen, obviously from the CID, who would have been instructed to report on the visitors coming to see the ex-Minister. My suspicions were confirmed when two days later Secy/Defence told me that my visit had been duly brought to the notice of President JR who had enquired from Gen Attygalla why I had paid the visit to Mr. Mathew’s residence. On being told by Secy./Defence that I had told him beforehand of my visit to the ex-Minister’s residence, as the latter had been good to me during my stay in that Ministry, President JR had only remarked ‘Showing one’s gratitude is a good quality’ and left things at that.
After President JR stepped down from office, Stanley Kirinde and I visited him at home where he had a long and relaxed chat with us, in the course of which he said that he had known my father- in- law, ’Edo’ as he called him, from school days, adding that the two of them had played in the Royal College cricket team which had been captained by my father- in- law in 1927.
With his storehouse of anecdotes, President JR was an excellent raconteur. Although he had a dead pan face and was impassive in public, President JR had an impish sense of humour and was quite convivial and relaxed in known company, which gave one a surprisingly revealing glimpse of this little known aspect of his personality. He was clever and at times wily in dealing with men and matters. His cleverness could be gauged by the amazing volte- face he was able to maneuver and get the Indians to do by getting them, who were the veritable creators of the LTTE fighting cadres, to come round to fighting them on Sri Lankan soil. The LTTE never forgave India’s favourite son Rajiv Gandhi who was made to pay the supreme price, for the latter’s peace endeavours.
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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