Features
Settling Down, Betty Boothroyd and Boris Becker
CONFESSIONS OF A GLOBAL GYPSY
Dr. Chandana (Chandi) Jayawardena DPhil
President – Chandi J. Associates Inc. Consulting, Canada
Founder & Administrator – Global Hospitality Forum
chandij@sympatico.ca
I quickly settled down managing the Lodge and the Village in Habarana, North Central Sri Lanka, as the General Manager of both resorts. Our customers were mainly Europeans spending two weeks in Sri Lanka. They came on charter flights of key European tour operators represented in Sri Lanka by Walkers Tours, the travel arm of my employer, John Keells Group. Most of these travel groups stayed at the Habarana resort complex for two or three nights, while doing daily excursions to key ancient capital cities and historic attractions of Sri Lanka – Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Dambulla and Sigiriya.
Habarana is located right in the middle of the cultural triangle of the country, and relatively close to six of the eight UNESCO World Heritage sights in Sri Lanka. That strategic location was a key consideration when Habarana was chosen in the early 1970s to develop a resort with a unique concept – the Village, which opened in 1976. Encouraged with its overwhelming success, John Keells opened a more luxurious sister hotel – the Lodge, six years later. Having joined the group initially in 1977, I had some involvement with the Village and the Lodge project, until I left them in 1981. Four years later, in 1985, I re-joined.
In addition to managing the two resorts, I managed a large farm with the assistance of a qualified farm manager who reported to me. The farm cultivated vegetables and fruits to supply both resorts and used kitchen food waste to feed around 35 pigs raised there. This was a new experience for me. I enjoyed commencing the day with a long walk around the 40-acre property and a visit to the farm. While the farm marked one of our boundaries, another boundary was the Habarana Lake, with boating facilities for guests. A part of the complex land touched a forest with wild animals.
Changing the Culture of the Resort Complex
Our team of 18 managers worked day and night, irrespective of weekends and public holidays. Once a month, each of the managers took a week off to go home. Senior managers had family accommodation on a complimentary full-board basis. The two resorts were very busy during breakfast when tour buses lined up to pick up guests to take them for their day excursions. Lunch service time was always the least busy period for us. Most of us broke the day in two, with a few hours of relaxation before dinner service when the resorts came alive again with buffets, flamed food, cocktails, entertainment, and bands providing music for dancing.
After my first week in Habarana, I identified a major problem. The two resort management teams did not communicate with each other. It was a no-brainer that collaboration and sharing best practices would have benefited both resorts providing mutual benefits. However, stemming from some petty differences from the past and conflicts when the two hotels were led by two different hotel managers, the two teams continued to behave in a selfish manner. I realized that sorting this problem was my top priority to improve team spirit, productivity, efficiency and profitability.
I arranged 18 one on one meetings with the managers. Each of them was asked to make one positive suggestion to me to bring the teams closer. After that, I promoted both Assistant Managers as Executive Assistant Managers who had a joint meeting with me every morning, to make joint decisions related to common areas such as purchasing, training and staff welfare. I relocated my apartment to the middle of the complex in between both resorts.
I then arranged a mixed team water polo game every day with all 18 managers from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm. We alternated the venue between the Village and the Lodge swimming pools. Families of the senior managers watched us play. In between the game we had refreshments and tea for the management team hosted by each hotel on alternate days. That did the trick. Soon the old scars healed, we enjoyed each other’s company and worked together like one big family.
I changed my daily routine after that. After my long morning walk around the complex and my standing meeting with the farm manager, I attended a breakfast meeting with the management team of the Lodge. After that I worked in my office at the Lodge. Around noon, I went to the Village to have a lunch meeting with their management team. Those two meetings were chaired by each respective Executive Assistant Manager, who I empowered a lot and delegated all day-to-day operations. I was just an observer at these meetings, but privately coached both of them If I felt that they could have done better.
After lunch, I worked at my office at the Village till 4:00 pm. Then it was time for water polo. Around 6:30 pm we all came back to work hard. When my wife and I did not have any dinner obligations of hosting VIPs or tour operators, we had dinner with the two Executive Assistant Managers and their families in one of their apartments. Depending on the next day’s schedule, at times we played chess and monopoly till late. Soon I commenced a series of management development workshops for our team of 18 managers. They were very interactive and everyone learnt from each other. We became an excellent team.
One day the Managing Director of Walkers Tours, Ken Balendra called me. “Don’t you have excess cold room facilities?” When I confirmed that we did, he assigned me some additional duties. “Look Chandana, we are commencing a new company – Keells Food Products, with mainly meat products. Our vision is to eventually make it the largest such company in Sri Lanka. We have hired a master butcher from England who is setting up the factory operation, close to Colombo. We would like you to set up the food distribution network for Keells Food Products in the North Central Province.”
I immediately hired a Food Distribution Coordinator and bought a large refrigerated van. After that I reduced my direct reports to just five people – two Executive Assistant Managers, Farm Manager, Executive Secretary and Food Distribution Coordinator. Two Financial Controllers had a dotted reporting line to me.
VIP Guests
Occasionally we had visits by very important persons, and I personally looked after them. We organized a tree planting ceremony for each of those VIPs. Often, we gave them a choice of the plant, and arranged a plaque next to the tree indicating the name and the position of the VIP, as well as the name of the plant, its botanical name and the date it was planted. These tree planting ceremonies were popular. Whenever a VIP returned to Habarana, they wanted to see the growing plant and take a photograph next to it.
One of those VIPs was Betty Boothroyd (later, Baroness Boothroyd), Member of Parliament for West Bromwich, in the United Kingdom. Betty had many interesting stories to share and I liked her company. One day over dinner at the Lodge, she asked me, “Did you know that I was dancer, as a member of the Tiller Girls dancing troupe appearing in the London Palladium in late 1940s and early 1950s?” She then said, “I got into politics when my dancing career was shortened due to a foot infection.”
In 1960, she had travelled to the USA to see the Kennedy campaign. After that she began work in Washington D.C. as a legislative assistant to an American Congressman, for two years. Betty was also involved with the United Kingdom and Sri Lanka friendship Society, and that meant she was a regular visitor to Sri Lanka.
On a rainy day, she planted a carefully selected mango tree in our garden. Occasionally when she wrote to me, she asked how her tree was doing. A year later, she told me that she would visit Habarana again within two weeks. When I checked with the Farm Manager as to how her mango tree was doing, he casually mentioned “Her mango tree died!” I was not amused. I ordered the Farm Manager to find a mango plant which was around a year old and plant it in the same spot. When Betty returned, she did not notice that it was another tree. She took several photographs of it to show her friends in England.
Our friendship continued for a few years. In 1992 she was elected Speaker of the House of Commons, being the first woman ever to hold that prestigious position. When I sent her a congratulatory message, she invited me to her workplace. In 1993, during a visit to England, Betty kindly hosted me at the House of Commons. I was grateful to Betty for giving me such an opportunity.
Record Breaking July 7th
Riding the wave of executive optimism and team spirit, I initiated a series of new products. We opened a new à la carte restaurant at the Village and an art gallery at the Lodge, to showcase local artists. We also organized regular sport competitions to motivate our staff. We increased the number of buffets and cocktail sales in both resorts.
Sunday, July 7th, 1985, was a memorable day for me. A few managers gathered around the Don Martin’s Bar (named after the head barman with 40 years’ cocktail making experience at the famous Galle Face Hotel) at the Village. Knowing that the manager’s water polo game was relatively violent, a bar supervisor told me, “Sir, the villagers believe that July 7th is a bad day. Better avoid your water polo game, today”. We had a good reason to take his advice. Having watched the quarter-final and semi-final matches, we were keen to watch the men’s single finals of Wimbledon tennis, on the large TV screen at the bar.
We were shocked when a 17-year-old unknown tennis player from West Germany, Boris Becker won the title. Boris broke three main records that day. He was the youngest, the first German and the first unseeded player to win the greatest accolade in the world of Tennis.
“How many German tourists are arriving today?”, I asked the front office manager of the Village. When I heard that there would be over 120 West Germans arriving at the hotel within an hour, I motivated the Head Barman to create a new cocktail. Based on his experience in the past, he created a mish-mash cocktail with a blend of Tia Maria, black coffee, peppermint schnapps, and whipped cream and sprinkled chocolate powder on top. It was served on a side plate covered with black, red, and yellow striped paper napkins left by a West German tour leader. We named the cocktail ‘Boris Becker Serves’. We asked the bar staff to quickly do advance preparations to produce 100 Boris Becker Serves.
We then got the hotel artist to prepare a poster, with a message written in German by our food and beverage manager, who was trained in West Germany for five years. The poster was prominently displayed at the front office. When the coaches of hundreds of West German tourists arrived, I requested that manager who was fluent in German go to each coach and announce with the tour guide’s microphone, the good news about Boris’s big win and our cocktail to celebrate it. He wore a German hat and a tie while making those announcements to loudly cheering German tourists.
That day, we sold over 250 Boris Becker Serves, and broke all previous records at the Village for bar sales on a single day!
by Dr Gotabhya Ranasinghe
Senior Consultant Cardiologist
National Hospital Sri Lanka
When we sought a meeting with Hon Dr. Ramesh Pathirana, Minister of Health, he graciously cleared his busy schedule to accommodate us. Renowned for his attentive listening and deep understanding, Minister Pathirana is dedicated to advancing the health sector. His openness and transparency exemplify the qualities of an exemplary politician and minister.
Dr. Palitha Mahipala, the current Health Secretary, demonstrates both commendable enthusiasm and unwavering support. This combination of attributes makes him a highly compatible colleague for the esteemed Minister of Health.
Our discussion centered on a project that has been in the works for the past 30 years, one that no other minister had managed to advance.
Minister Pathirana, however, recognized the project’s significance and its potential to revolutionize care for heart patients.
The project involves the construction of a state-of-the-art facility at the premises of the National Hospital Colombo. The project’s location within the premises of the National Hospital underscores its importance and relevance to the healthcare infrastructure of the nation.
This facility will include a cardiology building and a tertiary care center, equipped with the latest technology to handle and treat all types of heart-related conditions and surgeries.
Securing funding was a major milestone for this initiative. Minister Pathirana successfully obtained approval for a $40 billion loan from the Asian Development Bank. With the funding in place, the foundation stone is scheduled to be laid in September this year, and construction will begin in January 2025.
This project guarantees a consistent and uninterrupted supply of stents and related medications for heart patients. As a result, patients will have timely access to essential medical supplies during their treatment and recovery. By securing these critical resources, the project aims to enhance patient outcomes, minimize treatment delays, and maintain the highest standards of cardiac care.
Upon its fruition, this monumental building will serve as a beacon of hope and healing, symbolizing the unwavering dedication to improving patient outcomes and fostering a healthier society.We anticipate a future marked by significant progress and positive outcomes in Sri Lanka’s cardiovascular treatment landscape within the foreseeable timeframe.
by Fr. Emmanuel Fernando, OMI
Jesuit Fr. Aloysius Pieris (affectionately called Fr. Aloy) celebrated his 90th birthday on April 9, 2024 and I, as the editor of our Oblate Journal, THE MISSIONARY OBLATE had gone to press by that time. Immediately I decided to publish an article, appreciating the untiring selfless services he continues to offer for inter-Faith dialogue, the renewal of the Catholic Church, his concern for the poor and the suffering Sri Lankan masses and to me, the present writer.
It was in 1988, when I was appointed Director of the Oblate Scholastics at Ampitiya by the then Oblate Provincial Fr. Anselm Silva, that I came to know Fr. Aloy more closely. Knowing well his expertise in matters spiritual, theological, Indological and pastoral, and with the collaborative spirit of my companion-formators, our Oblate Scholastics were sent to Tulana, the Research and Encounter Centre, Kelaniya, of which he is the Founder-Director, for ‘exposure-programmes’ on matters spiritual, biblical, theological and pastoral. Some of these dimensions according to my view and that of my companion-formators, were not available at the National Seminary, Ampitiya.
Ever since that time, our Oblate formators/ accompaniers at the Oblate Scholasticate, Ampitiya , have continued to send our Oblate Scholastics to Tulana Centre for deepening their insights and convictions regarding matters needed to serve the people in today’s context. Fr. Aloy also had tried very enthusiastically with the Oblate team headed by Frs. Oswald Firth and Clement Waidyasekara to begin a Theologate, directed by the Religious Congregations in Sri Lanka, for the contextual formation/ accompaniment of their members. It should very well be a desired goal of the Leaders / Provincials of the Religious Congregations.
Besides being a formator/accompanier at the Oblate Scholasticate, I was entrusted also with the task of editing and publishing our Oblate journal, ‘The Missionary Oblate’. To maintain the quality of the journal I continue to depend on Fr. Aloy for his thought-provoking and stimulating articles on Biblical Spirituality, Biblical Theology and Ecclesiology. I am very grateful to him for his generous assistance. Of late, his writings on renewal of the Church, initiated by Pope St. John XX111 and continued by Pope Francis through the Synodal path, published in our Oblate journal, enable our readers to focus their attention also on the needed renewal in the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka. Fr. Aloy appreciated very much the Synodal path adopted by the Jesuit Pope Francis for the renewal of the Church, rooted very much on prayerful discernment. In my Religious and presbyteral life, Fr.Aloy continues to be my spiritual animator / guide and ongoing formator / acccompanier.
Fr. Aloysius Pieris, BA Hons (Lond), LPh (SHC, India), STL (PFT, Naples), PhD (SLU/VC), ThD (Tilburg), D.Ltt (KU), has been one of the eminent Asian theologians well recognized internationally and one who has lectured and held visiting chairs in many universities both in the West and in the East. Many members of Religious Congregations from Asian countries have benefited from his lectures and guidance in the East Asian Pastoral Institute (EAPI) in Manila, Philippines. He had been a Theologian consulted by the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences for many years. During his professorship at the Gregorian University in Rome, he was called to be a member of a special group of advisers on other religions consulted by Pope Paul VI.
Fr. Aloy is the author of more than 30 books and well over 500 Research Papers. Some of his books and articles have been translated and published in several countries. Among those books, one can find the following: 1) The Genesis of an Asian Theology of Liberation (An Autobiographical Excursus on the Art of Theologising in Asia, 2) An Asian Theology of Liberation, 3) Providential Timeliness of Vatican 11 (a long-overdue halt to a scandalous millennium, 4) Give Vatican 11 a chance, 5) Leadership in the Church, 6) Relishing our faith in working for justice (Themes for study and discussion), 7) A Message meant mainly, not exclusively for Jesuits (Background information necessary for helping Francis renew the Church), 8) Lent in Lanka (Reflections and Resolutions, 9) Love meets wisdom (A Christian Experience of Buddhism, 10) Fire and Water 11) God’s Reign for God’s poor, 12) Our Unhiddden Agenda (How we Jesuits work, pray and form our men). He is also the Editor of two journals, Vagdevi, Journal of Religious Reflection and Dialogue, New Series.
Fr. Aloy has a BA in Pali and Sanskrit from the University of London and a Ph.D in Buddhist Philosophy from the University of Sri Lankan, Vidyodaya Campus. On Nov. 23, 2019, he was awarded the prestigious honorary Doctorate of Literature (D.Litt) by the Chancellor of the University of Kelaniya, the Most Venerable Welamitiyawe Dharmakirthi Sri Kusala Dhamma Thera.
Fr. Aloy continues to be a promoter of Gospel values and virtues. Justice as a constitutive dimension of love and social concern for the downtrodden masses are very much noted in his life and work. He had very much appreciated the commitment of the late Fr. Joseph (Joe) Fernando, the National Director of the Social and Economic Centre (SEDEC) for the poor.
In Sri Lanka, a few religious Congregations – the Good Shepherd Sisters, the Christian Brothers, the Marist Brothers and the Oblates – have invited him to animate their members especially during their Provincial Congresses, Chapters and International Conferences. The mainline Christian Churches also have sought his advice and followed his seminars. I, for one, regret very much, that the Sri Lankan authorities of the Catholic Church –today’s Hierarchy—- have not sought Fr.
Aloy’s expertise for the renewal of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka and thus have not benefited from the immense store of wisdom and insight that he can offer to our local Church while the Sri Lankan bishops who governed the Catholic church in the immediate aftermath of the Second Vatican Council (Edmund Fernando OMI, Anthony de Saram, Leo Nanayakkara OSB, Frank Marcus Fernando, Paul Perera,) visited him and consulted him on many matters. Among the Tamil Bishops, Bishop Rayappu Joseph was keeping close contact with him and Bishop J. Deogupillai hosted him and his team visiting him after the horrible Black July massacre of Tamils.
Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement
By Gomi Senadhira
senadhiragomi@gmail.com
“You might tell fairy tales, but the progress of a country cannot be achieved through such narratives. A country cannot be developed by making false promises. The country moved backward because of the electoral promises made by political parties throughout time. We have witnessed that the ultimate result of this is the country becoming bankrupt. Unfortunately, many segments of the population have not come to realize this yet.” – President Ranil Wickremesinghe, 2024 Budget speech
Any Sri Lankan would agree with the above words of President Wickremesinghe on the false promises our politicians and officials make and the fairy tales they narrate which bankrupted this country. So, to understand this, let’s look at one such fairy tale with lots of false promises; Ranil Wickremesinghe’s greatest achievement in the area of international trade and investment promotion during the Yahapalana period, Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (SLSFTA).
It is appropriate and timely to do it now as Finance Minister Wickremesinghe has just presented to parliament a bill on the National Policy on Economic Transformation which includes the establishment of an Office for International Trade and the Sri Lanka Institute of Economics and International Trade.
Was SLSFTA a “Cleverly negotiated Free Trade Agreement” as stated by the (former) Minister of Development Strategies and International Trade Malik Samarawickrama during the Parliamentary Debate on the SLSFTA in July 2018, or a colossal blunder covered up with lies, false promises, and fairy tales? After SLSFTA was signed there were a number of fairy tales published on this agreement by the Ministry of Development Strategies and International, Institute of Policy Studies, and others.
However, for this article, I would like to limit my comments to the speech by Minister Samarawickrama during the Parliamentary Debate, and the two most important areas in the agreement which were covered up with lies, fairy tales, and false promises, namely: revenue loss for Sri Lanka and Investment from Singapore. On the other important area, “Waste products dumping” I do not want to comment here as I have written extensively on the issue.
1. The revenue loss
During the Parliamentary Debate in July 2018, Minister Samarawickrama stated “…. let me reiterate that this FTA with Singapore has been very cleverly negotiated by us…. The liberalisation programme under this FTA has been carefully designed to have the least impact on domestic industry and revenue collection. We have included all revenue sensitive items in the negative list of items which will not be subject to removal of tariff. Therefore, 97.8% revenue from Customs duty is protected. Our tariff liberalisation will take place over a period of 12-15 years! In fact, the revenue earned through tariffs on goods imported from Singapore last year was Rs. 35 billion.
The revenue loss for over the next 15 years due to the FTA is only Rs. 733 million– which when annualised, on average, is just Rs. 51 million. That is just 0.14% per year! So anyone who claims the Singapore FTA causes revenue loss to the Government cannot do basic arithmetic! Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, I call on my fellow members of this House – don’t mislead the public with baseless criticism that is not grounded in facts. Don’t look at petty politics and use these issues for your own political survival.”
I was surprised to read the minister’s speech because an article published in January 2018 in “The Straits Times“, based on information released by the Singaporean Negotiators stated, “…. With the FTA, tariff savings for Singapore exports are estimated to hit $10 million annually“.
As the annual tariff savings (that is the revenue loss for Sri Lanka) calculated by the Singaporean Negotiators, Singaporean $ 10 million (Sri Lankan rupees 1,200 million in 2018) was way above the rupees’ 733 million revenue loss for 15 years estimated by the Sri Lankan negotiators, it was clear to any observer that one of the parties to the agreement had not done the basic arithmetic!
Six years later, according to a report published by “The Morning” newspaper, speaking at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) on 7th May 2024, Mr Samarawickrama’s chief trade negotiator K.J. Weerasinghehad had admitted “…. that forecasted revenue loss for the Government of Sri Lanka through the Singapore FTA is Rs. 450 million in 2023 and Rs. 1.3 billion in 2024.”
If these numbers are correct, as tariff liberalisation under the SLSFTA has just started, we will pass Rs 2 billion very soon. Then, the question is how Sri Lanka’s trade negotiators made such a colossal blunder. Didn’t they do their basic arithmetic? If they didn’t know how to do basic arithmetic they should have at least done their basic readings. For example, the headline of the article published in The Straits Times in January 2018 was “Singapore, Sri Lanka sign FTA, annual savings of $10m expected”.
Anyway, as Sri Lanka’s chief negotiator reiterated at the COPF meeting that “…. since 99% of the tariffs in Singapore have zero rates of duty, Sri Lanka has agreed on 80% tariff liberalisation over a period of 15 years while expecting Singapore investments to address the imbalance in trade,” let’s turn towards investment.
Investment from Singapore
In July 2018, speaking during the Parliamentary Debate on the FTA this is what Minister Malik Samarawickrama stated on investment from Singapore, “Already, thanks to this FTA, in just the past two-and-a-half months since the agreement came into effect we have received a proposal from Singapore for investment amounting to $ 14.8 billion in an oil refinery for export of petroleum products. In addition, we have proposals for a steel manufacturing plant for exports ($ 1 billion investment), flour milling plant ($ 50 million), sugar refinery ($ 200 million). This adds up to more than $ 16.05 billion in the pipeline on these projects alone.
And all of these projects will create thousands of more jobs for our people. In principle approval has already been granted by the BOI and the investors are awaiting the release of land the environmental approvals to commence the project.
I request the Opposition and those with vested interests to change their narrow-minded thinking and join us to develop our country. We must always look at what is best for the whole community, not just the few who may oppose. We owe it to our people to courageously take decisions that will change their lives for the better.”
According to the media report I quoted earlier, speaking at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) Chief Negotiator Weerasinghe has admitted that Sri Lanka was not happy with overall Singapore investments that have come in the past few years in return for the trade liberalisation under the Singapore-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement. He has added that between 2021 and 2023 the total investment from Singapore had been around $162 million!
What happened to those projects worth $16 billion negotiated, thanks to the SLSFTA, in just the two-and-a-half months after the agreement came into effect and approved by the BOI? I do not know about the steel manufacturing plant for exports ($ 1 billion investment), flour milling plant ($ 50 million) and sugar refinery ($ 200 million).
However, story of the multibillion-dollar investment in the Petroleum Refinery unfolded in a manner that would qualify it as the best fairy tale with false promises presented by our politicians and the officials, prior to 2019 elections.
Though many Sri Lankans got to know, through the media which repeatedly highlighted a plethora of issues surrounding the project and the questionable credentials of the Singaporean investor, the construction work on the Mirrijiwela Oil Refinery along with the cement factory began on the24th of March 2019 with a bang and Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and his ministers along with the foreign and local dignitaries laid the foundation stones.
That was few months before the 2019 Presidential elections. Inaugurating the construction work Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the projects will create thousands of job opportunities in the area and surrounding districts.
The oil refinery, which was to be built over 200 acres of land, with the capacity to refine 200,000 barrels of crude oil per day, was to generate US$7 billion of exports and create 1,500 direct and 3,000 indirect jobs. The construction of the refinery was to be completed in 44 months. Four years later, in August 2023 the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by President Ranil Wickremesinghe to cancel the agreement with the investors of the refinery as the project has not been implemented! Can they explain to the country how much money was wasted to produce that fairy tale?
It is obvious that the President, ministers, and officials had made huge blunders and had deliberately misled the public and the parliament on the revenue loss and potential investment from SLSFTA with fairy tales and false promises.
As the president himself said, a country cannot be developed by making false promises or with fairy tales and these false promises and fairy tales had bankrupted the country. “Unfortunately, many segments of the population have not come to realize this yet”.
(The writer, a specialist and an activist on trade and development issues . )
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