Features
PERSONALITY ANALYSIS: Lessons, Inspirations and Kaizen!
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
Anti-climax to an Adventure?
Twelve brave Ceylon Hotel School (CHS) students who went on a five-day cycle trip during the Vesak holidays in 1973, were spending their one-month suspension mainly at home. I was the exception, who arranged to spend the suspension period in hiding, at the Barberyn Reef Hotel in Beruwala, as an unpaid worker. I quickly settled in my fourth part-time-job. As hotel occupancy was low, I stayed at a guest room and had my meals at the hotel restaurant, in between my manual labour. My favourite part of my stay at this hotel was jumping into the sea after a long day of work. Due to the reef, there were not many waves right outside the hotel. It was calm as a lagoon. The reflection of the moonlight on the gentle waves and the reef, were most beautiful. I simply loved my time at the Barberyn Reef Hotel.
Learning the Hotel Culture
I reported to hotel Owner/Manager, Mr Sudana Rodrigo, and did any odd job as required based on the occupancy of the day. Mr. Rodrigo had a laid-back and relaxed style of management. I noticed how the leader of an 
organisation, could influence the workplace culture. His small team of managers and supervisors also behaved in a friendly and easygoing manner. At times, managers, supervisors, employees and regular guests all behaved like members of one family. I loved that atmosphere and liked the fact that there were not many rules at the Barberyn Reef Hotel. Often larger hotels lose that personal touch, which is the essence of hospitality.
Every morning, Mr. Rodrigo assigned me a different job. He was impressed with the service and guest relations skills I had mastered by working at two of the best hotels in Sri Lanka – Pegasus Reef Hotel and Mount Lavinia Hyatt Hotel. During the busy days I worked as a room boy. In addition, I covered the shifts for the head receptionist on her days off. I also worked as a bellboy. I was happy to carry luggage of arriving guests because they usually gave generous tips. Since I remembered their names from the check in, I soon became an employee popular with long-staying guests.
Analysing the Bosses
I learnt something new from all my immediate supervisors in my three previous part-time jobs. Each of them had different personalities. My first boss, the catering manager of Hotel Samudra who fired me, was a ‘no nonsense’ type, whom I call, “Toughie.” My second boss, the head waiter of Pegasus Reef had a bubbly personality and loved dealing with all types of people. I termed his personality type was “Softie”. My third boss, the butler at Mount Lavinia Hyatt Hotel, had another personality type in between “Toughie” and “Softie.” Owing to his attention to details and ‘prim and proper’ attitude, I identified him in another category – “Perfectie.”
Mr. Rodrigo, my fourth boss’s personality was exactly the opposite. He was good man, but was a bit clumsy and often wore crushed clothing. He frequently got distracted, and communicated with many messages at a time. Yet, he was practical, creative, funny and energetic. He was involved in many projects at a time and was not that punctual. In my mind I commenced identifying this personality type as “Confuzie.” None of these four personality categories were good or bad. My concept helped me to be flexible in the manner in which I communicated with different personalities, particularly people who were important to me, bosses, VIP guests and girlfriends.
A Conversation with a Movie Legend
One day, I was in charge of the front office when a short but a majestic looking and extremely handsome man arrived at the hotel. As I greeted him, he said, “Good Morning, could you please inform Mr. Sud
ana Rodrigo that Gamini Fonseka is here to meet him.” I was pleasantly surprised and excited to meet the greatest movie actor of Sri Lanka, again. I first saw him in August 1962,
when the first-ever colour motion picture in Ceylon, ‘Ran Muthu Duwa’ directed by a Canadian, Mike Wilson, broke all box office records. This movie propelled Gamini as the most popular movie star of the country. Most youngsters of my generation became devoted fans of Gamini. He was a hard-working actor and a productive movie maker. Eleven years later his 41st movie had been just released and there were no stars of his calibre, talent and popularity on the horizon.
As soon as I called Mr. Rodrigo, he rushed to the lobby and greeted Gamini with a friendly hug. I realised that they were good friends and had something in common, hotel ownership. Gamini had built his own hotel, Sanasuma in Weeravila, where he often went to relax inbetween his busy schedule making movies. After lunch I had the opportunity to talk with my idol. I quickly reminded Gamini that we both acted in arguably, the greatest movie ever made in Sri Lanka, Lester James Peries’s ‘Gamperaliya’ in 1962. The character I played was Gamini’s (Jinadasa) brother-in-law (Tissa). He remembered me.
Gamini was somewhat impressed with my knowledge about Sinhala, Hindi and English movies. We spoke at length about movies and how he learnt the ropes of movie directing under the greatest movie director in the world at that time, Sir David Lean. This had been on location filming ‘The Bridge on the River Kwai’. He also spoke about two of my favourite Hollywood movie actors, Marlon Brando and Yul Brynner. I then learnt that Gamini tried ‘Method Acting’, like Brando and used his technical knowledge of production to enhance his acting, like Brynner. Gamini was also a chain smoker like Yul Brynner.
We chatted about ‘Nidhanaya’ which I had seen a few months before the cycle trip. When I identified ‘Nidhanaya’ as the movie with the best acting by Gamini, he wanted to know the reasons. He tended to agree. Gamini had utmost respect for Lester James Peries for creating a masterpiece based on a short story. Although, Gamini’s unprecedented popularity stemmed mainly from movies which followed popular Indian movie ‘formulae’, he enjoyed working on artistic movies with complex characters that challenged him as an actor. That was confirmed in my mind, when Gamini told me, “Don’t call me a star! I am an actor not a star. Stars fade away…”
Inspired by My Hero
Gamini was well-read, very intelligent, versatile and philosophical. His fluency of three languages was most impressive. Although some people thought of him as proud and arrogant, I found him to be warm, charming and charismatic. I liked his personality, but I was unable to place him in either of the four personality types I had identified before. Gamini had some traits from all four personality types. To me Gamini had a complexed personality and I termed that type of personality as, “Complexie” – the fifth personality type of my evolving model. I was impressed how Gamini adjusted his communication when interacting with his friend, Mr. Sudana Rodrigo, whose personality was very different from his.
Many years later, I had a few more interesting interactions with Gamini. These were in other different roles that he excelled in, as a corporate executive (Maharaja Group) in the 1980s and a politician (the Deputy Speaker and a Provincial Governor) in the 1990s. I have continued to be an ardent fan of Gamini, long after his untimely death in 2004. I watched his funeral live on TV, and listened to the final farewell speech by a long-standing cinema actor, Ravindra Randeniya. When he quoted Shakespeare to end his tribute to Gamini, “Goodnight, sweet prince”, Ravindra failed to hold back his tears. I couldn’t hold mine, either… To me, as well as my generation of moviegoers, Gamini was simply the greatest movie actor Sri Lanka had ever seen.
Having acted in three movie projects and a play as a child actor in the 1960s, I gave up acting, to focus on hospitality. After my 1973 meeting with Gamini, I was inspired to act again, but my busy career in hospitality prevented me from doing so for a few years. In the 1980s, I managed to find a little free time to act in nine TV commercials directed by well-known Directors such as William Blake, D. B. Nihalsinghe, D. B. Suranimala and Shehan Wijeratne of Donald’s. I also appeared on a couple of TV shows, a photo shoot and a stage show. I finally came to terms that one cannot be a jack of all trades. Inspiration is important, but one must also have the time and commitment. I gave up acting after appearing in the last video clip I directed: ‘Fitness Fever”, music video of the popular song I wrote in 1993.
Gated Prisoners
My fellow Iron Horses info
rmed me that they made an official complaint about Herr Sterner to his boss, Mr. Dharmasisri Senanayake. This charismatic lawyer/politician turned Chairman of the Ceylon Tourist Board, disliked Herr Sterner’s arrogance and that was advantageous to the Iron Horses. The Board had agreed that the decision to suspend 12 students for a full month was far too harsh for cutting school for two days. The principal was instructed by his superiors
to reduce the period of suspension, immediately. Although I was certainly not an admirer of Herr Sterner’s sternness on this occasion, I had a different opinion. I felt that it was not fair that my colleagues’ action led to the undermining of the principal’s authority by his superiors.
The principal was very angry and wanted to meet all 12 of us in his office. He reduced the suspension by two weeks. However, he ordered the Hostel Warden that when we return to CHS, we should be gated and strictly prohibited to leave the CHS and the hostel, for any purpose for two more weeks. I was happy to be back at CHS and the hostel, but felt like a prisoner or a caged animal. I also missed my time at the Barberyn Reef Hotel. My parents never knew about my suspension and the gated punishment! During this period, I planned my first solo cycling adventure which I wanted to do soon after the gated period.
Personality Analysis
During the cycling adventure, suspension, hiding at Barberyn Reef and finally spending two weeks as a gated prisoner, provided me with plenty of free time to think. I thought deeply about different people, their personalities and different ways to interact with them. Half the battle is won when an employee is able to analyse personalities quickly and adjust the way she/he communicates with each person (bosses, customers, peers, associates etc.). This is one lesson that helped me throughout my career.
Fifteen years later, I learnt more about personality analysis as a student at Le Meridien Institute for Hotel Management in France. Shortly thereafter I developed a full-day seminar on ‘Personality Analysis: The Best Tool for Hospitality Managers’. This program has been most popular among many of the teams of people I led as a hotelier, taught as a professor or coached as a consultant. I have presented seminars on this concept in 15 countries since 1988 – Aruba, Botswana, Canada, England, Ghana, Guyana, India, Iraq, Jamaica, Kenya, The Maldives, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates and Zambia.
Last month, I did yet another presentation of this concept as a webinar for 100 participants from eight countries. It was organised by The Sri Lanka Housekeepers Association (SLHA). The full video clip of this webinar is now posted on SLHA Facebook page. I was happy to present a fine-tuned version of personality types as per my categorizations done nearly 50 years ago – “Softie”, “Toughie”, “Perfectie”, “Confuzie” and “Complexie.” To me it is still relevant and useful, almost every day, when I deal with people. Influenced by my training as a Judoka, I have attempted to continuously improve my concept of Personality analysis. 改善Kaizen!
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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