Features
More on postal runner Kalua of Bimbanda and another jungle walk
by Frederick Medis
(Continued from last week)
The postcript to this episode was that by some strange coincidence in the year 2000, as many as 53 years after my first meeting Kalua, I was recounting my experience one evening to a group of friends in Matale. There Mrs Punyakanthi Wijeratne of Matale, startled me when she described Kalua in detail, even to the missing joint of his little finger. She had been a Miss Aluwihare and came from the walauwa (stately home of the chieftain) at Rattota, where Kalua was the family’s trusted servant and factotum. She and her brother were children at the time, and whenever there were long distances to be covered over uneven roadways, it was Kalua who took them pick-a-back across his ample shoulders.
There came a time when her father arranged for his regular employment as a tappal – or postal-runner from Rattota post office to the jungle villages beyond Laggala, but he was provided with a small outhouse built for him near the walauwa. He was given food and shelter, and was cared for in his old age until his death about 20 years ago. Mrs Wijeratne remembered him with nostalgia and showed interest in knowing that I had met him in Rattota in 1947. She extracted from a family album of photographs a snapshot of a young boy, who was a cousin of hers, standing beside a puppy and the squatting Kalua. It was the identical Kalua I had met over a half century ago.
Incidentally, I believe I am now the only living person to have had the privilege of accompanying a tappal-runner through the jungles.
Estate bungalow
In the estate bungalow, after a late lunch, there was plenty of time to spend in conversation. Freshened after a sleep of two hours, followed by a wash, I moved to the dining room for tea and further pleasant conversation. The servants lit the large Hinx kerosene lamp with its round opaque glass globe, as well as smaller lamps in the hall and the rooms. There was no electricity, and in those days nobody bothered about refrigeration and the cold storage of food. Outside, in the distance, could be heard the howling of jackals and the hooting of owls.
We reassembled at dinner, which was a simple meal that was much appreciated. I expressed the wish to move into the jungle villages further on. My hosts were insistent that I should rest the next day after my long and tiring trek. They said they would arrange a tracker the day after. At the following day’s dinner, I was informed that a tracker has been arranged for the trip.
Another jungle walk
The next day, I was ready after an early breakfast when the tracker, whose name was Bimbanda, arrived. He was about 40 years old. He was given the necessary instructions. I had never used a gun before, but I was told it was needed for protection. Accordingly, I was given five minutes of direction in its use. My friends, who provided me with sandwiches, some sweets and a flask of tea in the haversack, saw me off.
We walked for about half a mile, and then left the rough and boulder-strewn road where it ended and entered the jungle. It was apparent the tracker was following an animal footpath. He assured me that within a few minutes we would emerge into easy terrain.
Childbirth
Soon we came across a human footpath, and in about half an hour we heard human voices. Then we saw them, a party of about 40 people, half of them being women. Bimbanda said they were Gam Veddhas from the villages. All the men had their long hair tied up in knots. They wore what I guessed were banians or vests or loose jackets.
The women wore short sarees about eight inches above the ankles. Nearly all of them, except the younger ones, had no blouse or jacket, but in the presence of men they threw the saree fall across their shoulders.
They were all of small build, with their hair parted in the centre. Some wore crudely fashioned gold-plated ornaments. On their hands they wore silver, twisted bangles with a 25-cent coin soldered in the centre.
The women carried on their heads heavy pillowcases filled with food and other pilgrim paraphernalia. These were balanced horizontally. They were apparently the beasts of burden, for the men swung their hands freely without any encumbrance, except when they carried a staff or short stick.
They had already cleared a small portion of a hillock under a large tree, and what was in effect a mattress had been made by spreading clothes over layers of leaves on the ground. I noticed a rope hanging from a low branch of the tree. A clay pot of water was being boiled on a tripod of sticks.
The tracker quickly got into conversation with the men, and I did likewise, but I needed his help, as certain words they used were strange and unknown to me. An old woman
and her son told us that they had halted in their trek from a distant village to Rattota, from whence they would take bus to Matale and then to Kandy to worship at the Dalada Maligawa, and witness the perahera.
This was an emergency stop, for a woman in the group was in labour, and until the child was born, they could not proceed. This old man and woman, after consultation, invited me to be of assistance. Probably my khaki uniform made them confuse me with a Health Department official. My only qualification was a war-time ARP (Air Raid Precaution) St. John’s Ambulance Brigade First Aid Certificate from London.
By now, under the tree there was much activity, and the older women stood round like a protective screen. There was whimpering, followed by subdued shrieks. The tracker and I together with the old woman and her son moved towards the ring of women. When we approached, they made way for us. Diffidently I moved into the ring. On the make-shift mattress, was a middle-aged woman in labour crouching on her elbows and knees. It was evident that the rupture of the amniotic sac had taken place.
I was informed that it was her fourth child. I noticed Bimbanda walking out of the group, while I remained with the old couple. The woman in front of us was obviously in pain, but the noises she made were stifled and restrained. She was naked and perspiring profusely. Even though in a prone position, in her hands she grasped with difficulty the knotted end of the rope. The tree-branch shook with her purposeful bearing-down, urged on by a frail, wizened old woman with her hair falling over her face.
She knelt beside the pregnant woman and muttered the same incoherent words over and over again, all the while running her scraggy fingers in a downward movement along the patient’s belly. The sight of coagulated blood and the stained cloth made me somewhat sick. I joined Bimbanda, who was outside, and we chatted with a group of men for a few minutes. The women, who were with them, did not speak, probably without permission from their men.
A little later, when I gained composure, I went back to the “emergency ward”. Before I entered, I could see at a respectable distance, two men who had come from the far side of the jungle. Another old woman met them and took the green and yellow bamboo branch which they held out to her. They helped her cut it into a strip about a foot long and slit it up to the node. She held it in both her hands over her head and walked in with the old man and me, all the while muttering some kind of incantation in a low tone.
Parturition had already taken place, and the infant, pink and slimy, was lying almost under the mother. Two women knelt down and held the child. The woman with the bamboo twig widened the split below the notch and placed it below the umbilical cord, after the two ends had been tightened with a creeper or twine (I could not see what it was). The severance took place cleanly and speedily.
The mother now assumed a supine position, while one woman applied light pressure on her abdomen, another gently moved the child to and fro till there were prolonged choky squeals. While one woman applied some medicinal preparation off a small glass bottle, they swathed the mother around the waist and the pelvic region with two or three folds of cloth. We then saw her face as she gave a frightened, primitive-looking smile.
Journey continued
Bimbanda and I did not want to stay longer. Besides we were getting late, and had a long way to go. On our return journey, we saw something moving clumsily into a narrow-mouthed hole close to the path we were treading. Bimbanda told me it was a kaballawa (scaly ant-eater), which moved like a monitor lizard except for its tightly curved tail. This, I learnt later, was an unusual sight even in the dense jungles.
Soon there were signs of a human habitation. We heard the thud of a flattening and levelling wooden implement, known as tappe mole, being used to strengthen the floor of a mud hut. Lying by the side was a much-worn hide of a spotted deer, with a coir rope attached for dragging on the ground. This was used to haul mud and stones for building purposes.
We had now come to a village of about 20 huts, where all were of wattle and daub except one, which had tall, white walls and a red-tiled roof. This was Illukkumbura post office. I was overjoyed, for philately, as well as coin collection, was my first love from the age of six years. My desire, therefore, was to meet the postmaster of the jungle village of Illukkumbura.
Just as the post office building was incongruous to the village, the postmaster too was different from others in the village. He told me he was the postmaster in this remote outpost for more than three years, and that he was lonely and far-flung from his small family. He readily obliged by applying the date-stamp cancellation marked “Illukkumbura” to a self-addressed 3- cent King George VI, green-stamped post-card he sold me. This was to add to my collection of out of the way post marks. He promised to send it in the tappal-runner’s bag the next day.
Along with the postmaster, we paid a visit to the headman. In the course of the conversation, he told us that Muslim traders came to the village every three months all the way from Matale and Rattota. They brought sugar, dried fish, salt, coconut oil and cloth on tawalam harak or pack oxen, which push their way through the jungle undergrowth. These traders used to barter their goods for poultry, eggs, dried venison, kurakkan and bees’ honey.
We left the headman and visited some huts in the village. The wells were open and unprotected. Stones and planks, usually of kumbuk , were placed in the far side of the well, away from the house. It was considered unlucky to draw water with one’s back to the house.
In an adjoining village, an elderly man explained the reason for this practice. In lonely village houses, he said, while the men folk and the older children were engaged in work in the chenas and fields, only older women were left to tend the infants and toddlers and prepare the food. So when they drew water from the well, it was advisable that they faced the house. This would enable them to overlook and protect the little ones against any outsiders and wild animals, such as serpents and monkeys. I noticed that there were no doors in all the huts we saw.
An hour’s walk brought us to Makumbura, which was a larger village. We had lunch consisting of rice and curry. As it was getting late, we moved on to Pallegama, which was a large village with some tiled houses. When we left Pallegama, we were again in dense jungle. It was dark and gloomy under the trees. Whenever there was a rustling noise, Bimbanda cocked his gun, ready to shoot. I had to restrain him many a time from putting an end to several hare, a miminna (mouse deer) and even a young spotted deer.
The sun had set in when we reached the estate and came to the bungalow, where my friends were waiting expectantly in the yet unlit verandah. I thanked Bimbanda and promised to meet him in the morning. Soon darkness covered us, and a hot bath was the best refreshment before fellowship and conversation at dinner.
Conclusion
I am thankful to many persons for this short jungle interlude in my life. It gave me a new perspective and opened up new vistas of experience where I came directly in contact with wild terrain and its concomitant forests and natural features.
I am now aware that Laggala is believed to be the scenario of an early civilization in our country’s pre- or even proto-history. However, that appears to me too far away from the present reality. Last year, in 2001, I travelled on the same route in a high-powered vehicle with friends from Matale and Kandy. I recalled the earlier scene as I traversed the broad, winding macadamised road through the still majestic and bewilderingly beautiful hilltops.
But now the land is cultivated and concreted with townships full of shops and rural banks, with the blare of radios and the screech of motor vehicles echoing through the dust. What matters to me now is that more than half a century ago, I was privileged to share the company of simple people like the pot-bellied headman, the wrinkle-browed postmaster and the unsophisticated village folk who had their homes in the unspoilt forest.
Above all, I am conscious of the part played by Kalua, Bimbanda and many others I met who are now resting forever in the soil under the shadowy trees of their beloved homeland – the jungle. To them, I shall always remain grateful.
(Excerpted from Jungle Journeys in Sri Lanka edited by CG Uragoda)
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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