Features
Sinharaja and the Cultural traingle
Excerpted from Rajiva Wijesinha’s Exploring with Ena
In 1983 I did not know what to expect from Ena. We went up by bus, me and Nigel Hatch who was a regular companion in those days. He was a tower of support in those difficult days and was great fun too on trips, game for any adventure as I had found when I took him along with my old friend from Oxford, Gillian Peele, on a delightful tour over the Christmas holidays
Within a few minutes of us arriving at Aluwihare, Ena asked whether we were willing to go off to the Sinharaja early next morning. There was no reason to refuse and so, after a fantastic dinner, the first of many, we were woken up at 2 am for the expedition, also the first of many.
Ena had a double cab which Sena drove. Apart from her and me and Nigel we also took along Suja her cook, and one of the girls from the Centre, Suwineetha, who was herself an Aluwihare, a retainer called Perumal and a dogsbody called Mani. This last travelled on top of the van most of the time for there was no room for him at the back, packed as it was with loads of supplies.
We drove through the night, not quite sure of our route, but after much cogitation over a map we managed to arrive at the entrance to the Sinharaja by mid-morning. There we found that we needed to have a permit. Things had clearly changed since the days when Ena had been an honoured friend of the Wild Life Department, but they did let us in for a brief walk. This was not however very productive so, after an hour or so, we decided to resume our journey and explore some more.
It was my suggestion that we go on to Deniyaya. I had heard. of the Hayes-Lauderdale Road and its scenic beauty, and Ena was quite happy to revive ancient memories. So off we went, lumbering along in the laden pick up, and night fell and lights started twinkling in the distance, and each town we arrived at turned out to be merely a village. It was around 9 pm when we finally got to the Resthouse at Deniyaya, only to find it full. The keeper took pity on us however, and said he had one large if decrepit room at the back which we were welcome to have.
So we spent the night there all together, Ena and Nigel and me and Suwineetha and Suja, and several dogs that crept in for warmth in the course of the night, as did Sena. He was far too distinguished to spend the night in the van as Perumal and Mani did. We were given a good dinner, and an excellent breakfast too, and were able to admire the fantastic view across the valley from what must be one of the best situated Resthouses in the country.
The next day was what cemented the friendship. I found Ena as keen as I have always been never to retrace footsteps, so we found another route back, across Sooriyakanda and Embilipitya. We decided then to have lunch at the Walawe reservoir and settled down there while Suja cooked a fantastic meal on a hearth she made up amidst the trees on the bank of the lapping waters. Nigel decided he would fish in emulation of the villagers and actually caught a few small creatures which were added to the meal.
Ena and I lay on the loungers she had brought along and continued to talk. We talked about her youth and her elopement, about Ossie’s DIGs and the coup of 1962, about S. Thomas’ and her relations, and everything else in the world. We continued to talk as we travelled on after that idyllic lunch, taking the road over the hills from Balangoda through Bogawantalawa. This was an indulgence which I had craved since, three years earlier, travelling with some friends from England, we had gone on this route against the better judgment of the driver and got stuck at a stream which was gushing too deep to ford. We had had to spend the whole night in the car, arriving at the estate in Dickoya we were due at after the waters subsided in the morning.
I wanted to prove that the route was not a bad one, and it certainly satisfied Ena’s and my craving for continuing adventure. Once more night fell and lights twinkled in the valleys, and we drove on and talked on while Nigel slept. We stopped on the way at the Bogawantalawa Resthouse, where some enthusiastic boys produced the worst coffee I had ever drunk — until the experience was repeated a year later, at mother Resthouse, at Vakarai, at which point we recognized the boys who had been transferred by then to the East.
Before the journey ended we had another epiphany. It was Wesak and as we passed through Geli Oya, between Gampola and Kandy, we saw the whole town celebrating, or rather all its young men, dancing vigorously in the middle of the road. It was an enchanting sight, even though it slowed us up considerably, Sena having to navigate very carefully, whilst the enthusiastic youngsters teased him by refusing to go out of the way, even while their grins as he shook his hoary locks made it clear they knew exactly how irritated he was becoming.
But we forgave them easily, and for Ena and me it was a sight we talked of for years, in reflecting about life in rural areas. It brought to her mind, she said, Ossie’s efforts to engage the police in community development, for he had told her how dull were the lives of the villagers and how it was important to provide them with entertainment and additional occupation.
We reached Alu well after midnight, two full days after we had set out, on what I still think of as one of the most important portant journeys I took in Sri Lanka. We had to leave the next day, but clearly this was a show that would continue to run. I had a friend coming out from England in July, and obviously Alu was the best place to which to bring him, not only to explore the ancient cities, but also if possible to do a loaf, as we thought of the journeys into unknown distances we booth relished so much. I had found a soulmate, and I belive Ena felt the same.
So when Nick, one of my best friends at Oxford during my last couple of years, arrived in early July to stay for three or four weeks, staying with Ena was a priority. Apart from that I had a very full programme arranged for him, beginning with the launch on the evening he landed of The New Lankan Review. I had decided to start the journal when Richard de Zoysa and I found ourselves out of jobs after being sacked from S. Thomas’ and occupied ourselves with teaching at a house in 8th Lane which my father looked after.
We wrote a lot while waiting for our pupils, while I had become familiar with the writings in English of other Sri Lankans for I had a radio programme to introduce poetry and prose which Richard would read. Those were days in which the social and academic elite looked down on Sri Lankans writing in English, and I believe my publishing some of this in the New Lankan Review, which I continued with for seven years more, proved a vital influence in making such writing acceptable.
I knew Ena would enjoy that first volume, not least for its account of my adventures at S. Thomas’ which I had called ‘Slippery Pantaloons’, since previously she had been overwhelmed by the criticisms of her sister and others who had heard only the other side of the story. But she was as interested in the creative writing, appreciative of the work of older polished writers such as Alfreda de Silva and Anne Ranasinghe but, like me, relishing most the sheer energy of Jean Arasanayagam. And over the years Ena and I would discuss avidly, which I could not do with my other relations, the writings I published.
Nick and I went up soon after the launch to Aluwihare, for me to present Ena with her copy of the Review, talk about which must have bored Nick silly over the next few days. Our first excursion from there was to Polonnaruwa, and I still remember our pre-dawn start which allowed for breakfast on the banks of the Parakrama Samudraya before exploration of the sites. We had a long day thereafter, though with a break for lunch, lying under massive shady trees while the waters lapped at our side. Ena paced herself sensibly, getting down only at places she particularly relished, avoiding the sun as much as possible.
I was reminded of that first visit nearly a decade later, when I took her to see Polonnaruwa lit up at night through a project I administered for the British Council. It had been designed to develop the place as a site for night visits, to encourage tourists to stay in the area, whereas they were used to travelling from the bigger hotels some distance away on day trips. Sadly the Cultural Triangle administration was not able to focus on this aspect, a problem I found endemic in Sri Lanka, since planning so as to involve a number of different agencies and aspects was almost impossible.
The Cultural Triangle made up for this deficiency however by unstinted graciousness in agreeing to command performances for anyone we suggested. I did not quite think it correct to ask for one for my aunt, but I thought it would be acceptable when the mother of Scott Richards, who had done much work for us at the British Council, was visiting. My good friend Nirmali Hettiarachchi, who had also done much work for the Council, was with us too that evening, February 14, 1991, and we had a delightful time watching Fria and another formidable old lady working out how to cope with each other.
Those nights were magical. The Consultant we had hired had a most fantastic eye, for stone as well as for greenery, and he lit his subjects up in different ways, bright focus on gateways and statues in some temples, highlighting of columns and carvings in the central area of image houses, spotlights from amidst greenery on the looming palace. Ena walked more than she had done for years amongst the ruins, and was also deeply appreciative of the fact that the Gal Vihare, one of the most impressive sights anywhere in the world, had not been obtrusively highlighted.
The Project had also included work at Anuradhapura, and I remember dropping in with Ena one morning on Raymond Allchin, an old and distinguished and self-opinionated British archaeologist who was working on site there. Not entirely absurdly, he felt that the Triangle was not spending enough time and money on careful analysis based on field work, but his patronizing approach had to yield to Ena’s long-standing familiarity with the site.
I only realized then, as she talked of the times she had spent there when her father was Government Agent, the comprehensive role such officials played in the days before increasing specialization led to restrictive compartmentalization. Obviously we cannot go back to the days of gifted amateurs, but it is a pity that the wide-ranging interests and commitment of officials of an earlier era, based on a strong sense of responsibility, cannot be revived.
The encounter with Allchin was in July 1990, when I was administering two programmes for the British Council that involved travel in Ena’s vicinity. One was the Cultural Triangle project, another was to provide furniture to schools. This had originally been for rehabilitation work in the North and East after the 1987 Peace Accord, but when war broke out again we could not continue to work in the three Districts originally selected, Vavuniya and Trincomalee and Amparai.
But we convinced the British Overseas Development Administration that they should allow the money to be spent in neighbouring Districts that had been affected by the war. In addition to Amparai I proposed Matale and Matara, both of which were areas I loved, and had good reason to visit. Matale was ideal for the entire Cultural Triangle, and I had spent the Thursday I left Colombo looking at what our Consultants had done with the Queen’s Bath and the proposed Interpretation Centre in Kandy, before going on to inspect furniture in nine schools in the Matale District. And then I stayed at Alu and Ena accompanied me to Anuradhapura next day to see Allchin and his protege Robin Coningham. But the best part of that day was having on the shores of the Basavakkulama Tank the picnic lunch which Ena had packed for us.
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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