Features
New digs, some amusing anecdotes from London and sailing back home
Excerpted from the Memoirs of a Cabinet Secretary by BP Peiris
At the end of my third year at Sutton, I had, with deep regret, to find another home. As I stated before, each lot of girls left in December to be at home for Christmas and the next lot was not due till the February following. Miss Overton, who was old and wealthy, preferred to spend the cold English winter in Italy or on the Mediterranean coast. The house was therefore let for a couple of months.
In the three years I had been at Sutton, I had accumulated a fair collection of books other than my law books, about 300 in all, and it was inconvenient to move just for a month or two with such a deal of baggage. I explained the position to Miss Overton and she agreed that when I next moved out, it would be a move for good. The loss was mine. I was losing a good home, a very kind hostess and a charming lot of friends.
In finding a new home, luck was again with me. My brother, S. W., who was doing engineering, found the traveling from Sutton to London a bit tiring and had found a good home in Ealing, about nine miles to the west of London. He invited me to come and stay with him and I was glad to accept the offer. Soon afterwards, he left for Berlin to continue his studies with the world-famous firm of Siemens.
I moved with my baggage and my books to a delightful and cultured home, that of Captain and Mrs Woodward and five children, two girls and three boys.They had been a wealthy family but had come down in the world after a crash in Vickers-Armstrong in which Woodward had invested. Some of the things in the house showed that they had been used to a very high standard of living. There were rare Chinese art pictures hanging on the walls, exquisite antique tables in the lounge, and one set of books, a complete leather-bound set of the works of George Bernard Shaw, which Mrs Woodward knew almost by heart.
The conversation at table was of a very high level. The eldest, Nancy, at that time aged about 19, spoke French and German fluently. The next, also a girl, whom we used to call ‘Jimmy’ was a beauty of 17 and an artist’s model. The two elder boys also knew their French and German and the older boy was sent to Russia to study that language with a view to entering the diplomatic service. The youngest, Mike, was a mischievous fellow of four who spent his time in climbing trees in the garden.
His broad-minded mother did not put him into shoes till he was nearly five years old and used to take him barefooted along the streets, both summer and winter. On one occasion when Mike was walking barefooted on the snow with his mother, an angry lady came up and threatened to report her to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Nothing came of this; but Mike never caught a cold.
Mrs Woodward’s father, a man nearly 80 years of age, used to have a dip every morning in the Serpentine in Hyde Park and, in winter, if the lake was frozen, used to break the ice to have his plunge. He never caught a cold either. The doctors probably have some explanation for this.
There was also a German girl in the house, Felizitas Tillmann. Woodward’s eldest boy had been in a German home to study the language and this was an ‘exchange’. She paid no fees but ran the house with typical German efficiency, relieving Mrs Woodward of most of her household work. The house ran like a clock. I never had breakfast because Fay, as we all called her, ordered the table to be cleared if we were not down before a particular time.
She was a charming girl and we became very friendly. Hitler had made an order prohibiting women from using lipstick and rouge and from wearing stockings. Like any German, she loved her beer, and we used to walk a mile to the pub every evening. I sipped my beer; in German style she put her’s down at a ‘sitting’. The English people’ present were amazed at this strange girl without make-up, bareheaded and stockingless, knocking a beer down faster than they could. One day, she was unable to come with me and I went alone. As I ordered my pint, one of the Englishmen, all friendly people,
walked up to me and whispered “We have all admired the way your wife puts down her beer”.
On one of these trips with Fay to the pub, we found Mike about half a mile from the house, in the middle of the street on his bicycle, right under the arm of a policeman controlling the traffic. I shouted “Mike! What are you doing here?” and walked across to him. The policeman asked me “Are you the gentleman from Queen’s Road?” and allowed me to take him away. My name, as one of the darkies in the area, was on the books of Scotland Yard and every policeman in the area knew me and, I presume, was expected to keep an eye on me.
Another incident comes to my mind. I invited Fay to dine with me at Veeraswamy’s in London. It was a very expensive place – a rice and one curry costing about ten shillings and six pence. We were served by the head waiter, a fair, military-looking man with a row of war medals on his breast, a silver chain like a Lord Mayor’s round, his neck and dressed in white sherwani, jodhpurs, red sash and red; turban. I took him for a Kashmiri.
Having finished dinner, Fay and I retired downstairs for smokes and liqueur. I do not know how many liqueurs we consumed, but when I called for two more, the ‘Lord Mayor’ refused to serve saying that I had had enough. “You are in charge of a lady, Sir’ he said “and you have a long way to go.” How he knew where I lived, I did not know. I asked him to bring me the liqueurs or to call the manager, and the following dialogue ensued:
He: I will certainly call the manager, Sir, but I think you have had enough.
I: That is not a matter for you.
He: Are you from Ceylon, Sir?
I: I am from Ceylon, but that has nothing to do with the liqueurs.
He: What school Sir?
I: Royal.
He: I am Poulier from St Thomas’, Sir. Been here 25-years. I think you’ve had enough, Sir.
I: Thank you, Poulier. I am going.
Some time later I invited a Spanish friend of mine to dine with me at Veeraswamy’s. He returned the invitation by asking me to dinner at the Royal Alphonso in Regent Street, another exclusive restaurant. He said he would order a special dish which would take about 15 minutes to prepare. And it came: about three spoons of boiled rice with a sliced, fried banana on top.
One summer, we had a delightful holiday in the Isle of Wight with the Woodwards who had booked a large house for a month. Apart from the family, there were several new faces. There was the late Dr B. E. Fernando of revered memory. There was Mr V. Coomaraswamy (later to be knighted) and Mrs Coom as everybody called her. And Jimmy, Woodward’s daughter, had brought a male friend whom she introduced as a student of the Slade School of Art of the University of London.
From the very first day, his behaviour gave room for suspicion. Art students are poor, but during the month, this student traveled several times from Southampton to London, “on business” he said, and he traveled first class. On moonlight nights, the art student used to take the entire household to the pub after dinner for liqueurs. Mrs Woodward was curious to find out the identity of the person introduced to her by the daughter as a Slade School student. On one of our friend’s frequent trips to London, Mrs Woodward, against all the rules of British ethics, searched the student’s luggage and closely inspected every article of clothing. There were no initials on anything to disclose the identity of the guest and she drew a complete blank.
Coming down to the hall, she saw his overcoat hanging in the hall-stand and looked into it. In the inside pocket, there was the usual tailor’s tab which he had forgotten to remove. It said “G. Brockhurst Esq – W. J. Pickett, Bond Street, Tailor.” A well-known artist had been caught masquerading as a poor art student.
Gerald Brockhurst, at that time about 35 years of age, was already an Associate of the Royal Academy, a Royal Etcher and a Royal Portrait Painter. As soon as it was known that he had commenced work on a picture, an etching or a portrait, it was booked by some wealthy person for about two thousand guineas. He was in the surtax grade and was, at that time, paying tax at the rate of nineteen and six in the pound.
He had a Rolls-Royce car and kept his wife in Dieppe across the Channel, paying her almost weekly visits. In spite of his wealth he was the simplest of men. He told me he came from a very poor family, so poor that his parents had not sent him to school because they could not afford the fees. He started very early in life helping his mother by carrying coals on his head in a basket for sale. While he was waiting on the doorstep for a favourable order, he would draw on the step with a piece of coal. So are great men made.
Was it Emerson who said that the truly great man is he who is never conscious of his greatness? With his lack of education, he was deficient in grammar and spelling. He rarely wrote a letter, always preferring to send a telegram, which often went into many pages, because, as he said, plural subjects can be mixed with singular verbs. Always modest, always conscious of his small beginnings and his lack of learning, he kept his head on those artistic shoulders and never talked ‘money’. In later years, he reminded me of that other great artist, Lionel Wendt and his brother Harry, both the most unassuming of men.
We were now back after our summer holiday in the Isle or Wight. One day, it was the August Bank holiday, I suddenly came across three of my good friends in London: A. F. Wijemanne, later to become a Senator and Minister of Justice, Siripala Samarakkody, later to become a member of the State Council, a very good and fluent speaker, and Hilton M. Fernando, a linguist who knew his English, Latin and Greek and spoke French, German, Italian and Spanish. The last two have been taken away from us to their heavenly rest.
Wijemanne said his landlady had gone away for the weekend holiday, his house was empty, and would we come? Naturally, with the holiday feeling, the three of us jumped at Wije’s invitation. I invited them, as a quid pro quo for Wije’s impending hospitality, to dine with me at a Chinese restaurant and, on the way to dinner, turned in at the first pub for a ‘touch’.
The invitation had been so sudden and unexpected that none of us carried a razor, toothbrush or pyjamas for the excursion. Our host had, I believe, one drink at the pub and left to “get the place ready”. In our excitement, we forgot to ask him where his landlady lived. But Samarakkody knew. Siripala, a teetotaller took port, Hilton drank beer and I anticipating trouble, took creme de menthe before dinner.
And so, we walked along the Edgeware Road to dinner in Soho but turned in at every pub we passed just for one more until we were at the 13th place and the 13th port went into Siripala’s head. The pub was full with the Bank holiday crowds. Suddenly, Siripala, in his loud and perfect diction, started “Gentlemen of the Jury, if the prisoner be guilty etc. etc.” quoting Galsworthy from memory. The barman came and requested us to leave if we could not remain quiet. As we were leaving, two persons shook hands with us saying “Congratulations. We are Irish”.
There was no point, now, in going for dinner. Instead, Hilton went for a taxi while I was looking after the casualty who was shouting, about once in every half-minute “Independence for India”. This was the time of the Indian Round Table Conference when Winston Churchill referred to Gandhi as that half-naked fakir walking up the steps of Vice Regal Lodge.
In the taxi, after a great deal of coaxing and in the midst of his shouting, we extracted from Siripala that Wije lived in Golders Green. With more difficulty, we got the name of the street and the number of the house – 13. When we got to the house, Siripala said “Give my bloody wallet to the good old English bastard” and there was another row with the man.
We were standing on the pavement. It was nearly midnight. There was an “Independence for India” shout and a torch was flashed in our faces. They were two policemen on the beat and we inquired for number 13. They flashed the torch up the gravel path saying “Quiet, now, quiet”, and we crept in quietly. Having put Siripala to bed, we looked about the house for something to eat as we were hungry.
There was a roast chicken in the refrigerator. Wije said it was not his, but we ate it nevertheless.Many years later, back in Ceylon, I was invited by my cousin, Professor G. H. Cooray to a party at his house. There I was introduced to an English girl who was then matron at a private hospital. I related this story to her and she asked me whether I remember the number of the house. When I said “Thirteen” she shouted to her mother who was seated at the other and of the room “Mummy, here is the gentleman who stole and ate our chicken.” So small is the world.
Woodward was a charming man. He would tiptoe into my room and say, “Let’s slip out for a pint of beer, old boy”. To his wife he would say, “Mummy, Percy and I are going to post a letter”. On one of these walks to the pub to post a letter we were accosted by a pretty, painted young thing, clearly a tart who, addressing Woodward, said “Hello. Good evening. What about it?”
Woodward, who was a clean and honourable man who had served in the Duke of Westminster’s Regiment in France in the First World War, politely raised his head and said “What about what?” The girl, probably realizing that this was the wrong type of fish she was trying to hook, said “Aren’t you the gentleman I spoke to yesterday about a house?” “No, madam,” said Woodward, “You are making a mistake. I’m not a house agent.”
When we were out of earshot, Woodward asked me what he should have done in the circumstances. I told him that if she had addressed me, I would have asked her across the street behind the coffee stall and inquired what it was all about. All Woodward said was “You naughty boy”.
The time was now coming for me to leave Ealing and England for good. I had passed the LL.B and been called to the Bar. Captain Woodward himself packed my several hundred books in a crate and sealed it. I took the Dutch liner P. C. Hooft from Southampton and arrived in Colombo towards the end of May 1932.
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 . )
