Features
MY FIRST OVERSEAS BUSINESS VISIT
Excerpted from the autobiography of Merril. J. Fernando
Before I set out for Jap1an, in 1960, on my first overseas business trip, I was advised by Terrence Allan of AF Jones to be extremely careful in the manner that I dealt with our agents in Japan, H. J. Kramer Limited, a Japanese company headed by Otto Gerhardt, a German national. Apparently, Gerhardt had been very apprehensive when he heard that I was due to visit him, as, previously, he had had only British Directors of the company on business visits.
He had been very concerned for his business and the interviews we had arranged. He did not know me personally and may have been very doubtful of my competence, whilst the fact that I was an unknown and unproven Asian would have also contributed significantly to his misgivings.
My first official meeting in Japan was with our biggest importer, Mitsui Norin. Two of its Directors, Messrs. Evakura and Saito, invited me to a tasting session – much to the surprise of Gerhardt. He was very nervous about the possible outcome, as if I did anything to displease or disappoint the Japanese clients, there was the possibility of losing a very good customer.
I started tasting the teas which had been set out and, at one point, came to a very zippy tea, much like a very good Darjeeling. When my hosts asked me about the identity of the tea, quite naturally I said that it was a Darjeeling but they disagreed and said that it was a Japanese tea. I responded that it could not be since in Japan they produced only Green Tea, Sencha, as I was unaware then that Japan produced quality Black Tea.
After the tasting session Otto told our Japanese hosts that he was taking me to Atami because I wanted to see Mount Fuji and, jokingly, invited them to join. To his very pleasant surprise, they welcomed the idea and accompanied us. Atami is a picturesque seaside resort, south west of Tokyo, set within the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park and also the home to Mount Fuji. On our way to Fuji we broke journey and checked into a traditional Japanese hotel in Atami itself. I was shown to a rather bare room which had a clothes cupboard but no bed. When I inquired I was told that a bed would be provided.
Japanese hospitality
Soon afterwards a traditionally-dressed Japanese lady came into my room, undressed me completely, and took me into a Japanese-style bathing stall. I sat on a large cane box whilst she poured soothing warm water over me. Thereafter, I was led back in to the bedroom which, by then, had been equipped, not with a conventional bed but a Japanese-style sleeping mattress and comfortable sheets.
The dinner which followed was again of delicately-prepared Japanese dishes and local wine. Right through the meal we were attended to by Geisha type hostesses, who sat demurely by each guest’s side and, unobtrusively, but with perfect timing, anticipated our minutest needs. After two very pleasant and adventurous days, we returned to Tokyo to resume our business discussions.
To Otto’s surprise and apprehension, Evakura and Saito invited me to their office for another tea tasting session. When I arrived I was confronted with a batch of teas, which included the same Japanese equivalent of Darjeeling tea. After tasting the samples, when I identified those teas as Japanese, my hosts contradicted me and said that it was Darjeeling, despite my repeated insistence to the contrary. Notwithstanding this disagreement, the visit ended very well. I am still convinced that I was right and they were simply testing my competence as a taster. Had they been disappointed, I am certain that they would have made it known in some way.
Consequent to my visit, our business with Japan increased fourfold — much to the annoyance of Lipton, then the major supplier to Japan. In fact, Claude Godwin, Lipton’s then Managing Director, asked me not to visit Japan ever again. Indeed, my first business visit overseas on behalf of A. F. Jones resulted in very satisfactory outcomes for the company. Following the visit to Japan, at different times, I made several visits on behalf of A. F. Jones to Libya and Iraq, two of our most productive markets in that period.
My success at A. F. Jones and Co. Limited, which was appreciated by my employer, was due to both good fortune and extremely hard work. I was personally deeply satisfied by the favourable results I was able to secure, despite the fact that many aspects of the relevant operations were quite new to me.
Opening of the USSR market
The General Election of 1956, which swept out the United National Party (UNP) and brought in the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP) coalition forces led by S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, soon had its impact on international relations between Sri Lanka and the rest of the world. The anti-imperialist orientation of Premier Bandaranaike’s regime encouraged stronger ties with Marxist governments and, in December 1958, during my time at A. F. Jones, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR – Russia) established its first Embassy in Ceylon.
This development was a consequence of formal diplomatic relations between the two countries being established in 1957. Subsequently, the many bilateral agreements signed between the two countries included the export of tea, rubber, coconut oil, and coir products. These agreements were renewed and updated in 1964, 1975, and 1977.
Traditionally, Russians were big tea drinkers, with imports being largely Black Tea from China. The first consignments of Ceylon Tea had reached Russia in the 1890s, with exports from Ceylon going up to about 18 million pounds annually by 1910. However, this was minimalistic in comparison to imports from China, which then were around 120 million pounds. After trade relations were disrupted consequent to the 1917 Bolshevik revolution in Russia, there was a four-decade lull in trading activity with Ceylon.
The first USSR Ambassador to Ceylon, Alexander Nikolaevich Yakovlev, was introduced to me by a mutual friend. Yakovlev was a friendly man and got on well with us. He requested me to help his Trade Counsellor, Felix I. Mikailchenkov, to set up a tea tasting facility in a house on Thurstan Road leased out by them for that purpose. When it was completed in mid-1958, Felix said: “I am entrusting you with the responsibility of purchasing our entire requirements of Ceylon Tea.” I did not realize how big the business would be until their orders arrived.
They turned out to be quite substantial, around three to four million kg per month, mainly of good High Grown BOPS and Pekoes. In view of the volume of tea involved, many of the larger firms operating in Colombo attempted to secure the purchasing, but the relationship I had already established with the Russian representatives stood me, and A. F. Jones, in good stead.
That rapid and unexpected increase in Russian buying had a significant impact on the auction, as our large purchases of High Grown tea became a regular feature. It resulted in A. F. Jones becoming the sole buyer on behalf of Russia and a big player at the auction. The Jones family was very grateful for my contribution to this welcome business development and presented me with a silver plaque, inscribed with the legend ‘MOCKBA — December 8, 1958’. It is still displayed prominently in my office at Peliyagoda.
Until the sudden development of the Russian market, the bulk of the AFJ business centred on the Middle East, with strong attachments in Libya, Iraq, and Iran. Whenever a Russian ship arrived in port to collect their tea, which was often at short notice, there would be a major crisis in our office. We used to start processing just prior to arrival of the vessels, as the tea chests arriving from the estates were not opened but shipped out in bulk, in their original form.
Sightseeing in japen -1960
However, four sides of each chest had to be marked with Russian text, defining the various Russian brands under which the product would be sold in Russia. Senior Managers at the Port, especially C. D. Chinnakoon, were of great assistance to me in such emergency situations. He would buy me time by holding ships in the outer harbour, pending berthing, and somehow providing berths when we were ready with our consignment.
Our Colombo Harbour then had limited alongside berthing facilities. Chinnakoon was a great friend and I always kept in touch with him. Unfortunately, he had an untimely death and I pray that he is in the hands of God.
We serviced the Russian market until the Sri Lankan Government entered in to a direct agreement with the Russian administration, and the tea buying was entrusted to Consolexpo.The Russian rubber business was carried out by C. W. Mackie under the supervision of Karu Jayasuriya, business manager now turned politician.
My Russian connections
Yakovlev, a senior Russian diplomat even at the time he arrived in Ceylon, became well known in the country for his very effective interaction with his Ceylonese counterparts, whilst his tireless promotion of USSR interests within the country, apart from tea, earned him many friends in the business community. On conclusion of his term in Ceylon he returned to the Foreign Ministry in Moscow. He subsequently served a 10-year term (1973-1983) as Russia’s Ambassador to Canada.
He was a very powerful party official in Russia, apparently very close to Prime Minister Mikhail Gorbachev. After his return from Canada on completion of his ambassadorial assignment, he served for several years as a member of both the Politburo and the Secretariat of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. He is identified as the primary intellectual force behind ‘Glasnost’ and `Perestroika,’ highly influential in guiding Gorbachev’s hand in the latter’s political reform initiatives.
In ‘Gorbachev’ by William Taubman, possibly the most comprehensive original English biography of the architect of Perestroika, the author refers to Yakovlev as Gorbachev’s closest ally in Government. Until his death in 2005, Yakovlev remained politically very active and was also the author of several books, on diverse aspects of Russian contemporary political history.
In 1970, Yakovlev was replaced in Ceylon by Rafiq Nishonov, again a friendly, warm-hearted man. Eventually, both he and Rano, his gracious and friendly wife, became our family friends. One of his daughters, Firouza, was actually born during his term in Sri Lanka and together, they would frequently accompany me for holidays at my upcountry retreat, Melton Estate, in Lindula.
Rafiq, of Uzbek origin, served as Russian Ambassador in Sri Lanka from 1970-1978. During his period our tea export operations, supported by generous Russian patronage, grew considerably. Rafiq was always helpful to the local tea trading community, but ensured that his country’s interests were never compromised. Consequent to his return to USSR, he became heavily involved in party activities in his native Uzbekistan and between 1986 and 1989, served terms as Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic and also, as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Uzbek SSR.
I later learnt from him that he had been actively involved in assisting then Prime Minister Gorbachev, whom he was very close to, in resolving some tricky issues connected to the Russian entanglement in Afghanistan. I also understood that they were covert operations, deliberately withheld from the public domain.
On many visits to Moscow, I had several meetings with both Rafiq and his wife. Several times I was taken to his holiday ‘dacha’ in the country and also to the special hospital reserved for senior parliamentarians when I needed any medical attention. He also introduced me to several important Government officials, including the present Foreign Minister of Russia, Sergei Lavrov, who served in Ceylon during Rafiq’s tenure as Ambassador. In fact, during Rafiq’s term as Ambassador in Ceylon, because of Lavrov’s fluent command of Sinhala, he also served as Rafiq’s interpreter on official occasions.
Rafiq’s Deputy at the USSR Embassy was the big, powerfully-built Sasha Lysenko, a man of considerable influence in local diplomatic circles. Our business association developed in to personal friendship as well, and he and his wife became great friends with me. My close interaction with Russian diplomatic and trade representatives in Sri Lanka, provided me with highly-beneficial access to their counterparts and associates in Moscow. These contacts and relationships built up over the years were of great help to me subsequently in the development of my Dilmah brand.
I made my first business visit to Russia in 1962. Most of the Russian officials serving in various capacities in Sri Lanka, who I met in the course of my business, also became great personal friends. Without exception, I found them to be warm and friendly, naturally gregarious and, as a group, with a great capacity for enjoyment. Most of the Russians I met, both in Sri Lanka and in their home country, were, by and large, Asiatic in their unaffected friendliness and camaraderie, though they did take time to measure you. Once the ice was broken, they took you into their hearts and their homes. The difference between them and the typical Westerners, with their more restrained and often-guarded responses, was easily discernible.
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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