Features
Senior DIG AC Dep: a police legend
Mr Arthur Cletus Dep Joined the Ceylon Police on June 1, 1942, as an Assistant Superintendent of Police after his graduation from university. His seniors, were Messers C.C. Dissanayake, W.A.R Leembruggen, S.A.Dissanayaka, L.I.de Silva and C.P. Wambeek,, all DIGs when he was an SSP in 1962 according to the Seniority List.
He was one of the senior officers with an unblemished record, especially not being involved in the Coup d’etat of 1962. He was scrupulously honest and a devout Catholic who saw his juniors, Messrs. Eleric Abeygunawardene and Stanley Senanayake promoted IGP over him. He was extremely humble, and never opposed or even appealed against such promotions. He was always a contented and god fearing man.
He was educated at St joseph’s College, Colombo when Fr. Legoc, the well known botanist and educationist was Rector.
He was scrupulously honest, on top of a small select band of such officers. He always used his private car and never used official vehicles even to travel home. He went by the book and would never bend the rules to suit those in power in the government or in the police. Probably these qualities denied him of being promoted IGP.
I remember going before him for an interview when my promotion to Inspector was due and he chaired the interview board which included Messers W.P.A Fernando (DIG), and J.A.L. Roosmale Cocq (DIG). To make certain that I looked smart and presentable, I had a new uniform privately tailored in Tootal khaki. He realized that I was not wearing the uniform issued by the department and remarked “this is not a department issue, why did you not comply with the departmental orders ?” I was dumbfounded. Thanks to Mr Roosemale Cocq who came to my rescue saying “Arthur he looks smart. Why find fault as he meant well?”, I did well at the interview and suffered no adverse consequences.
He was an athlete of repute and brought much credit to the Police and the country as a whole. His pole vault record at the national meet was an incredible feat He was the first to go over twelve feet in Sri Lanka and continued to hold the Ceylon record for over 20 years. His brother, Lucien, was as good as he in the sports field but he chose to be a priest.
AC Dep had created a pole vault record by clearing 12 ft.7.5 ins in 1937 according to an article by KLF Wijedasa, the famous 100 yards sprinter and our teacher at Richmond College. When this record was broken in 1962 by Vijitha Wijesekera, Dep was at the grounds and immediately congratulated the athlete. According to Wijedasa, Dep represented Ceylon in a dual athletic meet with India in 1940 along with Duncan White and won his event. Later he was in the National Olympic Committee, on the Board of The Royal Asiatic Society and Vice President of the Ceylon Amateur Athletics Association.
He never publicized himself and once showed the well known sorts editor, MM Thowfeeq, a carefully preserved news clip in response to a question of what his proudest moment in athletics was. The clip quoted then Chief Justice, Sir Sydney Abrahams, saying ” I would award pride of place to Dep’s record breaking pole jumps. The mechanics of this particular event is so difficult, that it took long years in England, before a native pole jumper cleared 11 feet. Dep going six inches higher would have won him an Oxford or Cambridge blue in any year since 1924″
His wife Teckla and his children made him a proud husband and father who lived an exemplary life. Certainly his children emulated his qualities with his eldest daughter, Antoinette, becoming a medical doctor, Marie, Deputy Director of the Export Development Board Priyasath, a most honourable and dignified Chief Justice, Srimath an engineer in Australia and Linus a physics researcher in the USA. Cletus Dep retired as a High Court Judge. I can boldly say that one of the best Chief Justices we had of recent times who acted without fear or favour was Justice Priyasath Dep and I’m certainly the Bar will agree.
AC Dep was a keen historical researcher and the Police Department must be forever indebted to him for writing a History of the Ceylon Police. He spent much effort digging up information in an age when today’s Internet tools were unavailable to gather the information required for a publication of this nature. He says in Volume II that “in 1960 Mr C.C. Dissanayake, then Deputy Inspector General Of Police, asked me to write a history of the Ceylon Police…….. I had to do all the work during weekends, Public Holidays, lunch intervals, and personal leave.”
He invited IGP E.L Abeyagunwardane who went over him on the line of seniority to become IGP to write the Foreword to that publication, an index of his lack of rancor. IGP Abeygunawardana says in his Foreword: “A work of this importance and magnitude involves a large volume of research and reference, which in turn require much time labor and patience. It Is commendable that Mr A.C. Dep whilst discharging the arduous and responsible duties of office was able to devote his spare time and energy to bring forth work of this caliber. He merits the highest praise of all Police Officers and others interested in the development and progress of the Ceylon Police”.
Many years after his retirement he continued to conduct more research re- publishing the Volume 1 of the History of Ceylon Police which was first published by Mr G.K. Pippet. He traced this volume covering the period 1795 -1866 and with its aid and much effort, Mr A.C. Dep added to his own work. I know that he spent a lot of time in further research while he was working at Browns Group as a the Security Adviser/Transport Director, during my period there as Head of Security.
He says in the Preface to that volume: “Mr Pippet, the author of this volume, informed me that he was given a far too short a time to write this—–The present volume which contains more detailed account is the result of a longer period of research.” This meant that he was very much in touch with Mr Pippet when he resumed this research. The volume was published by Mr A.C.Dep consequent to a request made by the IGP to provide a copy of the early work that was out of print.
The IGP at the time, Mr R. Rajasingham (under whom I served when he was the acting SP of Southern Province (South) at Matara had this to say in the Forward. “The service in particular is greatly indebted to A.C.Dep for these two publications and I can only hope that he will be able to find the time to continue his research work and write the “History Of The Ceylon Police Volume 111 covering the period 1915 to 1948 when we regained our Independence”.
But whether Mr A.C. Dep made any attempt to do further work on this subject is not known; perhaps it was not possible due to the lack of facilities in the Police Department.. His dedication in conducting research was never adequately recognized. He was someone SPECIAL to the police and that special recognition was never granted even after his retirement. No IGP or police officer can match the invaluable contribution he made to the Police Department .
I had prematurely resigned from the Police in 1976 and having served as Head Of Security at Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation and Ceylon Cold Stores applied to join Browns Group which had 17 associated companies. Mr Dep was the Security Adviser and Head of the Transport Department which handled a fleet of about 150 vehicles. He was on the board of Interview when I faced it along with many Squadron Leaders, Wing Commanders, Majors and Colonels, and Captains from the Navy. I had not met Mr Dep for a long time and did not expect any assistance from him as I knew him to be a strict officer who never encouraged influence.
However I was selected, perhaps due to my experience in Industrial Security. I found Mr Dep traveling by bus and after office boarding a bus to Maradana station to take the train home despite being the head of transport at Browns. It was during this period he was gathering information to write Volume II of the Police History. I used to almost forcibly drive him to the Archives in my vehicle several times, something I enjoyed. When he retired we gave him a fitting farewell in 1984 and presented him with a black and white TV and he said “Thanks Nihal, now I can watch the news on TV”, clearly indicating he had no television in his house.
He was a true leader of men who never sought popularity and always acted with righteousness. His goal was never to reach high position but an opportunity to perform his duties with commitment and dedication in whatever capacity. He was an epitome of trust who went beyond expectations of honesty. It was in this context that he was entrusted and found worthy to be given the important task of writing the, First and Second Volumes of the History of The Police Department, a trust he never breached.
The Police Department along with the RSPOA (RETIRED SENIOR POLICE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION) should unveil a portrait of him at the Senior Officers’ Mess as a tribute and invite all his children to be present at the unveiling. None in the Police Department can claim that there has been an officer who contributed to the Department more than he in sports, administration, and ensuring that the History of the Police service is on record. He was an officer of the highest integrity with courage to challenge any politician during his period of service which finally deprived him of the post of IGP.
Late IGP Rudra Rajasingham in his foreword, when Volume 1 was redrafted by Mr Dep requested research on the period 1915 to 1948. Unfortunately this challenge has not been take up till now.
Mr Dep was my adviser when I came to know him well at Browns. I sometimes regretted leaving the police prematurely and he advised me saying “Your confidence and success are not determined by what has happened to you in the past, but rather by your decisions about what to focus on right now. This will determine your future.” Advice, given by him certainly has stood me in good stead.
Nihal de Alwis, FISF.
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
