Features
MY MOTHER
(We publish this week another chapter from Falling Leaves, an autobiographical anthology of articles written by L.C. Arulpragasam, among the last surviving members of the old Ceylon Civil Service (CCS) who at over age 95-years lives in Manila following a long career with FAO beginning after he quit the CCS.)
My mother, Bertha Pavalaratnam Chellappah was born in Jaffna on January 18, 1903. She died at the age of 90 years in Colombo, in 1993. Her father was a Hindu until he converted to Christianity to join the Salvation Army. He then married a devout Christian lady, so that my mother was brought up in a deep Christian faith while all her paternal uncles and their families remained staunch, high-caste Hindus.
She grew up in Jaffna, attending the Chundikuli Girls School, an Anglican Mission School, reputed to be among the best in Jaffna. She was given a colonial version of an English ‘boarding school’ education under an English Headmistress, aimed at educating aspiring young ladies of Jaffna for marriage. The curriculum led up to the Senior Cambridge Examination, which my mother passed with distinctions. The students were supposed to speak to each other only in English; they were fined five cents every time that they were caught speaking Tamil. In addition to academics, they were taught the fine arts and social graces expected of girls of the middle class in those days, such as cooking, sewing, playing the piano and playing tennis. My mother also became extremely proficient in English, because she read widely. I remember that when I was 12 years old, she pulled me up for using the passive verb ‘imbibed’ when I should have used the positive verb ‘imbued’.
She was very versatile. She was an accomplished pianist and even learned to play the Hawaiian guitar. She had a small collection of classical music records, which we played on our old gramophone at home. She was also a skilled seamstress, sewing all our clothes when we were young; she continued to make and embroider chair-back and cushion covers until her eyesight failed. Likewise, she would make and decorate all our birthday and Xmas cakes. She was also a good tennis player. In Batticaloa, around 1940, she won the Eastern Province Tennis Championship. I remember her hitching up her sari to execute her powerful forearm drives (but her service was weak!) to beat the former (English) lady champion, who wore a very short skirt, which was magic to my 12-year-old eyes at that time!
My mother had a keen wit and a lively sense of humour, keeping her friends in fits of laughter. She was sociable and loved company, compensating for the reserved ways of my father, with her wit and ready laughter. Our house would always be full of friends and visitors. In fact, since I can ever remember, our house was always treated as an open house, with friends dropping in, or staying over for many days. It must have been very hard for my mother, who reveled in company, to be deprived of all educated company during the long years at Mandapam Camp.
Mum had an enterprising and competitive spirit. I remember that in Batticaloa, where my father served as the District Medical Officer around 1939-44, the exclusive Gymkhana Club had a Treasure Hunt in which participants were given a list of some 30 outlandish things to collect in the course of a given Saturday. I remember that among the odd things to be collected were the ‘wish-bone’ of a chicken and a live hermit crab.
My mother got to work in competitive mode. I heard the squawk of a chicken whose neck was being cut for the needed ‘wish bone’, while our house boy was sent to the sea beach to find a hermit crab. Needless to say, my parents (that is, my mother) won the first prize! She probably imbued us with the same competitive spirit! In my seventh or eighth Grade, when I used to hang out coming about third in my class, she offered me a bicycle if I came first. Needless to say, I obliged.
Our mother became a central figure in our lives. She encouraged us to read widely, emphasizing this more than our studies. She encouraged me to play the piano and even urged me to take piano lessons – which I avoided – to my regret. She encouraged us in our sports too. The only thing that my parents would not allow us to do was to swim in the sea – for fear of drowning. Little did they know that in Colombo during term-time I used to swim in the sea almost daily. This is the only secret that I kept from my parents, since I did not want to cause them unnecessary anxiety.
Since my father was a remote (though indulgent) figure who seldom engaged in conversation, all our discussion was with or through my Mum. If we wanted anything, we would ask Mum: if she needed to consult Dad, she would do so. We had a relaxed non-authoritarian upbringing from our parents, who encouraged us to do whatever we could. It was probably Mum’s competitive spirit and Dad’s high expectations that drove us always to do better!
Since my father was always stationed in the provinces, except for a spell of about four years in Colombo, we saw our parents only during our school or University holidays. This was tough on us all, but especially on my elder brother and me. I was sent off to school and boardings in Colombo at the age of eight years – while my elder brother even at the age of five! I still remember my mother sending me off at the railway station in Batticaloa – where my Dad was stationed at the time. I remember even after 83 years, the sari she was wearing when the train pulled away from the station! I would then look forward to Mum’s weekly letters.
Since we were away from home for most of our growing years, it was Mum who held our family together. I realize in retrospect, however, that we four siblings were not really close to one another. This was probably because we grew up in four different locations, confronting our daily problems alone, meeting only for our vacations in our common parental home.
Looking back, I find that my parents did not have an authoritarian hold over us, like some of my friends’ parents did. Although they showed their love and affection in many ways, I am more aware now that they never expressed it either verbally, or in a physical way. My mother would kiss me each time that we parted to go back to school; but I cannot remember her even touching, hugging me after I was about 12 years old. Their love was not the ‘touchy-feely’ love that one witnesses today.
I think that this is the way they were expected to behave in the traditional Jaffna Tamil culture. It may have been a generational thing too. I remember being surprised when a Sinhalese colleague told me in 1958 that his two daughters knelt and worshipped at his feet every morning before leaving for school! My parents were not authoritarian or inaccessible; but neither did they openly declare or show their love and affection. May be that this was not done in those days in Sri Lanka!
My mother remained a widow for 36 years after my father’s death in 1957. It must have been hard for her during those years. She lived some of those years with me in Bangkok and later in Rome. But for most of the time, she lived in Colombo, under arrangements that I made for her, whereby she had her independence while at the same time being under the caring eye of a relative.
She used to read widely, which is what kept her going. She went on like this until she was around 75 years of age, when she fell and broke her hip, which aged her considerably. She lived thereafter in the loving home of a caring cousin, Mrs. Jeyam Babapulle, who cared for her as if she were her own sister.
My mother was a devout Christian – and she spent the last several years of her life preparing for her death. Even at the age of 90 years and near death, she jokingly and irreverently remarked to me: ‘I am still waiting for the Call: but since I am a bit deaf, maybe I didn’t hear it!’ Since most of her children were living abroad, she would (Mrs. Babapulle told me) wait for my arrival in Sri Lanka in order to die! (I was living in Rome at that time and could only come to Colombo for a few days at a time). Habitually at our parting, she would cry, hug and kiss me, crying that it was the last time that she would be seeing me!
But since she continued to live for many more years, she would when repeating this drama, laugh through her tears, saying that these dramatic partings were becoming a joke! In the end, according to her wishes, she died when I was in Sri Lanka for a short visit. Her funeral was held at Jeyam Akka’s (Mrs. Babapulle’s) loving home, where she had spent the last years of her life. She had wanted to be cremated, so that her ashes could be interred with my Dad’s (this was during the civil war years) in their common grave in Jaffna. Years later, after the end of the war, I was able to restore my parents’ grave and install a new gravestone, engraved with the verse that she herself had chosen.
Thus ended the life of a loving, caring, intelligent, gifted, versatile and laughter-loving woman to whom we all owed so much.
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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