Features
Mrs. B in a dilemma about West Pakistan Pakistan aircraft refueling at Katunayake
How SL got entangled in Bangladesh liberation war
Excerpted from volume ii of Sarath Amunugama autobiograpy
Our next port of call was Bangladesh. This was perhaps the most interesting and fruitful of our efforts since Bangladesh was only a few years old as a ‘new nation’. It was called East Pakistan at the partitioning of British India in 1947. East Pakistan was carved out by the British from the old and famous Bengal Presidency. In fact at one stage greater Bengal with its distinctive Bengali language and culture could have qualified to be an independent state but neither the Hindus led by Nehru and Patel nor the Muslims led by Jinnah were in favour of a third state.
That was one of the few issues that both parties had agreed upon. The British too were not enamoured with the cantankerous Bengalis. Earlier the Viceroy, Lord Curzon, had attempted to partition Bengal but had been thwarted by Indian nationalists of all religions. Indeed the agitation against the partition of Bengal marks an important step in the early Indian resistance to the British. When the British cut up Bengal in 1947 both Hindu and Muslim leaders were unhappy but had to accept it as a ‘fait accompli’. Jinnah protested against the Award calling it a ‘moth eaten Pakistan’ but there was nothing he could do except to cede west Bengal to India even though old Bengal was a Muslim majority state. He had to be satisfied with a truncated Bengal and East Pakistan was born.
But the two wings of this geographical monstrosity had nothing in common except Islam which too was somewhat different in style in the two parts of the new state because Bengali Muslims were more syncretic and not fundamentalists like the Sindhis and Punjabis of West Pakistan. The two representatives of West and East Pakistan – Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Mujibur Rahman – were as different as chalk and cheese. Within a few years of independence the leader Jinnah died and the only remaining political linchpin was severed.
The Sindhis, and especially the Punjabis who dominated the Pakistani army, were contemptuous of the ‘weak and effeminate’ Bengalis. It was an unequal and unhappy marriage and if the departing British wanted to make sure that it was `apres moi le deluge’ (after me the deluge) they could hardly have done better. Matters came to a head when in a Parliamentary election Mujibur won all the seats in East Pakistan while Bhutto won most seats in the Western-sector. But Mujibur had a majority and an expectation that he would be made PM. Instead he was to be arrested in Rawalpindi.
Mujibur fled back to Dacca and in the light of army repression by a Pakistan General who was called ‘The Butcher of Dacca’ declared independence for Bangladesh with the tacit support if India, ever ready to give Pakistan a bloody nose. A brutal war erupted and India invaded Bangali territory and ensured the eviction of the Pakistan military from its soil. When I was Director of Information under Mrs. Bandaranaike, I was privy to her dilemma when Pakistan asked for refueling facilities in Katunayake for its warplanes carrying troops to Dacca.
India had banned Pakistani flights over her territory and Katunayake was the only alternative. At first Mrs. B prevaricated because of friendship with Mrs. Gandhi but the Foreign Office made her agree to granting landing rights, provided the soldiers were not in uniform. This was typical foreign office advice which ended up by alienating both sides. At the same time the foreign office was working overtime to make amends with the US. A meeting with President Nixon was arranged when Mrs. B arrived in America for the UN sessions.
I had a friend who was a Bengali, recruited to the Pakistan Foreign Service, who was serving in Colombo as the First Secretary when the `Mukti Bahini’ [Freedom Fighters] led by Indian troops were fighting the Pakistan army regulars. He disappeared one night and fled to Dacca to assist in the setting up of the nascent Bangladesh Foreign Service. I could always depend on his goodwill in my visits to Bangladesh when Santa Crusz and I came on a UN mission.
When our mission visited Dacca we found that the Government was barely functioning. It depended heavily on International financial support for its existence. The Pakistan army had wreaked havoc on a populace who only a few months ago were their compatriots. They had mercilessly hunted down and killed Bengali intellectuals. The University of Dacca became a prison camp. The most important foreigner in Bangladesh was an American national who was the head of the UNDP in Dacca and our immediate contact in the country.
His first challenge was to find a hotel for us. Santa Crusz was quite choosy and was unhappy when we were put up in a small hotel with only basic amenities. It was the best hotel in Dacca during the Pakistani period. This problem was clear to us when the new Ministers who were asked for their priorities in reconstruction requested the construction of a five star hotel in the heart of the city. When queried about this odd request in the face of many urgent interventions required, they replied in a matter of fact way that without a big hotel donors would not come to Bangladesh and thereby a lot of foreign assistance would be missed.
It was a sad but true commentary on international financial assistance. Sure enough on my later visits to Bangladesh I found a new five star Hotel – Sonargoan – that had been constructed by a Japanese entrepreneur. Later it became the Dacca Intercontinental. Today Dacca boasts of several five star hotels. Though poor at the start, Bangladesh developed a vibrant newspaper culture in keeping with its Bengali origins. I had friends among newspapermen there including SM Ali (the student leader who became a well-known editor and later my colleague at UNESCO) and Amanullah Khan. I also had a good friend in Amanullah’s brother Obaidullah Khan who was in a training course with me in Malaysia when he was a member of the Pakistani Civil Service.
He defected to his homeland Bangladesh and later became the Minister of Agriculture. From there he became the Bangladeshi Ambassador to Washington before his premature death. We were received with open arms in Dacca because the UNDP was all powerful at that time. American foreign aid was channeled through the UNDP and our project was most welcome. We were told that a big problem at that time was the inability to prepare suitable project proposals and UN input in this sphere was vital.
Today Bangladesh is one of the fastest growing economies in the world. I moved closely with the Bangladeshis and found that they had made good use of their abundant manpower resources to spur spectacular growth in foreign employment and the garment industry. Though Bangladesh still has serious problems it has steadily graduated from being called ‘The basket case of Asia’ to one of the South Asia’s Economic tigers. Bangladesh was fortunate in having a professional – Muhith – as its Finance Minister.
He had earlier worked for the World Bank and was able to steer the economy onto a growth path. He was able to weather political storms and win the confidence of the PM Sheikh Hasina. On the other hand, another economist Yunus fell into trouble. When I was with World View Foundation and UNESCO, I assisted Professor Mohammed Yunus of Chittagong University to publicize his experiments with small scale credit among village women entrepreneurs which drew worldwide attention.
Yunus won the Nobel Prize for Economics and was feted in the White House. From there he was thought of as a possible Presidential nominee which drew on his head the hatred of the political establishment which could be vicious when it came to its own political interests. He was removed from the Presidentship of the Grameen Bank that he created and driven into the political wilderness. I was told that but for the personal intervention of Bill and Hillary Clinton who were his friends Yunus would have been imprisoned or even killed. I visited Dhaka many times subsequently but could not find his whereabouts. He became a non-person in Bangladesh.
Fiji
During our Asian tour Santa Crusz, who was an old man and not so familiar with our cuisine fell ill, and had to return to New York. Since our itinerary had already been finalized we decided that I should proceed alone. It became a memorable journey I flew to Sydney and found that I had been booked on an Air Pacific plane which was a small aircraft carrying mail to the South Pacific islands. This meant that we would be island hopping on the way to Fiji taking double the time of a direct flight. I was not happy about this but there was nothing I could do if I had to stick to our pre-planned schedule. In fact it turned out to be a delightful ride because of the spectacular azure sea over which we traveled and the many small islands which were visible from on high.
We broke journey in Bouganville, Noumia and Samoa. The island of Bouganville was earlier a French colony and later when I lived in Paris I met several senior officials who had served there. French politicians and officials knew of Sri Lanka because the French airline UTA which flew regularly to Colombo in the 1970-1990 period would fly on to Bouganville. UTA Representatives who lived in Colombo like Daniel Lafevre were our close friends in Paris and were immensely helpful to Sri Lankans living there.
Finally I landed in Fiji but was told that from there I had to take a smaller Fokker Friendship plane to the capital Suva. I have a love for islands and my travels in sea girt Fiji was a wonderful new experience. Earlier as a civil servant I had spent several months in Honolulu at the East-West Centre which was my introduction to the Pacific islands. There were several Sri Lankans in Hawaii then, including ‘Babu’ Wickremaratne, Colin de Silva and Renton de Alwis (who was then a post graduate student at the University of Hawaii). We spent many late evenings on the beach at Waikiki drinking beer and participating in cook outs and barbeques.
Closer home with my family members I have been to the Maldives and its pristine beaches in the outer islands. My special interest in Fiji was in the University of the South Pacific which was using telecommunications for distance learning in the different islands that were linked to the University. We recommended the use of the same telecom network for the dissemination of information on agriculture and fisheries. In the islands we recommended to UNDP to link the promotion of fisheries to that of agriculture envisaged in the DIN project.
In Fiji too there were several Sri Lankans particularly accountants and lawyers. The Fiji judiciary had several of our countrymen who were on leave from their positions in Sri Lanka. Among other professionals was Ranjit Amerasinghe, my hallmate from Peradeniya, who was an expert on insurance and law. We spent some delightful evenings together reminiscing about our days in the University. Ranjit later came back and became a senior judge of our Supreme court.
Coming back I insisted on a direct flight to Sydney and then to Colombo via Singapore. Santa Crusz and I met again in New York and presented our report to the UNDP senior officers and finished our assignment. It was circulated as a UNDP contribution to the ongoing discourse on the New Information Order.
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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