Features
Life In Colombo Fort In Mid Twentieth Century
by Hugh Karunanayake
Mid twentieth century Colombo was very much Anglo centric. Ceylon, as the country was then known was still in a state of “colonial hangover”, not having rediscovered its indigenous identity yet. Although the country was granted independence from its colonial rulers in 1948, the general ethos pervading its social, cultural and economic activities were prominently British influenced.
The ‘commanding heights’ of the economy’ which were basically the plantations, and the agency houses which managed them and their exports, were all controlled by expatriate Britishers They were responsible for the transformation of the economy from a subsistence peasant economy to a plantation economy over the previous two centuries, creating the infrastructure through creating road and rail networks as well as ports, and airports. The nucleus of the country’s economy was very much the Colombo Fort.
The Colombo Fort was where all the major Agency Houses which managed the plantations were located. Also within the Fort were the major Banks (all foreign owned and operated except for the then nascent Bank Of Ceylon established in the 1930s) servicing the financial needs of the export economy. The country’ s non plantation agriculture was operating at subsistence level, its principal crop, rice inadequate to meet domestic demand.
The rural economy had meagre links with the plantation economy and the two sectors the urban and the rural had distinguishing features which separated the two both socially and economically. The major banks of the time were the Chartered Bank located at the corner of Queen and Bailie Streets, the Mercantile Bank on Queen Street, the National And Grindlays Bank in York Stret, the HongKong and Shanghai Bank in Bailie Street, and the State Bank of India also on Bailie Street. The head office of the Bank Of Ceylon was in the Chamber of Commerce building on Chatham Street.
In addition to the banks were two large engineering firms(also catering to the needs of the plantations) Walker Sons and Co (Main Street) and Brown and Co (Queen Street) which housed their head offices and showrooms within the Fort. The other service providers to the plantation sector such as the insurance companies and produce broker firms, were all located within the Fort.
There was also a sizeable government sector presence, also related to servicing the plantation economy, such as the customs department, import and export controls, the Central Bank, all located within the Fort. A dominant slice of the white collar work force of the country thus worked in offices in the Fort.
There were very few residents living in the Fort, the exception being the Baur and Co residential flats in Upper Chatham St, the resident naval personnel in the naval barracks in Flagstaff Street, and the gubernatorial presence in Queens House.
Life in the Fort during working hours on week days was a hive of activity. The thousands of white collar workers disgorged from the various transport services of the time including rail, tram, trolley buses and omnibuses were all temporary residents of the Fort who after closing time left behind a silent, deserted city.
The Fort however adapted itself to meet the needs of this transient population. The food and beverage industry within the Fort were characterized by restaurants, bars, and other adjuncts like billiard parlours and even a gymnasium within the YMCA.
Chatham Street and Bailie Street and Hospital Streets were very popular for their pubs and eateries. On Chatham St was the Dominion Hotel,the White Horse Inn, and the Lord Nelson Hotel. On Bailie Street stood the British India Hotel, the Globe Hotel, while on Hospital Street there was Browns Bar, and on Canal Row was a pub called Ratnagiri, which was run by a man called Ratnasekera, and was a popular watering hole for Lake House journalists.
Arrack could be bought by the bottle and shared. A bottle of arrack in was eight rupees and a dram Rs 1.10. A dram was one eighth of a bottle, and soda water was on the house. That system of pricing was an invitation to surreptitiously bending the regulations, as one would think that the opportunity costs of providing soda, waitering, and cost of space will surely be more than the 80 cents per bottle consumed. The result of course was evident in the flagrant under measuring of liquor.
Also in the Fort were the somewhat upmarket hotels like the Bristol, and the Grand Oriental Hotel, both venerable institutions with residential facilities. The Bristol Hotel had a few permanent residents. DH Balfour of the Ceylon Civil Service lived in the Bristol, even after his retirement until he died there. Mark Twain also occupied its rooms and was fascinated by his room boy who had long hair and tied together in a ‘kondey’.
The Bristol was the first building in Ceylon to have ceiling fans, prompting many passers by to gaze in wonder at the amazing new technology! The Bristol was torn down in the 1970s and the land converted into a car park. The Bristol, together with the Metropole, the Globe, The Dominion featured billiard parlours where patrons could indulge in a game of billiards or snooker.
They also had separate bars for arrack drinking patrons and another section for the snooty patrons who would prefer to enjoy their scotch and soda away from the ‘hoi polloi’!
The Dominion, the Globe, and the White Horse Inn were at one stage all owned by the legendary Arthur Ephraims who also owned the New Oriental Hotel in Galle, and the Grand Hotel in Mount Lavinia where he resided permanently and died in around 1940.
The Lord Nelson Hotel was originally owned by a Malay proprietor Amos, and later bought by TA Fernando who owned a hotel in Nuwara Eliya as well. The Globe was later bought by racing bookmaker NWj Mudalige who also founded a popular eatery and bar called the Skyline Hotel in Wellawatte. The Metropole was owned by Mr BGS David a former member of the minor judiciary.
The big retailers in Colombo were all located in the Fort and they were the big Departmental Stores like Cargills, Miller’s, Whiteaway Laidlaw and Co, and Colombo Apothecaries, all stocking anything from a pin to a motor cycle and employing hundreds. Whiteaways And Colombo Apothecaries closed down in the sixties although Cargills and Miller’s have metamorphosed into other entities keeping up to the changing demands from the consumer.
After all the hustle and bustle within the Fort during working hours, if one visited the Fort after 6 pm you will be presented with a ghostly scene. All the offices would be shut, hardly anyone on the streets, not even the sound of a car. That was the best time to be in the Fort.
Also on Sundays if you fancied a prelunch drink with friends one of the Fort pubs gave you a peaceful atmosphere where one could have a quiet chat. Not having been to a pub in the Fort for many years now, I wonder whether modernization has led the female of the species also to having a drink in those pubs which were “women free ” not by law but by custom, in that era.
Of the eateries in the Fort there were the Madras curry joints down Hospital Street, where you could enjoy a steaming hot crab curry with a plate of rice served by bare bodied men with sweat dripping off them sometimes into the curry as well, for that extra touch of flavour!
The other pubs all served standard rice and curry gormandized by the pen pushing brigade, and of course there was the Pagoda which served its rice and curry with the rice served on a platter and the curries separately in smalle dishes. If you were in an almighty hurry to get back to work the YMCA cafeteria with self serving facilities seem to negate Milton’s observation that “they also serve who stand and wait.”
The Colombo Fort has had to suffer many vicissitudes of a different order than those it faced when it was under siege from attacking armies. The ethnic conflict of recent years and the resultant need for security measures during the eighties and nineties especially squeezed out the soul of a once vibrant city. Retail business has found its locale in other places within Colombo, and now maybe is the most opportune time for urban planners to create a new haven in the heart of Colombo. A Master Plan for the development of the Fort precinct is not only highly desirable, but most opportune.
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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