Features
MAKE AMERICA PRAY AGAIN
Donald Trump – Bible salesman par excellence
by Vijaya Chandrasoma
“March Madness” is an annual ritual in the USA, the climax of the National College Basketball tournament that keeps Americans glued to their TVs for weeks. Employees in almost all offices and organizations, up to and including the White House, organize “pools” to predict the final four, the semi-finalists of this tournament, usually a monumental task. The madness regarding the events concerning Trump during March was of such confusion that it has become impossible to predict even whether America will remain a democracy after November, 2024.
Judging by the way the political rhetoric of Trump and the Republican Party is evolving, there is only one prediction that can be made with certainty: if Trump loses the election in November, if one of the many criminal trials go against him, or even if national polls show that he would be certain to lose the election, say, by September, there will be political violence, the Trump-predicted “bloodbath”. Trump has already sowed doubts about the electoral process, the cornerstone of democracy. He has also mobilized his white supremacist goons to threaten all those involved in the electoral process, election workers as well as voters, so that there may be a shortage of workers, and many voters may be too intimidated to exercise their fundamental right to vote.District Court of New York Judge Engoron, having already found Trump and his top executives guilty of financial fraud, ordered the defendants to pay a penalty of $464 million, plus interest, pending appeal, before March 31.
Trump, the impecunious billionaire, sprang into action in his customary role of snake-oil salesman, as he certainly did not have that kind of money. His earlier efforts to sell gold-painted sneakers at $400 per pair were a failure. Michael Jordan’s “Air Jordans” sold for $125 in 1990, but Trump claimed his sneakers were more valuable because he had the better jump shot.
Then he embarked on a venture he thought would be a sure-fire winner – hawking Bibles. These were no ordinary Bibles. Based on the King James version, they sold at $60 per copy, and included the text of the US constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence and the Pledge of Allegiance, “making it a convenient collection for those who are tired of having to separate their church from their state”.
An extraordinarily ignorant statement made by a former president, aspiring for a second term, who does not understand, perhaps doesn’t care, for the fundamental concept of the constitution, the very principle largely responsible for its creation – the Separation of Church and State.
Talk-show comedians had a field day, commenting on the irony of a man who has broken just about every commandment in the good book, promoting the sale of Bibles. They facetiously talk of the availability of a de-luxe edition, available at $100 per copy, with the 10 commandments redacted, a photo-shopped video clip of Jesus’ disciples storming the Herodian Temple at Jerusalem, protesting Jesus’ crucifixion, and an aesthetically pleasing, au naturel centerfold of Trump’s favorite porn star, Stormy Daniels.
Trump, in a video advertisement promoting his unique Bible, holding it right side up this time, said:
“Happy Holy Week. Let’s make America pray again. As we lead into Good Friday and Easter, I encourage you to get a copy of this God Bless the USA Bible.
“Religion and Christianity are the biggest things missing from this country, and I truly believe that we need to bring them back fast. Christians are under siege. I want a lot of people to buy this Bible. You have to have it for your heart and your soul. It is my favorite book. I have a great many copies of the Bible in my home”.
Actually, Trump needs many copies at home, because the moment he holds one, it bursts into flames.
The sales of the Bible were far fewer than expected. But then Trump caught a break. The New York Appellate Court reduced the penalty on the fraud case to $175 million, giving him 10 days more to pay the cash/bond.
John Hankey, CEO of Knight Insurance Group in California and a Republican donor, agreed to underwrite Trump’s bond of $175 million. Hankey is known in California as “The King of Sub-Prime Loans”. His main business is the approval of high-interest loans to car buyers with poor credit, then repossessing the cars when they, as expected, defaulted. His company is alleged to repossess 750 cars a day from defaulters.
Perhaps Hankey is eyeing another lucrative business deal by underwriting Trump’s bond. In the event that Trump’s appeal is dismissed in September and he defaults on his bond, Hankey could foreclose on Trump’s assets, even Mar a Lago. But if Trump does prevail and is elected to the presidency in November, Hankey could well be a prime contender for the cabinet post of Treasury Secretary in the new Trump administration.
Trump’s legal woes do not end there. The trial of the criminal indictment against him on a hush-money payment to porn star, Stormy Daniels, is scheduled to start on April 15. This indictment is part of a broader criminal scheme, with 34 felony counts, used to illegally protect Trump’s 2016 election campaign finances.
As the trial date approaches, the first time in US history a president has faced a criminal trial, Trump has been threatening and insulting, in campaign election rallies and social media posts, court officials, witnesses and anyone vaguely connected with the case. And their families. These threats prompted presiding Judge Merchan to impose a gag order on Trump, stopping him from such threatening speech and posts. Trump immediately followed up with over 70 more threatening posts on social media, even some against Judge Merchan himself and his daughter. A new gag order issued against Trump last Wednesday will have the same result. Ordering Trump to stop using foul and threatening language is the same as ordering him to stop breathing.
It’s as if Trump is challenging the judicial authorities to jail him for contempt of court, so that he could, yet again, reinforce his claims of being the eternal victim, and incite his white trash base to violence, a ‘bloodbath”.
I have not touched on the possible threats which the proposed independent candidacy of Robert F. Kennedy Jnr, may bring to the table. Kennedy has publicly declared that he is running as a “spoiler”, but it is too early to predict what impact, if any, he will have on the final result. A comparison of the Easter messages of the future presidents of the USA reveals the direction the nation will be headed after 2025. The first from the incumbent president, the other from the challenger.
President Biden:
“Jill and I send our warmest wishes to Christians around the world celebrating Easter Sunday. Easter reminds us of the power of hope and the promise of Christ’s resurrection. As we gather with loved ones, we remember Jesus’ sacrifice. We pray for one another and cherish the blessing of the dawn of new possibilities.
“And with wars and conflicts taking a toll of innocent lives around the world, we renew our commitment to work for peace, security and dignity for all people.
“From our family to yours, Happy Easter, and may God bless you”.
Donald J, Trump:
“HAPPY EASTER TO ALL. INCLUDING CROOKED AND CORRUPT PROSECUTORS AND JUDGES THAT ARE DOING EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO INTERFERE WITH THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OF 2024 AND PUT ME IN PRISON. INCLUDING THOSE MANY PEOPLE THAT I COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY DESPISE BECAUSE THEY WANT TO DESTROY AMERICA, A NOW FAILING NATION, LIKE DERANGED JACK SMITH, WHO IS EVIL AND SICK, MRS. FANI “FAUNI” WADE …. AND LAZY ON VIOLENT CRIME ALVIN BRAGG WHO, WITH CROOKED JOE’S DOJ THUGS ILLEGALLY INDICTED ME….
“HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE”.
As a non-Christian, I will never forget the atmosphere of peace, joy and love I felt when I accompanied my Catholic ex-wife to church, especially on Easter Sunday, the most sacred of all days in Christianity. A day that not only commemorates the resurrection of Jesus, but celebrates the defeat of death and the hope of eternal salvation. But I feel deep sadness when a contemptible deviant like Trump tries to defile such a sacred day with his perverted brand of hatred and depravity.
According to current national polls Trump leads Biden within the margin of error to win the presidency in November. Trump’s lead is mainly based on two factors: one, public perception that he will handle the problem of immigration and the chaos at the southern border better than President Biden; and two, that Biden’s handling of the economy has left Americans worse off than they were four years ago.
An acute case of selective amnesia. Trump’s inhumane immigration policies four years ago included rounding up legal asylum seekers in Nazi style concentration camps, with children separated from their parents. Many of these children, victims of sex-trafficking, have disappeared from the face of the earth. He still talks about immigrants as “vermin”, who are poisoning the blood of the country.
Trump inherited a thriving economy of 72 months of continuous growth from President Obama, which he lied that he alone created. He favored enormous tax cuts to the wealthy and the corporations and deregulation of environmental protections. His incompetent, criminal mismanagement of the Covid pandemic cost nearly a million avoidable American deaths, and brought the economy to its knees.
White supremacist tribalism may have won Trump the undying support of hard-core Republicans who have transformed the Party of Lincoln into a Trumpian, phony Christian, white nationalist cult. However, the vast majority of the American electorate, moderate Republicans, Independents and Democrats do not subscribe to the authoritarian ambitions of this cult, which have cost Republicans every national election since 2016.
If Trump is elected, he himself has vowed to be a dictator (for a day!), surround himself with loyalists and treat the White House as a family business. It is obvious that Trump is desperate to win the presidency, not to serve the nation, but to keep himself out of prison and enrich himself.
Also, the Great American Experiment of Democracy will be suspended, perhaps permanently, changing beyond recognition the geopolitical landscape of the world. Future elections, if any, will be conducted according to the Russian model.
The alternative is a second presidential term of a most distinguished and decent man. President Biden, with an outstanding legislative performance in the first three years of his presidency, has resuscitated the economy and clawed America back to its rightful position in the world. Even more importantly, he has finally removed the overpowering stench of vulgarity, ignorance and treason that polluted the White House for four long years.
President Biden is 81 years-old, he will be 86 if he completes his second term. People age differently, and he has displayed his mental acuity time and again, most recently in his stirring State of the Union speech in Congress last month. In any event, the Democrats have a most competent and politically experienced Vice-President in Kamala Harris, eminently capable of taking over the presidential reins, if and when necessary.
There is no doubt in my mind that Trump will lose complete faith even in the minds of moderate Republicans as the disgraceful details of the numerous criminal trials against him gain momentum, his financial woes spin out of control and his violent rhetoric becomes even more desperately incendiary. The real danger America will face in the future would be the political violence caused by the death throes of white supremacy, and the refusal by the corporate and billionaire class to accept the inexorable path to societal and racial progress and economic justice.
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 . )
