Features
Preparing to leave for Australian after the 1971 insurrection
Excerpted from Nimal Wikramanayake’s Life In The Law
Christmas was soon upon us in 1970. We “rice Christians” comprised a small minority of the population, something less than five per cent. We were called “rice” Christians because our ancestors converted to the Christian religion, not out of any religious fervour or conviction, but because they wanted benefits from the British by converting to Christianity.
There were various denominations of the Christian faith, the majority being Roman Catholics. I was among a small number of members of the Church of England. When I got married to Anna Maria, who was a Roman Catholic, my mother insisted that she become a member of the Church of England, which my dear wife dutifully did. It often surprised me that Jesus Christ, who was a dark, brown-skinned man born in the Near East, had very few followers in the East.
Christmas was celebrated with great joy and extravagance in our household. On the night before Christmas, my mother would deliver a large cane basket hampers to my brother, sister and me. The hamper was a magnificent creation. It was a cane basket about three and a half feet in height. Included in it was a bottle of Dimple Scotch whisky, a bottle of Martell Cordon-Bleu cognac, a bottle of Gordon’s gin and numerous other goodies.
We would usually spend Christmas Eve with our friends, Ralph de Silva and his family. At midnight, we would attend the mass at the Church of St Paul’s Milagiriya then return to Ralph’s home for a celebratory breakfast of “kiri-bath” or milk rice with large lashings of chicken, beef, pork and prawn curries. We would then return home in the early hours of the morning and sleep until close to lunchtime. This took place even in December 1970, when our hearts were heavy with sorrow and we felt we had nothing to look forward to but a dark, desolate future.
We normally went to my parents’ home for lunch. My brother Ranji and his family were away in England. My younger brother, Prenitha, was at Sussex University in England. My sister, Dileeni, had marked antisocial tendencies. After her marriage in 1962, she had shown a distinct dislike for socializing with people, especially with the members of her own family. She would arrive at my par-. ents’ home for lunch at 12 noon and she, her husband and children would consume a magnificent lunch, then leave before 1 pm.
This year, Anna Maria and I turned up for lunch shortly after 1 pm. My mother was lugubrious. She hardly spoke a word when the four of us sat down for lunch. Halfway through lunch she blurted out, “This is not Christmas without my Putha. ‘
“Putha” in Sinhalese means “little son” I looked at her curiously and said, “Am I not your putha?
My mother snapped. “Of course not’
The rest of the meal continued on in silence. As I was leaving I said to my mother, “I hope you enjoy yourself next Christmas when I am not here to celebrate it with you”
The insurgency
Then, again, I got cold feet. Several months passed without us going for our medical examination. We had to go for a medical examination before we could finally be cleared for immigration. That’s when what Benny Hill called “the pickled pinger of pate” intervened. It was Maundy Thursday in April 1971 and I was invited for a game of poker at the ‘Tamil Union Cricket Club. I arrived there at 6.30 and joined my friends, including Basil Gunasekera, who was then Commander of the Navy. We had an extremely enjoyable and convivial night, and left the club shortly after midnight.
When I awoke on Good Friday, I turned on the radio to hear an announcement that the government had declared a 48-hour curfew. Members of the Jathika Vimukthi Peramuna, known as the JVP, the newly formed young leftist party, had staged an insurrection against the government. The announcement advised members of the general public that if they were found on the streets, they would be shot on sight.
We had sufficient provisions at home to tide us over this event. The whole country was housebound and rumours were flying thick and fast about what was happening. On Saturday morning, the government announced on the radio that anyone spreading rumours on the telephone would be sentenced to five years’ rigorous imprisonment.
On Sunday morning, a friend of mine, GG Mendis, who was a strong government party supporter, and who had recently, in keeping with the government’s policy, been appointed chairman of the Fisheries Corporation, telephoned me and told me that he had heard that the army was deserting in large numbers and that the military situation was extremely grave.
I immediately telephoned my friend, Basil Gunasekera, to obtain confirmation of this delicate situation. Basil was horrified and asked me who had told me. I couldn’t let my friend GG down, for not only would he lose his job as chairman of the Fisheries Corporation, but he would have to spend five years in a Ceylonese jail, which was not a pleasant prospect.
That Sunday afternoon while I was having a rest the telephone rang. It was Basil. Basil said, “Nimal, I am in the control room with the prime minister and she wants to know who told you that the army was deserting in large numbers?” I was immediately alarmed and petrified, for it had been rumoured that when people were taken in for interrogation by the police, they were often be thrown out-of the fourth floor window of the police headquarters in Fort Colombo.
I told Basil that I could not remember who gave me this interesting bit of information. Basil kept insisting that I name who told me this, and for my part, I kept on insisting that I could not remember.
I went back to sleep. Barely half an hour later, I heard the rumbling of what sounded like thunder. I looked out of the bed. room window to see three large army trucks drive up and surround our apartment. There was a loud clattering sound, and I saw a large number of fully armed soldiers rushing into our compound.
Words cannot describe the terror inside me. The front door bell rang and I was confronted by an Inspector of Police. When he saw me he exclaimed, “My God, Nimal, it’s you! I have been sent to arrest you for spreading rumours on the telephone’
Anna Maria heard this and was screaming in terror. The inspector of police turned out to be a classmate of mine, LJP de Silva. I ushered him into the sitting room, and he decided to sort this matter out so that I would not be the subject of an arrest. I told him that I had not been spreading rumours on the telephone but simply telephoned my friend Basil to confirm what I had heard. I could not remember who had given me this news as I had spoken to many people that morning. LJP and I then arranged my statement and he left without arresting me.
We later learned that the reason for the curfew, apart from the insurrection by the JVP, was that the army had run out of ammunition. They had flown in ammunition from India over the weekend, but martial law was declared and the curfew was to commence from 2 pm until 7 am every day until further notice.
I left for work the following morning and arrived at Hulftsdorf, the home of the Colombo Law Courts. I was greeted with gasps of incredulity, for the rumour had gone around, probably on the telephone, that I had been arrested for spreading rumours on the telephone. No cases were heard as there was insufficient time between 10.30 am and the time when the curfew commenced, 2 pm.
When I got home the telephone kept ringing throughout the day from friends all around the country, enquiring after my health. A cousin of mine, a proctor in Galle, telephoned Anna Maria to ask whether he could be of any assistance. He was astonished when she put me on the line. Another friend of mine, Chula de Silva, telephoned me from Balapitiya and enquired of Anna Maria if she needed any help in her time of distress. He too was astonished to find me safe and well.
We spent the next few months playing poker every day during the curfew. It was then that we decided to leave the country of my birth and emigrate to Australia. Shortly thereafter we went for our medical examination and passed it with flying colours. Our plans had to be put on hold because my parents decided to spend my younger brother’s summer vacation with him in England. My other brother left in June to spend a holiday with “their favourite son” He was an afterthought, turning up 17 years after I was born. He was the apple of my mother’s eye and my plans for migration had to wait until their return from England.
We made our preparations for our great new adventure. The stories we heard about life in Australia were legion. I was told that “coloured” people were second-class citizens there. The last days In 1971, the months dragged by slowly. The curfew was shortened from 6 pm to 7 am, and finally by August, it was fixed at 10 pm to 7 am. We continued with our regular daily games of poker.
Anna Maria and I decided to have a farewell party on August 11and celebrate my birthday at the same time. We divided the guests into two lots. Those who were to arrive at 6 pm and leave at 10 and those who were to arrive at 9 and leave after the curfew was lifted at 7 am. The party was a riotous affair and we carried on carousing until 7 am.
I stopped working at the end of August 1970 and made preparations for our departure. We terminated the tenancy on our flat and arranged for an auction of our furniture, I had an Interesting collection of books, which I decided to get rid of. I was an avid reader of comics and I had a massive collection of comic books, which today, forty-five years later, would be worth a king’s ransom.
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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