Features
REPUBLICANS HOLD SECOND DEBATE, IN BACKDROP OF CORRUPTION, LABOR UNREST AND IMPENDING GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN
by Vijaya Chandrasoma
The second Republican debate, hosted by the Fox News Network and Univision, was held on Wednesday, September 27 at the Ronald Reagan Library, Simi Valley California,The elephant was not in the room. Instead of participating in the debate, Trump visited Detroit to speak to non-union autoworkers on Wednesday, having been rebuffed by the striking Auto Union Workers (AUW) union members.
Trump’s absence was expected to give one of these candidates the opportunity of a breakout moment, like the one Nikki Haley had at the first debate. There was no such moment in this debate. It was more of a side show, where the candidates, instead of attacking Trump, diminished themselves by attacking each other. Unless the third debate is reduced to two or three viable candidates, perhaps DeSantis and Haley, Trump is likely to win the 2024 Republican nomination by default.
Many of these candidates seem to have already accepted the inevitability of Donald Trump being the 2024 Republican nominee, and may be vying for the vice-presidency. Although DeSantis did have a moment, when he denounced Trump, saying “Donald Trump is missing in action. He should be on this stage tonight. He owes it to you to defend his record where they added $7.8 trillion to the debt. That set the stage for the inflation we have today”.
Chris Christie, who has been Trump’s greatest critic, also described Trump as “Donald Duck”, who is not participating in the debates “because he cannot defend his criminal record during and after his presidency”. Nikki Haley appeared to be the only adult in the room, and unloaded her pent-up frustration against upstart Vivek Ramaswamy, when she said, “Honestly, every time I hear you, I feel a little dumber”. Ramaswamy got bogged down with his ties to the Chinese government, and his adoration of Donald Trump was pathetic. The contributions of Pence, Scott and Burgum were largely without import or substance.
Of course, Trump’s campaign may implode any time before November 2024, by constitutional disqualification, conviction/imprisonment, impending dementia or the moderate Republican voters’ overdue realization of his diabolical ignorance. In which case, the Republicans will be left with one of these candidates as their nominee, who are all below 15% in national polls, at least 40% behind Trump. In fact, it is rumored that alarmed Republicans are looking for a more credible candidate; the name of Governors of Virginia, Glenn Youngkin and Chris Sununu of New Hampshire are under serious consideration.
CORRUPTION IN US CONGRESS
U.S, Attorney, Damian Williams, said: “As the grand jury charged, between 2018 and 2022, (Democratic New Jersey) Senator Bob Menendez and his wife engaged in a corrupt relationship with….three New Jersey businessmen who collectively paid hundreds of thousands of dollars of bribes, including cash, gold, a Mercedes Benz and other things of value, in exchange for Senator Menendez agreeing to use his power to protect and enrich those businessmen and to benefit the Government of Egypt”.
Menendez and his wife, Nadine, who have pleaded not guilty to these bribery charges, were arraigned in US District Court in Manhattan on Wednesday, and released on bail. Their first appearance at the New York District Court is scheduled for Monday, October 2.
Senator Menendez was indicted a decade ago, charged with assisting a New Jersey doctor to commit Medicare fraud in excess of $8 million. He was acquitted on a hung jury, and allowed to return to his Senate seat.
Menendez has been stripped of his Chairmanship of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, but he defiantly protests his innocence and refuses to resign his Senate seat in the face of demands of 30 Democratic Senators.
MORE CORRUPTION IN US SUPREME COURT
The Clarence Thomas Corruption Saga continues. It had already been reported that Thomas accepted lavish gifts from Harlan Crow, a billionaire Republican donor and collector of Hitler and Nazi memorabilia, including, inter alia, a gift of a luxuriously refurbished house where Thomas’ mother still lives, rent free; private school tuition fees for Thomas’ nephew; island-hopping luxury yacht and private plane vacations for Thomas and his white supremacist wife, Ginny, who was reported to have been tweeting Mark Meadows, Trump’s Chief of Staff on January 6, 2021, urging him to ensure the success of the Trump insurrection.
Recently, Thomas has been documented spending time with the Koch network, one of the most influential conservative political organizations in the nation. Thomas has been secretly participating in Koch Group Republican fund raising events for at least a decade, despite the fact that the Group has brought numerous cases before the Supreme Court. Brothers Charles and David Koch have been financially responsible for the emergence of the radical wing of the Republican Party, led by Trump.
Thomas has been the star attraction at 100,000 a plate fund-raising dinners organized by the Koch Organization, which have amassed millions of dollars for the Republican Party and its candidates.
While Thomas is by far the most corrupt Justice of the Supreme Court, Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Alito and Gorsuch, all appointed by Republican presidents, have also been alleged of taking bribes and commissions from law firms that have cases before the Court.
GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN
On Wednesday, September 27, Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy rejected a bipartisan stopgap spending bill, making the government shutdown scheduled for September 30 virtually inevitable.
McCarthy is faced with an unenviable choice. Either come to a compromise with the Democrats for a bipartisan spending bill and fund the government, which will benefit the country but cost him his job; or obey the demands of Trump and hardline Republicans to vote for a government shutdown, which will catapult the country into chaos. Recognizing the brittleness of McCarthy’s spine, he will favor a shutdown, when as many as four million federal workers could be adversely affected. While essential workers will be required to stay on the job, others will be furloughed (suspended), both categories without pay. The potential impact will grow the longer the shutdown persists, especially for regular Americans, who live paycheck to paycheck.
With just two days to go, tempers are boiling in Congress, and no compromise is in sight. The government will almost certainly shut down at midnight on September 30.
BIDEN, TRUMP WOO AUTO WORKER SUPPORT IN MICHIGAN
Two proposed visits of President Biden and former President Trump to Michigan on consecutive days occurred under divergent circumstances. Biden was invited by the President of the UAW, Shawn Fain, to join the picket line. Trump, on the other hand, was warned by Fain that he wasn’t welcome. An UAW executive said, “Trump is a pompous a…hole for visiting Detroit”.
President Biden underscored his solidarity with American workers when he joined the picket line of the UAW, the largest auto workers’ union in North America, in Michigan last Tuesday, stressing his lifelong commitment to a worker-centric economy.
However, Biden’s Achilles Heel may be his commitment of transition to electric vehicles (EVs) within the next decade. While the unions are not opposed to this transition to a green economy, it is crucial that it does not adversely affect the wages and benefits presently enjoyed by assembly line and electric battery workers.
A prolonged strike could have major ripple effects on the economy. Presidents typically act as arbiters in labor disputes. As Biden’s press secretary said, “We are not involved in negotiations. That is something for them to decide what is going to work for the parties that are involved, but he (the President) is standing with the autoworkers”.
At a speech on Wednesday at a non-unionized auto parts supplier in Michigan, in front of 500 Trump supporters, Trump made a play for the support of blue collar workers, despite his lifetime anti-union, anti-worker record. In a typical, meandering hour-long speech, he lied that “I put everything on the line to fight for you. I’ve risked it all to defend the working class from the corrupt political class that has spent decades sucking the life, wealth and blood out of this country”. Another despicable statement from a former president, whose first action as president in 2017 was to give a massive tax cut of $1.5 trillion to benefit those very corporations and billionaires who were “sucking the life, wealth and blood out of this country.”
Seeking the endorsement of the autoworkers for the 2024 presidency, Trump said, “They have to endorse Trump, because if they don’t, they are just committing suicide”. Suicide may be a preferable alternative to living four more years under a democracy-free, devoid of the rule of law, corrupt administration of this white supremacist kleptocrat.
There is little doubt that Biden will win the endorsement of the UAW for 2024, and his show of solidarity by joining the Union picket line last week may well have clinched it.
TRUMP’S NEW YORK BUSINESS EMPIRE EXPOSED AS A FRAUDULENT MYTH
Justice Arthur Engoron of New York state court in Manhattan ruled that Donald Trump and his family routinely defrauded banks and insurance companies by fraudulently inflating the value of their properties and other assets to build their business empire.
Trump lost his appeal to delay the start on this fraud trial, which is scheduled to begin on Monday, October 2. Trump and three of his adult children are listed as witnesses. The Judge has already determined that the Trump Organization had committed financial fraud. The purpose of this trial is to determine the sanctions, including ratification of cancellation of licenses to conduct business in New York and the extent of fines to be imposed on the Trump Organization.
In another blow to Trump, Manhattan Judge Tanya Chutkan denied a motion filed by Trump lawyers that she recuses herself from the sedition case she is scheduled to preside over against Trump on his role in the January 6, 2021 insurrection. Her decision not to recuse herself was based on case law, facts and the probability that the motion filed by Trump’s lawyers was a “weapon to further delay proceedings”.
HOUSE IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY AGAINST PRESIDENT BIDEN
Finally, the first hearing of President Biden’s impeachment inquiry began last Thursday. The impeachment was based on Trump’s evidence-free comments that Biden was a “Stone Cold Crook” who had, with his son, Hunter, taken millions of dollars in bribes from companies in Ukraine. Yet another classic projection.
In cringing obeisance to Trump’s recent order posted on twitter, “IMPEACH THE BUM, or fade into OBLIVION. THEY DID IT TO US”, the Republicans initiated this retaliatory process in the House without a shred of first-hand evidence against President Biden, three days before the government was scheduled to shut down. Even the Republican witness hired to investigate the alleged crimes of Hunter Biden stated at the inquiry that “the facts do not support the impeachment of President Biden”.
After six hours spent on Thursday on the impeachment inquiry “grasping at straws, and, in some cases, fabricating evidence”, Republican insiders were privately admitting to reporters this impeachment inquiry was an “unmitigated disaster”.
All told, Trump and the Republican hardliners had a terrible week, with many more such weeks likely to follow.
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
