Features
Life and Death in Battle Array
BY Rev. Fr. Leopold Ratnasekera OMI.
While the first-ever Good Friday in the Christian Calendar registers the condemnation, crucifixion and the death of Jesus of Nazareth, the carpenter’s son of Galilee, the itinerant preacher and healer, by contrast the first-ever Easter Sunday hails the triumph of the Risen Christ who rose from the darkness of the tomb thus defeating death which is the common lot of every human being and indeed of every living thing in the world. Life and death happen to be the daily drama being enacted everywhere around us.
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is an unprecedented event in the history of religions where a founder of a religion ever rose from the tomb. From the many tombs, just one solitary person came forth alive back to life. For twenty long centuries of the Christian era, the Resurrection continues to be the touchstone and decisive factor of the Christian believer’s religious faith and indeed of Christianity itself as a religious tradition.
The biblical scriptures of the New Testament are replete with the radicalism of this Easter faith which shaped the way of life instilled the courage of the earliest Christians indelibly. It anchored as an ingrained conviction which made them stand resolute and unwavering in the face of rejection, persecution, imprisonment and even martyrdom for its sake.
The Resurrection is a historical event
The incarnation of the gods, their dying and rising formed indeed a paradigm in early myths and religious legends. They were rampant in the mythologies of early Greeks and Romans. But the Resurrection of Jesus Christ was by its very nature unique as challenging the polytheistic mythology of the pre-Christian eras. While all those myths and legends have disappeared, the story of Christ crucified and risen remains to this day an imposing and incisive faith-tradition having seen its transition from the time of the Apostles who were the first disciples of Jesus of Nazareth, through early Greek and Western fathers battling with heresies to medieval romanticism and renaissance that inspired art and architecture and finally into modern and post-modern era which is hell-bent on questioning the very idea of religion as an illusion unworthy of modernity studded with radical rationalism, subjectivism and a pervasive dictatorship of relativism. Pure and simple scientism and modern high-tech too are antagonistic towards religion in principle drawn as they are to anchor heavily and solely on empirical and verifiable data.
There has been the radical atheistic communism which considered all religion as the opium of the masses condemning it as a sad obstacle for the development of man and his society. However, in recent times the world has witnessed the catastrophic downfall and extinction of communism through its utter rejection by those who fell victims to it for decades in some parts of the world. The history of civilization is replete with manifestation of religion and we see it as an anthropological fact that could hardly be denied or denigrated. It has been shown that nearly more than 90% of world’s humanity professes some form of religious belief.
Resurrection however defies any scientific enquiry based on empirical or scientific evidence. It is a spiritual reality and though historical, is a matter of faith and experience. Sometimes profounder and deepest of truths are attained through intuition and experience where scientific investigation may be incapable of. Jesus is not a myth or an imposing legend. He was a historical person.
The Jesus of history is identical with the Christ of Christian faith with both being inter-dependent. St. Paul declares at Corinth that if Christ was not risen, his preaching would be of no use, the people’s faith would be in vain and they would be the most to be pitied (1 Cor 15: 17:-18). St. John a more contemplative gospel writer says that they preach about the Word of Life, something they have seen and heard and touched with their own hands (1 John 1: 1-6). St. Peter recalls their ecstatic experience of the Christ of glory and light at the transfiguration event on Mount Tabor: “We saw him and were asked to listen to Him” (2 Peter 1: 18). The Risen Lord manifested his presence to the disciples gathered in fear within locked doors.
He became a companion to the two distraught disciples moving away from Jerusalem after the shocking events of Friday. He was seen walking on the sea providing a miraculous draught of fish and having a meal with his dear disciples on the beach of Galilee. He commanded his disciples to change location to Galilee where he would be seen for the last time commissioning them to go and teach all nations to observe what He taught them.
The celebration of the Breaking of Bread, the earliest ritual of the Church would make the Risen Lord truly present again as they share the bread and wine. These assemblies became the privileged places and moments of profound unity, fellowship and solidarity among the believers. Today in various churches this celebration is given immense prominence and in the higher churches more solemn ritual adorns this celebration.
This meal continues the miraculous feeding of the five thousand by Jesus up in the Galilean mountains and is the drama we see re-enacted in the centers of great Christian and catholic pilgrimages, festivals and on ordinary Sundays. The hidden presence of Jesus Christ in those whom He considers as the least of his brothers such as those who hunger and thirst, the strangers, those who are naked, sick and the imprisoned is proved by the fact that when we see to their needs, it is Him alone that we serve (Matthew 25: 35-40).
This teaching on compassionate charity has inspired many saints even of the present time as Mother Teresa of Calcutta known for her care of the destitute and the dying. Christ also raised children as symbols of his kingdom calling the adult world to a life of childlike-ness. Children invariably teach us about life’s inviolable dignity becoming thereby evangelizers of life and prophets of a culture of life and love.
Today’s Mega-Drama of Life and Death
The era we live in is truly witnessing the mega drama of life and death. Modern life both in urban, sub-urban and rural areas is threatened by multiple forces of death, destruction and decay. They may be natural disasters that are beyond our control while others are man-made including disruption of the environment due to relentless abuse of modern technology. Melting of the ice-glaciers in the poles, the rising of ocean temperatures and emission of fossil fuels which poison the environment and the spread of viral deceases are some of them which make the earth our common home less safe and healthy a place to live.
Then there are the crucial moral issues directly infringing on the sacredness of human life such as direct abortion and euthanasia and the harvesting of embryos for scientific experimentation of various kinds. Nature has decreed that the dignity of marriage which is the way of spousal love and the door to new life through motherhood not be infringed upon through donor insemination or surrogate motherhood which amount to alienation of the persons involved.
Marriage, motherhood and new life are intimately linked in the human context. To divorce them would be a serious travesty of human relations so basic to the life of society and civilization. Both the global world-economic system run in favor of the rich and the weapons industry prevent funds being channeled to feed the world’s hungry masses. Wars can never be paths to justice and peace. What is important are the structures of dialogue needed for building bridges instead of walls of separation. Death-dealing factors are to be eradicated with life-giving resources explored to the full.
Easter is restoration of Life
Building a new world-order that fosters life in its richness and diversity requires as a condition-sine-qua-non the elimination of the culture of death and all that is a threat to life. Peace, goodwill and efforts at mutual understanding among nations and peoples are absolutely needed in providing an atmosphere of fraternity and solidarity that facilitate ensuring safety and security of life. It is only in a world at peace that joy of life can prevail as well as tranquility of order. Easter reversed all that led to the darkness, despair and fear following the death and burial of Jesus Christ.
Once risen with power and glory from the tomb, a radiant springtime of joy and peace dawned which made all hasten to share it with one another. Following the Easter paradigm, death has to be destroyed and life is to be restored. The battle for life and its victory, includes the struggle against evil and all its forces. It should not be forgotten that sound morality and preservation of wholesome ethical behavior are of great importance for raising a healthy society where people can experience their human dignity. There are so many factors today that denigrate society such as the drug trade, many-fold mafia and abuse of social media.
It has brought tragedy to the lives of individuals and even families. These modern pathways of evil and moral corruption have to be dealt with since it eats into the moral fiber of society in general. The immense good that social media can accrue for those who use them is to be appreciated. May Easter that saw the destruction of death and the rising of new life, inspire all to walk the paths of life, love and peace which ensure a safer and more secure journey for humanity.
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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