Features
OLD BOY’S CHOICE !
SOME NOTES ON ROYALIST SONS OF THOMIAN FATHERS
By Rajakeeya
The perennial debate that sparks off when old Royalists and old Thomians meet often centre round the claim over which of the two schools had a better record in producing successful men. There is no doubt that both schools have produced men of eminence whether it be national leaders, academics, professionals, sportsmen, businessmen or those immersed in the fine arts. One unfailing test of the claim of superiority is to ascertain what eminent old boys themselves look for, when choosing an educational institution for their own sons. Let’s start with national leaders. The first Prime Minister DS Senanayake a man to whom a lot of “horse sense” has been attributed, had both his sons Dudley and Robert educated at his old school S Thomas. DS studied only up to the 7 th standard at STC and was known as” Kalay John”. He had two elder brothers nicknamed “Colombo John” and “London John”. London John was none other than FR Senanayake the only one of the three brothers to receive a tertiary education. He was also the only one of the three brothers to study at Royal College. That must have had a great impact on him as all his sons RG (Richard Gotabaya) CU (Upali) and FT (Tissa) were admitted to Royal where they had their entire secondary education. SWRD Bandaranaike is often referred to as the most brilliant product of S Thomas although he attended school at S Thomas only for a couple of years! He was mostly tutored at home by a resident tutor from Britain AC Radford employed by SWRD’s father.
He however must have appreciated the value of an education at Royal in preference to S Thomas, as his only son Anura received his education there. Premadasa of course staked his claim, which according to his detractors was a mythical education he was supposed to have received at St Joseph’s! He even built some edifice there at enormous cost, so the school would have been more than pleased to admitting his son. However, in his wisdom he chose to educate his only son at Royal. GG Ponnambalam who had part of his education at St Joseph’s would not trust the old school to educate his son Kumar who attended Royal right through from Prep School through College till he left to follow his father’s career. There was also Sir Oliver Goonetilleke arguably the most distinguished old boy of Wesley College who chose to send his only son Ernie to Royal. Mahinda Rajapakse would have dearly loved to send his sons to Royal as he himself would have preferred for his own education, to follow in the footsteps of his cousin George Rajapakse who captained the cricket first eleven and scored twin centuries in the encounter with Trinity. The area rule imposed by Royal came in his way and he had to make do with an education at Thurstan College, while choosing S Thomas for the education of his sons. President Sirisena has a son named Daham who attracted some notoriety at the Royal Thomian Match of 2016 by barging uninvited to the VIP enclosure and earning the wrath of old boys of both schools. He was wearing the colours of Royal but I do not really know whether he received his education there at any time.
Now let’s get to the Board of Governors of S Thomas which is a group of about eight people including the Warden, representative of the Diocese of the Anglican Church which runs the school, and a few loyal old boys. For many years they were Sir Solomon Dias Bandaranaike, Sir James Obeysekere, Mr CEA Dias, and Dr GH de Saram. Apart from Sir Solomon (who admitted his son SWRD to S Thomas) all the other members of the Board of Governors of S Thomas sent their sons to Royal, obviously knowing that their progeny could receive a better education there! Sir James Obeysekere for instance sent his only son JP Obeysekere to Royal, JPO later attended Cambridge University after which he flew to Ceylon in his own aircraft! Dr GH de Saram(who played for S Thomas in the famous nine run match) sent his son GSW de Saram(later Prof of Forensic Medicine) to Royal where he was a tremendous asset to his old school always officiating at Athletics meets etc. Prof GSW sent all his sons, Willie, Christopher, John, and Allan to Royal and all had remarkable careers later. CEA Dias educated his son Stanley at Royal, and grandson Michael captained Royal at cricket. So one could surmise that even the Board of Governors of S Thomas had an unconcealed admiration and respect for the education provided by Royal, so much so that their own progeny were educated there in preference to S Thomas.
Now to come to some other ‘key’ old boys of S Thomas. Bradman Weerakoon is one of the few old Thomians who entered the coveted Ceylon Civil Service and is often spruiked by Thomians as the perfect embodiment of the phrase “men sana in corpora sano” (a healthy mind in a healthy body), as he captained the school cricket team in addition to his attainments in public service. He certainly must be having a “healthy” mind as he didn’t trust his old school when he had to educate his son Asela, who was admitted to Royal, and that speaks volumes for the father’s sense of judgment as Asela turned out to be a scholar in his own right and is a successful career diplomat. Senator M Tiruchelvam was an old Thomian who saw the merit of education in Royal and had both sons including the late Neelan, have their education at Royal. Neelan and his brother Rajendra would both have enjoyed their learning at Royal, their sons too being educated there. Then we have Sri Lanka’s foremost partition lawyer SJV Chelvanayakam an old Thomian who took his penchant for partitioning to a national level by espousing federalism! He in his wisdom had all of his sons including Chandrahasan and Vaseeharan educated at Royal.
Another lawyer and former Supreme Court Judge ARH Canekeratne whose portrait adorned the pages of the Centenary Number of the Thomian Magazine, would have assumed that his sons should get a better education than he did, and had both his sons Nihal,and Ranjan educated at Royal. Ranjan’s son Kris is an international corporate high flyer being the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Virtusa a Nasdaq quoted company in Silicon Valley with an asset register worth over US$1 Billion, reinforcing the old saying “quality begets quality”. Dr SC Paul distinguished surgeon, had his early education in a school in Jaffna, then moved to Colombo where he studied for a couple of years each at Wesley College and S Thomas College Mutwal. He married the daughter of Dr Aserappah an old Royalist, and had several children including two surgeons Dr Milroy Paul, and Dr ATS Paul, and another son a well known Civil Servant who took the name Paul Marcus Jeyarajan. Dr SC Paul in his wisdom chose to educate all of his sons at Royal, and the practice has continued to the next generation as well. We also had the famous Lingam brothers Dr C Panchalingam,C. Nagalingam, C. Thiagalingam, C Suntheralingam, and Dr C Amirthalingam. They were all educated at St Josephs, College, Maradana, but all of them without exception had their sons educated at Royal, many of the sons even surpassing the achievements of their illustrious fathers.
Now to get to a matter which will really raise the regard Thomians should have for Royal. When Royal College was founded as the Colombo Academy in 1835 it was set up deliberately as a secular institution as many families in Colombo wanted their children to be raised in a non religious environment. Despite the fact that both Marsh and Boake the first Principals of Royal were “men of the cloth”, education in the school was not coloured by any spiritual doctrine thus leaving students to be capable of independent thought and vision. That philosophy seemed to have paid rich dividends. The leading ecclesiastics in the country all were educated at the secular school called Royal College. Old Royalists who held high church office were Archbishops Lakdasa de Mel, Bishop Lakshman Wickremesinghe, Bishop Harold de Soysa(the first Ceylonese Bishop of Colombo), Bishop Cyril Abeynaike, Bishop Kenneth Fernando, Canon Beven, and recently Bishop Duleep de Chickera and Archbishop Roger Herft Archbishop of Perth, among a host of others too numerous to mention. The list goes on and on but there are no names that come to mind from S Thomas ! Bishop Lakdasa de Mel was the last Metropolitan Bishop of India, Pakistan, Burma, and Ceylon. A man well known for his learning and for bringing in elements of indigenous culture into the Church and its practices, was also known for his irrepressible sense of humour. When he received an invitation to preside at the Annual Prize Giving of S Thomas College, Mount Lavinia,( a school administered by his Diocese) he feigned ignorance of the existence of the school and inquired of his Assistant “Isn’t that the school located somewhere in the southern suburbs of Colombo near a swimming bath?”. The assistant just exploded into laughter!
The well known Buddhist prelate Rev Kassappa of Vajirarama is a great example of Royal’s contribution to the cause of Buddhism, and recently retired Civil Servant and old Royalist Olcott Gunasekere followed his example and is now resident in Vajirarama as Ven Vajiraramavasi Nanaseeha Thero.
Someone recently wrote about the manner in which Royal College helped in the foundation of S Thomas in 1851. Let me add to that by referring to the munificence of an old Royalist Leslie WF de Saram who donated his 35 acre orchard at Gurutalawa to S Thomas which helped that school establish its Gurutalawa branch there. I wonder whether any old Thomian could match his magnanimity in helping his old school, leave alone a rival school.?
When I entered Royal College from Royal Prep School my Form Master greeted new entrants with warm words of welcome followed by an exhortation to sons of old Royalists among the new entrants to raise their hands, (for identification)and almost half the class did so. After all it is the school “where our fathers learnt their way before us”. The Government’s two mile radius rule introduced later kept out many sons of old Royalists from educating their children in the “school of their fathers”. Thanks to President JR Jayewardene however, there has been some equity restored for old boys, fifty percent of vacancies in grade 1 being reserved for sons of old boys, a reservation which we hope will continue. Educational tradition needs continuity and we hope that the rule prevails to this day. FLOREAT !
Features
The heart-friendly health minister
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.
Features
A LOVING TRIBUTE TO JESUIT FR. ALOYSIUS PIERIS ON HIS 90th BIRTHDAY
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.
Features
A fairy tale, success or debacle
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 . )