Features
Order in the court
An important judicial personage was to be the Chief Guest at a prize giving of a leading school in Galle. And he prepared a six-page speech and getting his stenographer to make several copies of it, there was no photocopying at the time, he distributed them to the pressmen present saying, “You reporter fellows always distort, misreport or under-report speeches made by important people on important occasions like this. So I want to make sure that a complete report of my speech is published in your various newspapers.”
These tactless and ill-advised remarks got the goat of the local correspondent who decided to cut the Chief Guest down to size. Two or three days later the proceedings of the prize giving were reported in the country’s newspapers. The speeches of the manager of the school, the principal and even the head prefect’s vote of thanks were reported in detail and the report ended with the words; “The Chief Guest Mr. so and so also spoke.”
A.E. Buultjens was once the District Judge of Galle. One day a woman appeared before him charged with obstructing a court officer in the performance of duty. Apparently the officer had gone to evict her from a hut she had built on crown land. When her name was called, the woman walked into the dock accompanied by her two teenaged daughters. They were both blind. “Hamuduruwane,” said the women, “It is true that I obstructed the niladarithuma, but what else could I do? If we are thrown out of our house, my poor blind daughters and I will have no place to live.” Judge Buultjens fined the woman two hundred rupees for the offence. Then putting his hand into his pocket, he fished out two hundred rupee notes, and giving the money to his stenographer, asked him to pay the woman’s fine.
Once an ancient Egyptian Pharaoh paid a visit to a Court, when it was in session. On seeing the king, the judge rose from his seat and saluted the king. It is said that the king promptly dismissed the judge from the post, for failing to preserve the independence of the Judiciary.
A certain lawyer was noted for the vigour of his language and the brusqueness of manner. One day he was arguing an appeal and in so doing provoked the judge to lose his temper.
Then addressing the lawyer the judge said “I can teach you law but I cannot teach you manners.” “Quite so My Lord” shot back the lawyer with heavy sarcasm, “Quite so!”
The judge’s face turned red while those at the Bar suppressed their sniggers with great difficulty.
One day a psychiatrist while giving evidence before a pompous self-opinionated judge said, “Thinking generates electricity.”
“Then there will be lot of electricity around the Bench,” said the judge.
“Yes,” said the cross-examining counsel, “but of a very low voltage.”
During a murder trial a small boy had finished giving evidence. He was followed by his strikingly good-looking mother. The defence counsel asked her, “Are you the mother of the boy who gave evidence just now?” She answered that it was so. Then his next question was “Who is his father?” At this the judge lost his cool and asked the counsel whether all that was relevant to this murder trial as it is a waste of time. The counsel then replied, “I will not go ahead with that question as it seems to embarrass your Lordship.”
One day a lawyer for a defendant, who had the dice very much loaded against him, was nevertheless determined to do his best. As the judge kept interrupting him, the lawyer said that the Chief Justice Sir Anton Bertram’s chamber had a framed motto hung above his table.
The motto was ‘AUDI ALTERAM PARTEM’: Let both sides be heard. Thereafter there were no more interruptions from the Bench.
There was a news item, that a youthful defendant standing trial before a Court in Indonesia, on subversion charges, has objected to be tried by a female judge saying the sight of her sexcities him!
There was this lawyer who believed in introducing a little drama into any case he appeared in.
One day he appeared for a man accused of stabbing another to death. The Judicial Medical Officer had given evidence about the injuries sustained by the deceased, implying that he was standing when he was stabbed. When the lawyer for the defence, this man of drama, stood up to cross-examine the JMO, he threw himself on the floor, face upwards, and asked the JMO whether the deceased could not have been in that position when he was stabbed.
Naturally, the Judge was quite astonished at this rather undiginified exhibition, and rebuked the lawyer mildly. “Mr. Attorney” he said, with a twinkle in his eye, “thank Heavens you did not appear in the previous case. It was a rape case!”
Speaking of rape cases, in one such case, after the jury had returned having reached their verdict, the Foreman of the jury said, “We find the accused guilty, but we recommend mercy as he had committed the act on the spur of the moment.” “Oh?” said the judge coldly. “Will you please tell me on what other spur you expect the act to be done?”
Many years ago, there was this King’s Counsel, who came from a very humble stock but with a deplorable tendency to treat the simple folk with scant courtesy. Once appearing in a murder case, he bullied and browbeated an aged woman from the village where he was born and spent his childhood, but whom pretended not to recognise. “Now tell me witness,” he thundered, “how far were you from the scene of the alleged crime?” “Hamuduruwane, the distance was about the same distance from Babun Signo’s boutique in our village, yours and mine, to the shanty, where your mother used to make hoppers for sale!”
A person who was called upon to serve on the jury begged to be excused. “My Lord,” he told the judge, “My wife is about to conceive!” Suppressing a smile the judge said, “No no what you mean is that your wife is about to deliver! Anyway in either case, I agree that your presence is essential!”
This story is about a rather exuberant Judge, whose sense of justice outran his discretion. A shipping company was being sued for damages by a consignee whose bags of rice had fallen into the water in the process of being unloaded into a barge, when the ship’s tackle had given way. The company that owned the barge disclaimed responsibility on the grounds that liability did not arise until the bags were actually placed in their barge. The shipping company that owned the ship disclaimed liability saying that their responsibility was over the moment the goods left the ship’s tackle. The Judge said angrily: “Both of you are trying to avoid payment of damages to this unfortunate man. He has lost twenty-eight bags of rice. Now, tell me, who is responsible?” “Neither of us,” chorused the two defending counsels. “It was an Act of God.” “Hell of a god,” exclaimed the Judge.
“An IRC who had been convicted several times by the same Judge in the same Court, was produced once more before the Judge. “It is time we checked your career of crime,” the Judge told the old offender severely. “How many times have you been convicted of this same offence before?” “Eight times, your honour,” was the man’s unruffled reply.” “Eight times?” Exclaimed the Judge. “Then this time I shall give you the maximum sentence laid down by the law.” “Maximum?” echoed the prisoner in dismay. “Aw, c’mon, your honour, don’t regular customers get a bit of a discount?”
A witness was giving evidence and it was evident that the fellow was lying. “Isn’t most of what you are saying completely untrue?” snapped the Judge. “M’lord,” said the man, drawing himself up haughtily. “I would have the court know that I have always been wedded to the truth!” “Oh?” said the Judge sarcastically. “And since when have you been a widower?”
As a judge was about to pass sentence on an accused found guilty of burglary, the man cried passionately, “May God strike me dead, your Honour, if I did it!” The Judge waited for a few moments, gazing heavenwards, and then said dryly, “Since Providence has not seen fit to interpose in your case, it is my duty to pronounce the lighter sentence prescribed by law. Six months!”
Many years ago an Englishman was the Panadura Magistrate. He wasn’t exactly bulging with brains, and many a person wondered how he ever became a magistrate. The young Secretary to the Court was getting married and naturally he invited the magistrate to be his attesting witness. On the day of the wedding, the English Magistrate, accompanied by his Interpreter Mudliyar, went to the Bride’s house in his chauffeur-driven car. As they approached the bride’s house, where the wedding was being held, the Magistrate noticed several coloured flags strung across the road. “Good God!” exclaimed the Magistrate, his face turning pale. “Quick turn back! Get away from here as fast as you can!”
The driver did as he was ordered, and as they sped away, the Interpreter Mudliyar turned to the Magistrate in consternation and asked. “What’s wrong sir? Why are we turning back?”
“Did you see that string of coloured flags?” asked the Magistrate mopping his brow. “I served a spell in the Royal Navy before I came to Ceylon, and those flags, strung in that particular order, is a signal that there is plague on board. Mudliyar, somebody in that house is having the plague.
When a 219 Notice is served on a person, he or she has to appear in Court and declare his assets so that they could be seized to satisfy a claim ordered by Court. One day, in the Galle Magistrate’s Court, one such examination, conducted by the counsel for the claimant, went like this:
Counsel: “Your father died recently?”
Respondent: “No.”
Counsel: “Then was it your mother?”
Respondent: “No it was my mother-in-law.”
“Didn’t she gift some thing to you prior to her death?”
“Yes, her daughter.”
“Have you a Savings Bank account?”
“Yes.”
“And how much have you in deposit?”
“Eleven rupees and fourteen cents.”
“The furniture in the house you are occupying is yours?”
“No, I have no furniture”.
“What? Then where do you sleep?”
“On two Sunlight Soap boxes.”
At this stage the notice was discharged and the Court, amidst loud laughter, advised the attorney to seize the assets that had been declared to satisfy his client’s claim!
At the time the age of majority was twenty-one years, an accused was charged with posing as a major while he was actually a minor. His lawyer produced the birth certificate to prove that he was indeed a major a the time of its alleged offence. Holding up the birth certificate the Magistrate told the defence lawyer that, according to it, the accused’s age was twenty years and four months at the time of the offence. “Aha, your honour”, said the defence lawyer blandly, “you are forgetting to take into account the nine months my client spent in his mother’s womb!”
During a murder case the Prosecution led evidence to prove that the dead man was manually strangled. This was contested by the Defence and a doctor was called to give evidence in their support. “Now tell us, doctor,” said the Crown Counsel who was prosecuting, “what are your qualifications?” “I am an MBBS and I have been a Judicial Medical Officer for twelve years. Furthermore I have had six months training in Forensic Medicine under the renowned Dr. Burrows. I have also won a gold medal.”
“For what did you get the gold medal, doctor?”
“Hygiene.”
“Have you got a certificate from Dr. Burrows?”
“No, I’m afraid not.”
“Have you really been a JMO for twelve years?”
“Well actually, I was a Prison Doctor for twelve years and acted on and off for the JMO when he was on leave.”
“Do you know Dr. X. Y. Z. Fernando, an acknowledged expert in Forensic medicine?”
“Yes.”
“How do your qualifications compare with his?”
“I have far greater knowledge and a better brain!”
“In other words, doctor, the only certificates you have are certificates you give yourself?”
No answer. (Needless to say, the defence case collapsed).
(To be continued)
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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