Features
Ran Muthu Duwa
(First Colour Feature Film in Sinhala)
By Rohan Abeygunawardena
(abeyrohan@gmail.com) and
Ananda Wickramarachchi
This article is dedicated to all the crew members of the first Sinhala colour film Ran Muthu Duwa that was screened 60 years ago on 10 August 1962.)
Sir Arthur Charles Clarke CBE FRAS was very well known world over as a renowned English science-fiction writer, science writer, futurist, inventor, undersea explorer, and television series host. But very few knew him as a producer of Sinhala feature films. He embarked on that for the benefit of the people in his host country Sri Lanka.
His first film co-produced with Mike Wilson and Shesha Palihakkara was Ran Muthu Duwa or Island of Treasures Ran Muthu Duwa was the first full-length Sinhala feature film in colour. The film was released on 10th August 1962, 60 years ago.
The film was directed by Mike Wilson, a photographer who immigrated to newly independent British colony of Ceylon in 1956 along with Arthur. Mike was originally from New Zealand and then lived in Britain and USA. Two friends Arthur and Mike were the early adopters of aqua-lung, invented in the mid-1940s which enabled divers to spend extended periods of time underwater. Both were “Scuba Divers” and lovers of exploring undersea and spent two adventurous years exploring the Great Barrier Reef in Australia before arriving to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). They have produced many rare underwater photographs taken during underwater expeditions. These were illustrated in Arthur’s book “The Coast of Coral.”
There was a very fascinating story behind making Ran Muthu Duwa. Arthur and Mike embarked on an underwater exploration expedition off the southern coast; in proximity to Yala off Kirinda beach. These were vast coral reefs found in Sri Lanka. Their friend Rodney Jonklaas, a Sri Lankan marine biologist and a diver also joined them.
This area exposed to the force of both monsoons, and the sea was very rough throughout the year and many a ships sank during the period of European colonisation. British realised the necessity to build offshore light houses for the safety of seafarers. They completed the project building two lighthouses known as the Great Basses and Little Basses using modern lenses called hyper radiant Fresnel lenses. The lighthouses were named Maha Ravana Kotuwa” and Kuda Ravana Kotuwa in Sinhala.
While exploring underwater terrain close to Great Basses and Little Basses Arthur, Mike and Rodney discovered bags of silver coins, cannons, and other artefacts on 22nd March 1961. Further research conducted by them examining historical records at Colombo Museum and other libraries established that the silver coins were from an early 18th century sunken ship belonged to Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. Their discovery was named the “Great Basses Wreck.”
Mike in his late twenties was an energetic young man was very keen to make a colour feature film based on their discovery. He has already produced a short film based on the underwater experiences around Great Barrier Reef in Australia when exploring it with Arthur. Mike, together with Arthur and Rodney, also wrote, photographed and directed the 25 minute documentary “Beneath the Seas of Ceylon” in 1958. This was the first film that displayed the beauty under the Sri Lankan oceans. Rodney once mentioned that he had learnt photography in general and underwater photography in particular from Mike.
Mike and Rodney approached Shesha Palihakkara who agreed to co-produce the film. Arthur, Mike and Sesha setup a company by the name Serendib Productions to make the film. The storyline was developed by Mike who had the knack for writing stories during his schooldays.
Storyline
Bandu, a young man had a dream on a Wesak night. His father who was a pearl oyster diver, passed away several years ago, appeared and advised him to remove the pendant that hangs from a chain worn round his neck as it could bring bad luck to his life. Bandu broke the chain in his sleep and woke up frightened and sweating. Bandu remembered that the pendant was a silver coin his father picked up while pearl diving close to their Ran Muthu Duwa (a fictitious island). The day after it was picked up his father had a mysterious death. The next morning, together with his two friends Sena and Raju, Bandu visited a jewellery shop. Shop owner, Danapala examining the coin realised the value of it and pretending as a coin collector offered Rs.350 to buy off. Three friends now very much inquisitive did not accept the offer and left the shop. Danapala sent a man to follow the young men.
Bandu and his friends now keen to find out more about the coin, visited Colombo Museum. According to the records, this coin was from a treasure of an ancient shipwreck. They decided to go to the village and meet Bandu’s uncle. Uncle helped them to meet a Swami living in the island. Swami told the young men that there had been a temple situated in this island. Portuguese ransacked and all the wealth possessed by the temple was taken away in a ship. But they couldn’t sail very far and the ship was wrecked by a sudden storm. This was now a treasure that had run aground as a result of the curse of the God. He further said whoever tried to recover it would meet his death.
In the meantime, Danapala too came to the island and met his old friends Muthusami and Kalidasan. A business rival of Bandu’s late father, Muthusami had become very rich now. Muthusami’s daughter was known to Bandu during their school days in the village. Muthusami’s intention was to give her daughter Kumari, in marriage to Kalidasan’s son Renga. In the meantime Bandu met Kumari and a love affair developed between the two. Kalidasan and Renga hated them.
Danapala, a cunning man he was, approached the young men and tried to persuade them to join his team to recover the treasurer. Bandu flatly refused. His intention was to recover the treasure and build a temple to enable the people to worship with Swami’s blessings.
Bandu and the friends hired a boat from Muthusami with the help of his uncle to explore underwater to locate the treasure. Bandu and Renga met each other under water and the latter tried to attack the former. The ensuing fight resulted Renga losing and drifting away unconscious. Bandu brought part of the treasure to the boat in a cane bucket. He went underwater again to bring the remaining part of the treasure against the advice of his friends. Accompanied by Muthusami, Danapala got into Bandu’s boat wielding a gun and over powered Bandu’s friends and the uncle. When Bandu came on board with the balance part of the treasure, Danapala tried to shoot and kill him. But Muthusami was against it and pushed Danapala off the boat.
In the meantime Kalidasan got hold of Kumari who was coming to the beach to meet Bandu. Kalidasan took her to the rock where the ancient kings beheaded the offenders. She was chained to the rock. She was submerged in the seawater when Bandu found her. Rajo ran into a hardware shop close by and forcefully grabbed a hand saw blade from the shop owner. He and the friends managed to cut the chain and rescued Kumari at the last moment.Bandu got the treasure, but he used part of that to rebuild the temple and handed over the balance to the government.
Cast
Mike and Sesha invited in 25-year-old Gamini Fonseka for the leading role, “Bandu.” Gamini was an extra in Rekawa and had acted in few films such as Daiva Yogaya (1959-minor role), Sandeshaya (1960-leading but not the main role). He initially wanted to be a cameraman but got the opportunity to work as a second assistant director of David Lean’s award winning “Bridge on the River Kwai” and Lester James Peries’ Rekawa.
Gamini never wanted a stuntman to perform his underwater scenes. Confident and arrogant, Gamini insisted that he should be given training in diving. He proved to be a good diver after few days of training. Gamini, the handsome and smart young man went on to dominate the Sinhala film scene for at least five decades.
Looking around, the producers found a 21 year old girl from Panadura Arts Association to play the role of the heroine. She was Jeevarani Kurukulasuriya. She has acted in a popular stage drama Maha Hene Riri Yaka a story written by late Prime Minister SWRD Bandaranayke and directed by Dick Dias. Jeevarani too became a popular actress in Sinhala Cinema, later on.
A friend of Arthur and Mike, Hector Eknayake was persuaded to play the villain’s role as Renga. Hector, a former Boxer also helped training the cast in fighting scenes in this action packed Sinhala production. Hector also trained Gamini in diving.
Others selected were Joe Abeywickrama as Sena, Shane Gunaratne as Rajo, Anthony C. Perera as Bandu’s uncle, Austin Abeysekera as Danapala, Vincent Vass as Kumari’s father Muttusamy, Thilakasiri Fernando as Swami, Eddie Amarasinghe as Sena’s friend, LakShmi Bai as Bandu’s mother, Sam P. Liyanage as the Moor hardware shop owner.
Others who contributed to the success of Ran Muthu Duwa:
Tissa Liyanasuriya was assigned with the task of writing the script and the dialogues in Sinhala, based on Mike’s storyline. He was also employed as the assistant director.
The film editing and other technical matters were assigned to Titus Thotawatte who had already carried out editing of Lester’s “Rekawa.”
Rodney Jonklaas assisted in the production and also as a diver of Danapala’s team.
Maestro W.D. Amaradeva got his very first opportunity to direct the music of a film. Together with Sri Chandrarathne Manawasinghe who did the lyrics they composed three songs. The theme song “Paramitha Bala” sung by Amaradeva and Nanda Malini. A love song for hero and heroine, Bandu and Kumari was “Galana Gangaki Jeevithe” and the playback singers were Narada Disasekera and Nanda Malani. “Pipi Pipi Renu Natana,” a group song was sung by Narada. For Nanda Malani and Narada this was the first break in the film industry to perform as playback singers. These songs were very popular even today after 60 years.
However Amaradeva composed only part of the background music. He was unable to travel to London with his musicians due to financial constraints to provide music at the time of processing of underwater scenes. Titus found a solution. He bought few instrumental music records (EP’s) and incorporated as background music. As a result part of the background music of the first Sinhala colour film was western, not the Maestro’s type.
Filming and Location
The film was shot in and around Trincomalee, Eastern Sri Lanka and close to Swami Rock (Kôṇâmalai) also called ‘lovers leap,’ where the ancient Koneswaram Hindu Temple perch atop it. Director of photography was assigned to W.A. Ratnayake. There were three cameramen. Outdoor filming was by Mike himself, underwater by Rodney and Sumiththa Amarasinghe filmed song sequence of “Galana Gangaki Jeevithe.”
Studio cameraman for the film was M. S. Anandan of Ceylon Studios.
Development and Critical reception
It was a genuine sunken treasure discovered by Arthur and Mike off Kirinda beach in the south of Sri Lanka that inspired energetic Mike Wilson to make Ran Muthu Duwa. Mike had written, shot and directed a short (25 mins.) underwater documentary film naming “Beneath the Seas of Ceylon” for Ceylon Tea Propaganda Board. Arthur was little hesitant initially but later agreed to provide part of the finance and also to help in production. The company Arthur, Mike and Sesha formed, Serendib Productions worked on a budget of Rs.450,000. Arthur provided start-up capital of Rs.50,000.
Ran Muthu Duwa
(Island of Treasures) was the first full-length colour film to be produced in Sinhala in Sri Lanka. While underwater filming was shot on using a 16mm Arri flex camera with double side perforation negative, for the other scenes a 35mm Arri flex IIc camera was used. The entire film was shot on Eastman Colour 32 ASA (American Standard Association). But the technology was such in the sixties there was no final colour negative. Instead 35mm four number of black and white matrices had to be technically processed for optical sound track and one each for three basic colours of Blue, Green, and Red (BGR) for printing the positives using BGR filters. Mike and Titus took the exposed negatives and dialogue tracks to Technicolor Laboratories in London for processing.
While Titus and Mike were processing the films with technicians at the Technicolor Laboratories in London, the famous film director Terence Young and his men were processing “Dr. No,” the first James Bond film in an adjoining studio. Terence hearing that an underwater feature film from the island of Ceylon was being processed, had barged into the studio and discussed the technical features of underwater filming with Mike and Titus.
A lover of films Dinesh Priyasad was an early viewer of “Thunderball,” the fourth Bond Film directed by Terence that was released in 1965. Dinesh was generally familiar with the technical aspects of filmmaking and directed several Sinhala films later on, including award winning Demodara Palama He also provided technical details for this article. Dinesh noticed that many underwater scenes were similar to Ran Muthu Duwa and informed his good friend Mike of his findings. Mike too watched this film several times and realised the plot. He knew for certain that some underwater sequences were being developed from his film. According to Titus, Mike became a worried man for Terence didn’t have the common courtesy to even acknowledge that in the end credits of the film “Thunderball” or written a letter thanking him. Mike’s frustration led him tomake a film naming Sorungeth Soru literally meaning “thieves are always thieves.” This was probably the wackiest feature film directed by Mike, yet it won Best Film and Best Actor awards at the 5th Sarasaviya Awards held in 1968.
Ran Muthu Duwa, with beautiful underwater scenes including fighting sequences was released on 10 August 1962, and it received overwhelmingly positive reviews. It also became the talking point throughout Sri Lanka, not only among Sinhala film fans but also those who loved Tamil and English films. Some of my Tamil friends said it was better than MGR (M.G. Ramachandran) films. Some others said it was like an “English Mystery Thriller.” Nearly one million people or ten percent of the population had seen it, and at the end of the day Ran Muthu Duwa was a tremendous commercial success. The film received “Famous film,” “Best Male Singer,” “Best Female Singer,” “Best Lyricist,” awards at the first Sarasaviya Awards held in 1964 and the “Favourite Producer” award at third Deepasika Award Ceremony in 1972.
Arthur C. Clerk who was hesitant to finance the project when proposal was made by his friend Mike, yet he exclaimed later, “I have never grown tired of watching the scenes of dawn over the great temples, the sea-washed cliffs of Trincomalee, the lines of pilgrims descending Adam’s Peak, and the mysterious underwater sequences even today, thirty-six years after it was made.” He wanted to arrange a re-release. But that never took place as he passed away on the 19th March 2008.Many of the film crew members are no more except Jeevarani Kurukulasuriya, Nanda Malini, Tissa Liyanasuriya and Hector Ekanayake.
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 . )
US sports envoys to Lanka to champion youth development
Rahuman questions sudden cancellation of leave of CEB employees
