Features
Sir Senerat’s Package Deal
by ECB Wijeyesinghe
Exactly 25 years ago (this article was written for the Oct. 24 UN Day), I was in New York. As I trudged from my modest hotel to the massive home of the United Nations, I felt I was playing a walk-on part in a big drama and incidentally adding a footnote to History. It was a period of great promise for our island home. The sun of freedom was shining over the mountains after 450 years of colonial rule. Sir John Kotelawela was the Prime Minister. Esmond Wickremesinghe was the Laird of Lake House and everything in our Garden of Eden from Mannar to Matara appeared to be as lovely as the lawns at Kandawela.
In other words, it was 1955 and a benevolent US State department had generously offered me a double-barrelled Leadership Grant for Drama and Journalism which I gratefully accepted with both hands. For three full months it was my good fortune to move among Americans in all strata of society. To say that I was overwhelmed by their kindness will be a gross understatement. But that is a chapter that deserves fuller treatment.
My story today has been provoked by the fact that October 24, was the birthday of the United Nations. On that day, 35 years ago was born that unique institution which stands, like its building, four-square against the winds of War and rumours of War. My humble mission on this occasion was to go to the UN Secretariat and find out the exact procedure or modus operandi for Ceylon joining the UN. After I had collected all the relevant material, I despatched it to Colombo, and I believe Esmond Wickrem-esinghe, in his usual large-hearted way, did me the honour of passing my memo on to the Cabinet. Thus ended the first and last occasion on which I was cast in the role of a political errand-boy.
TOP
At this distance of time, my only recollection of the United Nations building, apart from one of the offices in Dag Hammerskjold’s vast secretariat, was the room at the top where there was a cafeteria. Here, overlooking the River, the tables were groaning under the most delicious foods from over 50 countries.
There were yoghurts, pastries, steaks, fried fish, baked fish, lobsters, prawns and vegetables of all kinds with all the mouth -watering, tongue-tickling pickles and palate-pleasing desserts you could think of. Being an abstemious man I stuck to a dish of smoked salmon and followed it with what looked like a jaggery pudding. The latter was a disappointment. In fairness to my Muslim friends I must say that the Ceylon delicacy known as Vatallapan, prepared according to the old Arab formula brought by Ibn Batuta from Indonesia, is hard to beat. It will be the Muhammad Ali of puddings for a long time to come.
Ceylon eventually was admitted to the big international club known as the United Nations after a mighty effort by Ambassador Gunewardene who, according to Krishna Menon, “carried on a one-man struggle against the obstructionist tactics of the Great Powers”. It was a package deal in which some hard bargaining had to be done by the man from Colombo with such giants as Molotov, Dulles, Pierson-Dixon and Cabot Lodge. Ceylon was finally included in a group of 16 names put forward after Japan and Mongolia had been dropped.
Sir Senerat was just plain Mr. R. S. S. Gunewardene when he welcomed to his table visiting Ceylonese and made them feel quite at home over a nice curry-and-rice with hot sambols which brought tears of joy to home sick wanderers. I was one of the recipients of Mr. Gunawardene’s hospitality in Washington DC where he was greatly in demand as a public speaker.
Americans dearly love a man, especially a non-white, who can speak without a note, and that is a thing RSS was able to do especially when he started unraveling the mysteries of the Dhamma or dilating on the scenic splendours of his native land. RSS was both a deeply religious man as well as an ardent lover of beauty.
KNIGHTHOOD
There appears to be a little confusion in the public mind as to when Mr. R.S.S. Gunawardene became Sir Senerat, and how and why at one time he reverted to his old name. Here is the inner story of the knighthood as told by Sir Senerat himself:
“When Ceylon was admitted to the United Nations in December 1955, Sir John Kotelawala made a request that I be included in the 1956 Honours List and be given a KCMG. The Honours List was closed in July 1955 and Ceylon’s quota was exhausted. I was treated as a special case and made a Knight Bachelor in January 1956, and given a promise that I would made a KCMG in July. There was no rejection on my part and the honour was accepted and gazetted.
“When the SLFP was returned to power in March 1956, Mr. Bandaranaike stated there would not be any more Birthday Honours in Ceylon and appealed to title-holders not to use their titles.
I then wrote a private letter to Sir Oliver that I was willing not to use my title if that were the policy of the Government. Obviously it was not, because other members of the Government continued to use their titles.
“Sir Oliver wanted me to continue to use it. I was also told that Mr. Bandaranaike was hurt that I should be made the only scape-goat. The UN has always used my title.”
Mr. R. S. S. Gunawardene was, however, not the first Ceylonese ambassador to the United States of America. That honour belonged to Sir Claude Corea who had cut his diplomatic teeth in London for two years before he was sent by D. S. Senanayake as our envoy to Washington in 1948.
Unlike his successor, Sir Claude was a man of few words. Just as Sir Senerat was a devout Buddhist, Sir Claude was a devout Christian who was brought up by his saintly mother, Sarah Herat, to have faith in the efficacy of prayer. His mother’s advice stood him in good stead in more than one emergency.
Once he was returning to Washington in 1951 from San Francisco after attending the Japanese Peace Conference at which President Jayewardene had made his historic speech. In the plane beside Sir Claude and Mr. Jayewardene was Mr. R. G. Senanayake.
Half an hour after the take-off, one of the plane’s twin engines spluttered and came to a dead stop. There was much excitement on board especially among the women passengers. One of the few people who remained calm in the crisis was Sir Claude. He was praying. He did not utter a word until the aircraft returned safely to San Francisco.
Once again Death knocked at Sir Claude’s door when during the Easter of 1952 he had a heart attack and the doctors in Washington gave up hope. His family was summoned to the bedside and his three sons rushed in by the US authorities without the formalities of entry visas. But a few hours later, on a glorious Easter morning Sir Claude was well again and on the way to complete recovery. Sir Clause loved this story and never failed to add: ” “As I lay there helpless, I prayed.”
Sir Claude’s success as a diplomat in the Embassies in Washington and London, at the United Nations in New York and as he untied problems of GATT in Geneva was due to his inherent intellectual qualities as well as to the inspiration and strength he derived from his wife whom he married in 1933.
Her maiden name was Karmanie Chitty, but all her friends call her Lylie. Known in DPL circles as the perfect hostess, Lady Corea sparkled even in the most glamorous company. Lady Corea was like a mother to Ceylonese students who had lost their bearings in London, and her home at 21, Addison Road, was a haven of refuge for many half-starved and financially embarrassed young people from Sri Lanka.
REGRET
In the 16 years that he represented his country abroad Sir Claude Corea never deviated from his high code of conduct. His industry and integrity were talking points among international statesmen. When ill-health forced him to retire from the Political Committee of the UN in 1961 there was universal regret.
U. Thant. the Secretary-General said that “Sir Claude served the UN for three years with distinction and endeared himself to all.” Adlai Stevenson added that Sir Claude had dignified the UN and he would be remembered with respect and affection. He also set an example which people like Shirley Amerasinghe and Neville Kanekaratne followed bringing credit to their country.
It is nice to note that the Corea tradition in the UN family is being worthily maintained by one of Sir Claude’s kinsmen. Dr. Gamini Corea, the boss of UNCTAD, had added lustre not only to Lanka but to the post he occupied. Perhaps the high-water mark of the Sri Lanka connection with the UN is yet to come. That may be when Prime Minister Premadasa lassoes the General Assembly once more, probably next year, and makes “Homes for the Homeless” one of their big slogans in the future.
(Excerpted from The Good At Their Best first published in 1980)
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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