Features
Life and times of a Surveyor
National Surveyors’ Day fell on March 21
A surveyor is a professional person with the academic qualifications and technical expertise to practise the science of measurement, to assemble and assess land and geographic related information, to use such information for the purpose of planning and implementing the efficient administration of land, the sea and structures thereon, and to instigate the advancement and development of such practices.
An ola leaf found in Madras, written thousands of years ago, describes a surveyor thus:
“His profession will be giving estimates of lands and areas of lands, preparing plans, bills and land charges.”
Once at a seminar, held in Colombo, a leading light of the Surveyors’ Institute said that surveying was the oldest profession. A famous surgeon contradicting this, said that surveying, though an old profession, certainly was not the oldest.
“It has been held for centuries that the oldest profession is prostitution or to put it more elegantly, street-walking,” said this renowned surgeon.
“Aha,” said a professor of Engineering “to do street-walking there must be streets. And who built streets? Engineers! Then Engineering is the oldest profession.”
“Back to square one,” said the surveyor gleefully. “For streets cannot be built without surveying being done first.”
A cynic once said that a land surveyor was a man who revels at hide and seek. He begins his job by dispatching a bewildered labourer with a red and white pole into the jungles, and then spends his time trying to locate him with the eye glued to a telescope.
The earliest reference to surveying or land measuring, is made in the Jataka Stories. According to Kurudhamma Jataka, on one occasion the king’s officers came to a border village to lay out the boundaries of a new field. The Rajjugahaka-amacca, literally, “the minister holding the measuring rope,” or in other words the Surveyor-General, gave one end of the rope to the owner of the adjoining field to hold on to his boundary and attaching the other end to a survey pole, proceeded to stretch the rope to its full measure. When about to drive the pole into the ground, he noticed that the mark was exactly on a crabhole, with the crab inside. “If I drive this pole in,” he reflected, the crab will be hurt. If I put it on one side, the king will stand to lose some of his land. If I put it on the other side the purchaser of the field will be denied his rightful extent.” This, in allegory, ventures to illustrate the integrity of the ancient surveyor.
There had been a well-ordered system of survey in ancient Ceylon, with a highly developed topographical sense. The ancient Pagodas with exact ellipsoidal shape and the low gradients of the Yoda Ela and the Jaya Ganga are marvels to be admired. The British, within four years of occupying the Maritime Areas, established the Survey Department by a proclamation, dated 2 August, 1800, issued at Point de Galle (Galle). This shows the importance the British gave to surveying, it being the first Government Department they established. Surveying developed as part of military science, hence the name Surveyor General. The first Surveyor General was Joseph Johnvillie while N.S. Perera was the first Sri Lankan Surveyor General.
The life of a surveyor was an ordeal. They pitched their own tents in the jungle, away from their loved ones, friends and relatives, for hours days and years. They had no air-conditioned offices but enjoyed the beauty of nature and the magnificent scenery, and in the night, the moon and the stars burning bright. They went to work at the break of dawn, when the birds start to sing. They had to go over difficult terrain, uneven bunds, struggle up steep hills, wade through water, walk long distances and face the hazards of the scorching sun, heavy rains, the storms and floods. Then they had to brave ticks, leeches, snakes, elephants, bears, leopards and other wild animals and live amidst mosquitoes and bouts of malaria and diarrhoea. Their camp meals were below par and had no fixed hours. The survey labourers (later survey assistants) and the shikaray (gunman) offered unstinted support. These are the stark realities of the harsh life of surveyors who were trained at the Diyatalawa Survey Camp.
Once a survey assistant was killed at Medirigiriya, by a wild elephant. At the time he was the father of an infant son. Keeping the infant in an improvised saree-cradle in his hut, his widowed wife sang this lullaby:
‘Doyya dong puthe
Bayya bang puthe
Minindoru bathe
Atha nothabang puthe’
(Beseeching the infant son, never to become a survey assistant, to lead a harsh life!).
They play a vital role in the development activities in the very important fields of agriculture, land development, irrigation, land reform, registration of title, colonization, mapping and other development projects. The surveyors were the first on land and without them it would be journeys to the realm of fantasy. Sometimes, the work of the Department was mirth-provoking. For the Bandaranaike assassination case, the Department was required to prepare a site diagram of the residence of Minister Vimala Wijewardene and to mark in it the room occupied by the Chief Incumbent Buddharakkitha Thera, and the place where he parked his car, during his nocturnal visits!
In the meantime, the trade unionists were also active. They fought for better field conditions, better camps, better pay, better postal facilities and better modes of travelling. S. R. Yapa was a militant trade unionist who had a great vision for the survey profession. He was a fiery, fearless trade unionist, far-sighted, with a no-nonsense approach. Among the other trade unionist giants were: Chappy Pate, C.S. Perera, D.L. Peiris, A.P.S. Gunawardena, M. B. Ranathunga, P.A. Robin Chandrasiri, M. Kaluthantiri, R.M. Chandrapala and several others. In 1980, lady surveyors were also recruited, in keeping with the equality of sexes promulgated in the 1978 Constitution.
They proved more than equal to the task, though the surveyors work was physically tough.
(It was noticed that with the advent of young girl-trainees, the staff of the Institute was seen better dressed!) Cupid also played his role, with several surveyor couples ending up on Poruwas. The lady Assistant Superintendents of Surveys recruited, also proved equal to the task, and went on to become a lady Surveyor General.
The Ceylon Government Ordinance No. 15 of 1889, titled the Surveyors Ordinance, gave all the authority and directions to those who opted to be private professionals in the field of land surveying. Now, it is superseded by the Survey Act No 17 of 2002. In the year 1926, the ‘Ceylon Licensed Surveyors’ Association’ was formed mainly through the efforts of Ben J. Thiedeman, H. Van Buren, M.I.L. Marikar, S. Sabaratnam, G.L. Schokman, W.P. Wickramasinghe, R.C. Dissanayake and others.
After he left school, D.S. Senanayake served in the Survey Department that came under his control years later, when he became the Minister of Agriculture and Lands. In the year 1937 he, together with G.K. Thornhill, the Surveyor General, went out of their way to help the Association. In the process Thornhill had to face an audit query. His successor L.G.O. Woodhouse was just the opposite of him. This Association was later to become the present Surveyors’ Institute of Sri Lanka. Most of its members are engaged in Court Commission Surveys with quasi-judicial powers, while in some instances they are engaged in national service, in addition to attending to the needs of the general public. In the year 1974, the Institute opened its membership to the state sector surveyors.
Mount Everest was so named after Sir George Everest, the Surveyor General of India. The first President of the United States of America, George Washington was a land surveyor. There is an interesting story about him. One day a teacher in an American School told a pupil: “Henry! at your age, George Washington was a surveyor.”
“And at your age he was the President of United States,” said the pupil.
Some survey professionals took to politics, D. S. Goonasekera and Gamini Jayasuriya were cabinet ministers. K.B. Ratnayake was a cabinet minister and also a Speaker of Parliament.
H. B. Abeyrathna was a District Minister, Sarath Welagedera and S.M. Asenkudhoos were MPs. R.L. Brohier was an outstanding surveyor produced by the Survey Department. He rose from the lower to the top most rungs of the Department. He was also a scholar, a historian, a researcher, a writer and an archaeologist. Two of his monumental works were ‘Ancient Irrigation works of Ceylon’ and ‘Land, Maps and Surveys’. In 1920, R.L.B. and his survey party were travelling through thick jungle to establish a trigonometrical station, when they surprisingly discovered the historic ‘Avukana shrine’. A digression, once Ruhunu Puthra was making an impassioned speech, at a meeting, with R.L.B. in the chair. Soon after his speech, RLB took steps to make the then 24-year-old Ruhunu Puthra an F.R.G.S.
Dr. T. Somasekeram was the head of the Institute of Surveying and Mapping at Diyatalawa for many years and retired as the Surveyor General. He was also the Chief Editor of the National Atlas and authored the book ‘Surveying Stories’, which describes vividly the life and times of the surveyors. Sunil Kusumsiri is a Licensed Surveyor who has published the book titled ‘Maimgala’ (boundary stone) in Sinhala. It provides a vivid description of the stark realities of the life of a surveyor in sylvan surroundings, sometimes laced with humour.
Across the abyss of years, the science of surveying has undergone dramatic changes with the introduction of computers, electronic distance measurements, laser technology, global positioning system using satellites, land information systems and geographical systems.
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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