Features
Musical Chairs – The Supreme Court of the USA
by Vijaya Chanderasoma
According to Article III Section 1 of the United States Constitution, “The judicial power of the United States shall be vested in the Supreme Court, and in such inferior courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish.”
The first Congress of the United States established a Supreme Court with six Justices in 1789. Supreme Court Justices enjoyed lifetime tenure then, as they do now. The Constitution empowers Congress to determine the number of sitting Justices, according to prevailing exigencies of the nation. The number of Justices on the Supreme Court changed six times before Congress settled on the present total of nine in 1869.
The framers of the Constitution expected that the Supreme Court be an independent body, composed of Justices who will interpret and adjudicate on any case before them according to the Constitution and the merits of the case. In short, the Supreme Court is not expected to make the law, it is supposed to interpret and adjudicate the law.
Unfortunately, the modern Supreme Court is not the independent, non-partisan body envisioned by the framers of the Constitution. It reflects the policies and values of the president in power at the time a vacancy occurred. So the composition of the Court depends, at any given time, on a game rather like Musical Chairs, where the incumbent president will appoint to the Court a Justice receptive to his political philosophy when the music stops at the death, impeachment or resignation of a sitting justice.
The music stopped last month when Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a progressive Justice appointed by President Clinton in 1993, died after 27 years of distinguished service. President Trump gleefully nominated a Justice who is undoubtedly well-qualified and, more importantly, is in harmony with the radical right-wing values of the Republican Party.
It has long become a tradition, even a decree, for a sitting president to appoint Justices who are faithful to the values of his own party, and expect that those appointed will conform to party lines, conservative or progressive, in the future. While the tenure of the appointing president is restricted to two terms, Justices, appointed with lifetime tenure as they are, are not so constrained. Therein lies the anomaly that has plagued the independence of the Court in recent times.
Judge Barrett’s confirmation hearings before the Senate judiciary committee began on Monday, October 12, with the Republican controlled Senate hell bent on having Barrett confirmed before the election, and packing the Court with a right-wing majority which will endure during the next generation.
Republicans are using the Supreme Court not to benefit the future of the country but to ensure the survival of their party. The final confirmation vote of Judge Barrett, the result of which is already a foregone conclusion, will be scheduled for the week of October 26, well before Election Day on November 3.
Judge Barrett is an ultra-conservative jurist. She is a “handmaid” (a high ranking female leader) of a cult-like religious community, People of Praise, a Christian organization which opposes abortion, and holds that “men are divinely ordained as the ‘head’ of both the family and faith, while it is the duty of wives to obey them.” She endorses Originalism, “the judicial interpretation of the Constitution which aims to follow closely the original intentions of those who drafted it”.
Originalism demands a strict interpretation of the original Constitution which denies the inexorable progress of societal norms. If this principle is to be taken seriously, we would live in a very different society, one in which segregated schools under the law and governmental discrimination against women, gays and lesbians would be permissible; where a black man would be worth 3/5ths of a white man, and a woman of any color worthless.
Describing her legal principles, Barrett said in her opening statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee: “As a judge on the Seventh Circuit, I have carefully considered the arguments presented by the parties, discussed the issues with my colleagues on the court, and done my utmost to reach the result required by the law, whatever my own preferences might be.”
Judge Barrett has refused to answer hot button issues, posed by Democratic Senators and Vice Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris, throughout the Senate hearing. She protested vehemently that she has no political agenda, and denied she had been subjected to any political pressure by the President on her rulings on the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), which will be the first case she will hear after her appointment, or on any other issue. She stated that the opinions contained in her papers and opinions in the past, which expressed her strong objections to Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court ruling of 1973 guaranteeing women’s right to reproductive freedom, and Obamacare, will in no way influence her rulings in the future.
Senator Feinstein pointed out that when Trump announced her nomination, he said that “the elimination of the Affordable Care Act would be a big win for the American people”, both in the short term and for decades to come. A “win” that would strip tens of millions of Americans of their healthcare insurance cover with a fast-approaching, cold, hard winter, in the throes of a pandemic showing no signs of abatement.
Responding to Democratic Vice Presidential candidate, Senator Kamala Harris via teleconference, Barrett made the incredible claim that she was not aware of the Trump campaign promise that he would nominate to the Court a Justice committed to repeal Obamacare. Her response: “I do not recall”. Trump’s anti Obamacare tweets have been, over the years, as self-serving as they have been numerous.
Trump has repeatedly lied that he has a replacement healthcare plan which will be immediately available after the repeal of Obamacare. This so-called “new plan” has been as diligently guarded as Trump’s tax returns. The difference being that Trump’s tax returns do exist and will not be divulged because they will incriminate the president and land him in prison, while a replacement healthcare plan exists only in Trump’s alternative universe.
Barrett concealed her virulent anti-abortion beliefs from the Senate Judiciary Committee in a questionnaire she completed before her confirmation hearings. She has also paved the way at the Senate hearing to repeal Roe v. Wade on the grounds that the 1973 ruling was not settled law, not a “super precedent” and so subject to challenge.
Barrett also maintained that she will make any decisions on potential disputes in the upcoming elections based on the facts of each case, and not on political grounds or presidential pressure.
Of course, every Justice, on nomination to the Court by Republican or Democratic presidents, swear that they will maintain their judicial independence during their tenure; that they will not be swayed by political pressure on the outcome of any case brought before them. And then every one of these Justices, Republican and Democrat, proceed blithely to base their rulings on political and party lines on the cases before them. Everyone knows that they have been appointed precisely because of their complicity of laws/rules dear to the appointing president. Barrett is no exception. She is a prime example of the sycophancy currently demanded of Supreme Court Justices.
Barrett will join the two other Trump Supreme Court stooges, Gorsuch and Kavanaugh, in impeding laws on gun control (Barrett is a darling of the National Rifle Association – the gun lobby), climate change, LGBTQ rights, the minimum wage, compassionate immigration reforms (sans caged children!), social and economic justice, and a host of other progressive, democratic socialist measures becoming increasingly popular, especially with the younger generation of Americans.
Most importantly, Trump needs a packed Court which will rule on his behalf on any cases he will bring in the event of a disputed 2020 presidential election, in the certain knowledge that a captive Supreme Court will gift him a disputed or even a lost election, a la Al Gore in 2000. In fact, Trump and McConnell are getting this confirmation approved at warp speed with this very purpose in mind.
The Biden/Harris ticket has studiously sidestepped responding to questions about changing the composition of the Court. However, packing the Court with Justices of independence and integrity may be the only path available to the Democrats to mitigate the deleterious effects of a partisan Republican judiciary for decades to come; and to combat an impending threat to a return to a pre-FDR America, Jim Crow, depression and all.
After all, Mitch McConnell packed the Court when he denied President Obama’s nominee for the Court, Merrick Garland, even a Senate hearing, even though the nomination was made a full eight months before the end of Obama’s term in 2016. While McConnell is rushing the nomination of Barrett even while a presidential election is in progress.
Trouble is, Democrats will have to win the presidency, flip the Senate and keep the House if they are to seize the power to address the existing inequalities in the Supreme Court. Not an unlikely scenario, given the evidence of current polls.
However, the real test would be to overcome fraudulent efforts by the Republicans to nullify/falsify election results, to legally/forcibly extricate Trump from the White House on his likely defeat, and to mitigate post-election violence which will inevitably follow a Trump defeat.
On an unrelated note, during the Senate hearings, when fatalities caused by a raging Covid19 reached 215,000, with up to 1000+ Americans dying every day, and 30 million Americans unemployed with no prospect of government relief, President Trump was dancing to the music of the Village People classic YMCA at a “super-spreader” campaign rally in Florida.
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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