Features
Lorenz and old Matara
by Avishka Mario Senewiratne
“Home interprets heaven. Home is heaven for beginners.”— Charles Henry Parkhurst
From his humble beginnings in Matara to being the most popular man of his day, Charles Ambrose Lorenz lived and owned several houses. Each of these homes has been of some historical significance. Some places and cities acquire considerable importance when celebrated personalities live there or are linked with them. Nazareth might not have been as well known if Christ was not ‘Jesus of Nazareth’. Likewise, some obscure places received unprecedented recognition when people of repute hail from such places.
Where Lorenz is concerned, however, there are so many places and houses that he is connected to and each of them has earned some distinction by such connection to this much-beloved son of the soil. Unlike in England where the ‘blue plaque’ is installed in homes commemorating celebrated individuals who once lived there, no such custom prevails in this country which boasts of 2,500 years of recorded history. Only a few surviving documents and writings can determine where such greats once lived. Fortunately, the subject of this essay is a man whom people of all kinds did not overlook. From the house where he was born to where he died, each house has been recorded in various documents.
The Prussian-born Johan Freiderick Wilhelm Lorenz lived in a well-built house called the “Rose Cottage” with his third wife, Anna Petronella Smith when C. A. Lorenz was born. Lorenz Sr. had lived nearly all of his life in Galle and Matara since migrating to Ceylon. There was a substantial Dutch Burgher presence in Matara at that time. Rose Cottage was situated only half a mile from the Matara Fort and on the right bank of the Nilwala River. This single-storey house has a large compound which extends to the river. It existed well into the 1970s/80s.
In the early 1930s, this house was owned by Edward Buultjens, who used it as his country residence (Van de Wall, E.L., (1933), Ceylon Causerie, June, p. 7). In the mid-20th century, Rose Cottage was owned by Mr. A. L. B. Ferdinand of the Ceylon Civil Service who was an Additional Deputy Controller of Textiles (Toussaint, J. R., (1956), JDBU, p. 60). However, with the need for newer designs and a change of architectural preference, Rose Cottage which was slowly deteriorating, was demolished never to rise again. Not many in Matara recall this historic home abode any more.
Lodge Harmony
A few years later, the Lorenz family moved to Lodge Harmony, which adjoined the Rose Cottage. A few hundred meters West of the old Dutch Star Fort of Matara, Lodge Harmony, a two-storeyed abode was a large and spacious structure, well equipped with a very large drawing room and several large high-ceilinged and ventilated rooms. How this romantic name was derived was beyond question as J. F. Lorenz had taught each of his children to play various musical instruments and the people of Matara were delighted to hear the sweet music from this house regularly.
Like Rose Cottage, this home sat on top of the grassy banks of Nilwala, sloping down to the river. The front section of the house faces the river while the back faces the main road which now goes by the name Kumarathunga Road (named after the scholar Kumarathunga Munidasa). Between the house and the river exists a detached set of outbuildings, which once consisted of a kitchen, servant rooms, a stable and a well. The style of the architecture of Lodge Harmony is unique and must be studied further in greater detail.
The two levels of the house have considerable variations. Though the structure of Lodge Harmony has an obvious Dutch influence (based on the entrance, inside doors and windows), the French casement window frames indicate that the Lodge Harmony may have been built in the later Dutch period or the early British period. This idea is further strengthened by two veranda rooms on the riverside and the Palladian motif. (cf. Lewcock, Sansoni & Senanayake, (1998), The Architecture of an Island, p. 226) An unusual aspect of the design of the roof is that the slope at the front differs contrastingly from the slope at the back.
Though the exact origins of Lodge Harmony are not known, J. F. Lorenz owned it from the day he moved into it till his passing in 1845. His widow and some of his children, including J. F. Lorenz Jr. continued to live there. Charles Lorenz, who was by then well settled with his sister and brother-in-law in Colombo, never failed to visit Matara and this beautiful house during vacations. E. H. Van der Waal, who was a great admirer of Lorenz mentioned the following in the Ceylon Causerie of June 1933:
“Many years ago, when I was a school-boy in Matara and when teachers and teaching methods were not up to the high standard of modern-day requirements, “meaning books’ were in great demand, The master demanded the meaning of ‘”Lodge” and directed his question at one of the boys, who later attained a prominent position in public life. With a ready smile of assurance, there came the instant reply: “Harmony”! (p. 7)
Young Charles Lorenz loved the Nilwala river and in his later days, wrote endearing verses of his various pleasure trips on the river. (cf. Blaze, B. R., (1948), The Life of Lorenz, pp. 2-3). It was in Matara that he came across people from all walks of life. Matara then was a very cosmopolitan town with a strong Dutch influence. This shaped young Lorenz to a better understanding of the people of the country. It is evident that he learnt Sinhala apart from English and Dutch to converse with the Sinhalese of the area. As the years passed by and his success kept growing, the people of Matara came to know of his attainments and were proud that a ‘son of Matara’ was achieving greatness for himself and the country in those colonial days.
Lorenz in turn, never distanced himself from his childhood town. In his writings to the Young Ceylon in the early 1850s, it is clear that he drew much inspiration from Matara and one of its well-known areas, Devundara (Dondra), which meant “the city of the gods”. Whenever he had the time to escape from his busy life in Colombo, Lorenz took a ride to Matara. Visiting Matara after a long interval, he would often take a walk to visit old places and faces familiar to him in his childhood. The following is quoted from John Penry Lewis’ monumental 1913 tome, Tombstone and Monuments of Ceylon:
“No town in Ceylon, not relatively in proportion to its size but absolutely, has produced such a number of distinguished men as Matara,” among them Governor Falck, Sir Henry Lawrence, and C. A. Lorenz. Matara …. enjoyed this reputation for the intellectual superiority of her sons even in the time of the native sovereigns; and though some doubt may rest on the tradition which makes it the birthplace of Kalidasa, there can hardly be any that for many centuries under their own native sovereigns the men of Matara always carried away the palm or literary merit; and even at the present day the Kandyans seem to entertain a pious reverence for the learning Matara.” (Here J. P. Lewis has quoted from the Sir Richard Morgan Biography by Digbv, vol. II., p. 217)
After the Lorenz family, between 1894 and 1900, Lodge Harmony was owned by a kinsman of Lorenz and an eminent proctor called J. H. Ernst. During this time, E. H. Van der Waal who was a master at Royal College spent regular holidays in this house. In his writings, Van der Waal states how he enjoyed fishing and crab catching at the compound behind the house leading to the river. In the early 1900s, a leading businessman in the trade of plumbago, cinnamon and rubber called Endoris de Silva Balasuriya purchased Lodge Harmony for the purpose of a warehouse and office.
After he died in 1915, his widow transferred the ownership to their eldest son Crown Proctor Wilmot Balasuriya, a person involved in Urban politics. In order to raise funds for his political affairs Wilmot had to mortgage Lodge Harmony twice between 1917 and 1934. His mother, who was gravely upset by this, saved the property by lending money on the first occasion. However, in 1934 when the same problem arose, she transferred the ownership to her second son Dr. Garvin Balasuriya (1902-1990). Living in the upper storey, Dr. Balasuriya ran a medical practice and dispensary in this house.
In 1942, during World War II, Dr. Balasuriya purchased the Robert Press in Panchikawatte, moved the printing machinery to Lodge Harmony, and rebranded it as Carlton Press. The machinery included old typographic and letter-press printers which went out of business with the dawn of offset and digital printing. After he died in 1990, the press was transferred to his son Indrajith Balasuriya (1940-2023), a landed proprietor and agriculturist. In 2004, when the Tsunami hit the coastal area of Matara, seawater streamed into the back compound of the house. Indrajith Balasuriya spent a lot to restore the damages. However, in certain parts of the back compound, trees do not grow any more as the soil has been contaminated with salt. Though this historical abode goes by the name Carlton Press and not Lodge Harmony any more, the Balasuriya family must be credited for preserving and protecting it for more than a century.
Though not a house where Lorenz lived, the Dutch Church of Matara was a significant due to the fact that Lorenz was baptized there in 1829. His family were devout worshippers at this Church and through his many letters and writings, we come to understand that Charles Lorenz had a deep affection for the Church. The old Dutch Church is located behind the famous Star Fort of Matara.
Between 1763-65, the Fort was built by Baron Van Eck, the Dutch Governor who sacked Kandy in 1765, after the infamous Matara Rebellion of 1760-61. Previously, when the Dutch took over Galle and Matara in 1640, a small rampart was built. The German traveller, Wolfgang Heydt wrote and sketched the Matara village and the fort in 1736. Also featured in the illustrations is the Dutch Reformed Church.
Although the Church is believed to have been consecrated in 1704, tombstones more ancient have been found (the oldest being as early as 1685) in the Church Graveyard (See Lewis, J.P., (1913), Tombstone and Monuments of Ceylon, Government Printer, p. 205). Regarding the architecture of the Church, B. R. Blaze says “It is not so typically Dutch in Architectural style as the Galle church, nor is it imposing in size or appearance…” (Blaze, p. 3). However, R. L. Brohier comments on it as follows: “The building of greatest antiquarian interest in Matara Fort is the old Dutch Church” (Brohier, R. L., (1965), Seeing Ceylon, p. 158). J. P. Lewis commented in 1902 that “The tout ensemble strikes one at once as very Dutch”. Among the many who are buried in the Church’s graveyard is the father of Iman William Falck, the most popular Dutch Governor who ruled the maritime region of Ceylon for 20 years.
When renovations took place in the Church during the twentieth century, it was discovered that the current structure (which was also the same during the days of Lorenz) was built in 1769. However, it is clear that certain parts of the structure were built earlier. The entrance to the Church bears very little resemblance to a Church. R. L. Brohier comments on the structure as follows:
“Architecturally, it is based on the old meeting-house type – yet superior in many respects – with arched windows to each side and a veranda to the south side with masonry pillars and railings in the familiar domestic style prevalent in town architecture, and a massive door in the middle of the southern wall. The veranda has obviously been tacked on to the main structure sometime later. The structure is finished off with a simple form of end-gable.” (Quoted from De Silva, R. K., and Beumer, W. G. M., (1988), Illustrations and Views of Dutch Ceylon, Serendib Publication, p. 184)
When Lorenz was baptised on August 2, 1829, the following was recorded in the Church baptismal records:
“The child born on the 8th of July to be named Charles Ambrose Lionel. The parents are Johan Frederik Lorenz and Anna Petronella Smith, married. The sponsors are Robert Charles Roosmalecocq, Jacobus Ambrosius Roosmalecocq (brothers of Johan Lorenz’s 1st wife), Maria Theresa de Leeuw, and Anna Sophia Carolina Lorenz (Johan Lorenz’s daughter from his second marriage.” (Translated from the original Dutch in Blaze, p. 6)
In 2004, just like Lodge Harmony, the Dutch Reformed Church faced the perils of the Tsunami. However, it was well restored to its former glory. The Church remains intact and in service as of November 2023.
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 . )
