Features
OPERATING SEVEN HOTELS – Part 44
CONFESSIONS OF A GLOBAL GYPSY
By Dr. Chandana (Chandi) Jayawardena DPhil
President – Chandi J. Associates Inc. Consulting, Canada
Founder & Administrator – Global Hospitality Forum
chandij@sympatico.ca
At the beginning of 1981, I was transferred to the John Keells corporate office in Colombo. I was proud to get this opportunity to work within the largest group of companies in Sri Lanka. I had been promoted from my previous post of Manager, Hotel Swanee to number two of Keells’ hotel company, Hotel Management & Marketing Services Limited (HMMS). My wife and I quickly settled in well into the Colombo social life style with regular trips to Keells hotels on the weekends. I also re-commenced judo at the Central YMCA. Having stopped judo for six years to focus on building my career as a resort hotelier on the south coast, I was happy to get an opportunity to practice judo, and study for judo grade promotion tests once again, whenever my busy work schedule allowed me to do so.
It was a big adjustment to get used to the corporate culture of John Keells which was very different to the living in and working at resort hotels. Since the nationalization of tea plantations by the socialist government in the early 1970s, John Keells commenced diversifying to multiple industries, including tourism and hospitality. In 1981, some 33 years after Ceylon/Sri Lanka gained independence from British colonizers, John Keells was still headed by two Brits (Chairman Mark Bostock and Deputy Chairman David Blackler). Nevertheless, I liked the atmosphere at the head office as John Keells had a unique and dynamic culture. It faced the historic Beira Lake built by the Portuguese colonizers in the 16th century to prevent Colombo from being re-captured by Sinhala kings and their armies.
John Keells Corporate Office in 1981
Having associated with the group’s chairman since 1972, initially through rugby football and then as a hotel manager, I was an admirer of Mark Bostock. I was extremely grateful to him for fully sponsoring my first, overseas trip and training in London in 1979. My personal friendship with him continued in 1984 when my family was invited to visit his family in their home in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent for an overnight stay during my graduate student years in the United Kingdom. Later in 1985, he supported the re-hiring of me to John Keells to manage their two largest hotels (The Lodge and The Village) as the General Manager.
Mark Bostock, was a great visionary leader but a little eccentric. All the executives came to work in our company cars dressed in shirt and tie, but our chairman took pride in coming to work on a scooter from his home in Colombo seven. His usual attire was a white shirt, no tie, white shorts and long white stockings, exactly the way he dressed for work during his early career as a tea planter. He enjoyed a good drink. One day at an office party, his wife was annoyed that he had a couple of extra drinks. She stopped addressing him as ‘Mark’ and said to him, “Bostock, time to go home. I will drive!” They left immediately. She was a very proper English lady and they made a good couple. I also knew their daughter Clair who was studying hotel management in the United Kingdom.
In addition to the directors, senior executives, executives and secretaries, there were office aides who served us excellent tea regularly. They also brought us our mail and office memos. During this pre internet and email era, we depended on them to have speedy inter office communications. One of the earliest memories at the corporate office that I fondly remember is how Mark Bostock often distributed memos from the Chairman’s office personally. “How are you settling in the head office, Chandana?” he asked me in my first week during one of his visits to my office. “Here are some memos for you”. He handed over a few papers to me and left very quickly. It was his clever way of getting some exercise while checking different offices and engaging in a causal conversation with all levels of his vast growing team.
At that time, most of the directors in the top of the group hierarchy were tea specialists or chartered accountants. They usually hired male management trainees with a middle-class English-speaking upbringing and from good schools. Most of those trainees had excelled in sports. These trainees were in their late teens and had no post-secondary education. John Keells tended to hire the attitude and train the skills. Those who learnt the ropes quickly and were dynamic, rose rapidly in the corporate ladder to board positions with impressive stock options. Once they got in, hardly anyone thought of leaving John Keells. They played a “long stay ball game” which provided job security, fun and great career prospects. They also had to play corporate politics and watch carefully where the wind is blowing.
In 1981, we knew that ‘charismatic’ Ken Balendra was destined to become the first Sri Lankan chairman of the group within a few years. Since he had such a good relationship with the two Brits at the helm, some of us in a light-hearted manner, referred to him as ‘Blackstock’, of course behind his back. We also fondly referred to him as ‘Ken Bala.’ One day when I addressed him as ‘Sir’, he tapped on my shoulder and said, “Chandana, call me Ken.”
Having managed the Maintenance and Projects Department at John Keells for a few years, my father-in-law, Captain D. A. Wickramasinghe (Captain Wicks) had been promoted by the board to re-organize and manage the outbound travel company of the group, Silverstock. That company focused on Buddhist pilgrimages to India and Nepal.
As all at the corporate office worked a half day every Saturday morning, I was ready in a shirt and tie for my first Saturday at John Keells. “Chandi, change into something more casual on Saturdays which is the Beer Day @ Keells”, Captain Wicks suggested to me. When I asked for clarification, he said that, “On Saturdays we work for a couple of hours catching up on outstanding work and plan for the next week. Then everybody is served beer and we socialize a little before going home for lunch.”
Building a Corporate Hotel Team
Hotel Management and Marketing Services (HMMS) was a small office at that time as it was started in 1979 with just two people, Director – Operations, Bobby Adams and his secretary. I became the first Manager – Operations in 1981. Our team quickly expanded to have an Engineer, Credit Controller, Hotel Reservations Coordinator and a Management Trainee. There was a vacancy for a Food and Beverage Manager on my team, so I initiated the recruitment of a well-qualified and experienced hotelier who had been educated in Beirut, Lebanon and at the oldest and the best-known hotel school in the world, The École hôtelière de Lausanne, Switzerland (Chris Weeratunga) to that position. Later, when I left John Keells, Chris was promoted to my position.
Accounting and financial services were provided by a team led by Senior Finance Director, Vivendra Lintotawela (who later in the year 2000, became the Group Chairman). He was very focused on raising our average daily room rates. Sales and marketing support was provided by Walkers Tours. The central purchasing unit of John Keells coordinated most of the purchases for our hotels.
HMMS team managed seven properties in 1981. There were four resort hotels on the South West coast – Bayroo, Swanee, Ceysands and Ambalangoda. I often went to Habarana to be engaged in operational projects at the Village and for pre-opening projects for the Lodge. The Kandy Walkin project (later opened as Hotel Citadel) was still in the planning stage, but I used to occasionally go to the Keells holiday bungalow on that site with my family and friends visiting from Austria. It was a beautiful spot close to the Mahaweli River.
Managing Temple Trees, the residence of the Prime Minister and his family, was a demanding management contract. I visited Temple Trees occasionally to support Fazal Izzadeen, our manager there and his team. Given the personal friendship Bobby Adams had with Prime Minister R. Premadasa, the Director – Operation had to be personally involved in managing this prestigious property. Being a perfectionist, Mr. Premadasa did not tolerate any sub-standard quality in maintenance, upkeep and cleanliness. Fazal did a great job in keeping the second family of Sri Lanka content with the services we provided, and more importantly, off our backs.
In Colombo, we had negotiated to take over the management of Ceylinco Hotel. “Finally, the Ceylinco deal was signed and sealed today Chandi. I would like you to take over the management of this hotel and re-organize it from now on. I know your style, and as you prefer, you have a totally free hand”, Bobby informed me. He knew that I had a personal friendship with the Ceylinco Group Chairman, Lalith Kotalawala, which was useful in taking over Ceylinco Hotel housed in, at one time the tallest building in Sri Lanka. Lalith and his wife Sicille, loved Hotel Swanee, where they used to visit occasionally when I was the manager there.
Taking over the Management of Ceylinco Hotel
One of the first things I did at Ceylinco Hotel was to have one on one discussions with each member of the management team of Ceylinco Hotel. The hotel manager decided to leave after the change. My choice for the new manager was to internally promote the Food & Beverage Manager of Ceylinco Hotel, Kesara Jayatilake as the Hotel Manager. Bobby thought that we should appoint a manager experienced with HMMS, but when he realized that I was very keen about Kesara, Bobby agreed with my suggestion.
With six popular restaurants and bars, this hotel needed a manager who was a specialist in food and beverage operations. In addition, I was impressed with Kesara’s well-established social connections in Colombo. After his promotion as manager of Ceylinco Hotel, Kesara was extremely loyal to me until his untimely death a little over a decade later, after managing a few well-known hotels in Sri Lanka, such as Lihinia Surf and Browns Beach Hotel. He was my good friend and I sorely missed him.
The rooftop restaurant of Ceylinco Hotel, Akasa Kade was a charming place. It was famous for its Sri Lanka specialities including egg hoppers. Music for dancing at Akasa Kade was provided by the popular band named after its legendary band leader and the lead singer, ‘Sam the Man’. It was also very popular for business lunches. I loved going to Akasa Kade in the evenings
I transferred a few food and beverage management and supervisory stars who worked with me at other hotels, to Ceylinco to strengthen Kesara’s team. We introduced theme events and opened a new evening restaurant using the front car park of the building which was never full after office hours. After brainstorming with the new management team of Ceylinco Hotel, we developed a concept unique to Sri Lanka in the early 1980s and gave the new restaurant a Sinhala name – ‘Para Haraha’ (Across the Road). It was the first ever side walk café in Sri Lanka.
An Assignment in Hong Kong
In the midst of my busy schedule with HMMS, Bobby Adams entrusted me, on short notice, with a very special assignment in Hong Kong. He wanted me to quickly plan and organize a large Sri Lankan and Maldivian food festival at the Hotel Furama InterContinental, Hong Kong. It was an important, two-week tourism promotional festival, in partnership with a few organizations. They were represented by well-known leaders of the tourist industry, such as M. Y. M. Thahir of Walkers Tours, Pani Seneviratne of Ceylon Tourist Board and Ahamed Didi of Universal Resorts, The Maldives.
The InterContinental Hotel Group was expected to be represented by a senior Sous Chef from their five-star hotel in Colombo. The festival included 28 large buffets for lunch and dinner over 14 days, promoting Sri Lankan cuisine and a few dishes from the Maldives. The Hotel Furama InterContinental had agreed to provide three of their cooks to assist the Guest Executive Chef representing Sri Lanka.
At the eleventh hour, the Executive Chef of Hotel Ceylon InterContinental, who was a Swiss-German, had refused to release his second in command to travel to Hong Kong. He had been concerned that the support in Hong Kong was inadequate to produce 28 large buffets over 14 days. He wanted three Sri Lankan additional chefs from his brigade to be provided with air tickets to Hong Kong. That request was not accepted by Air Lanka, the airline sponsor of festival.
The reputation of Walkers Tours (a key subsidiary of John Keells Group) as the main organizer of the festival was at stake. Bobby asked me, “Chandi, we need someone like you to rise to the occasion. Can you please help our company by organizing all aspects of food for this festival in Hong Kong?” I planned the menus, calculated quantities of all ingredients and purchased a few key buffet decorations on the same day from Laksala, and took off on an Air Lanka flight to Hong Kong the very next day. Having ceased to be an Executive Chef, two years prior to that, it was a challenging assignment for me, but I always loved a challenge!
During the flight, I was thinking of my father’s advice given to me just before my trip. He said, “Chandana, try your best to do even a short trip to China after the food festival. Future global tourism will be divided into two – China and the rest of the world! Don’t miss this opportunity.” As a former state visitor to China in the 1950s and the author of the first-ever Sinhala book about China in the 1960s, my father had a deep knowledge about China’s past and the present. Therefore, I was not surprised by his prediction for the future, although in 1981, it was difficult to imagine how China would eventually become one of the four top tourist destinations in the world.
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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