Features
Some inside stories from Anandatissa de Alwis
Alice Kotelawela persuaded Sir. John to makeup with Dudley
“The finest victory is one achieved by guile alone” – Sun Tzu
With the establishment of the Executive Presidency in 1978, JRJ while elevating himself to the post of the first President of the Second Republic had to appoint a new Prime Minister. Accordingly Premadasa was made the PM giving a strong signal that JRJ’s UNP was merit based and not kinship and caste based as it was under the Senanayakes.
He thereby broke the Goigama hold on the Premiership which had been a live issue in the case of CP de Silva who could have been PM under both the SLFP and UNP led Governments. It was this caste impasse which dogged the SLFP that helped to bring the reluctant Mrs. B into politics. She first entered politics as an independent and chose the Senate instead of the lower house to show her contempt for the fawning politicians who had abandoned her husband at a difficult time leading to his murder by SLFP stalwarts.
Caste was one of the considerations which brought the ‘weeping widow’ into national politics and her regimes had a soft spot for Goigama Kandyans. Premadasa also made use of this opportunity to build up his own coterie of supporters in Parliament which had more than a fair share of non-Goigama MPs. Though this was not made public Gamini and Lalith burnished their Goigama credentials with MPs though it was ‘sotto voce’.
From the day he sat on the PM’s chair Premadasa made it crystal clear that his upward trajectory was towards the Presidential throne. With this in mind he cultivated JRJ assiduously and also won the confidence of Mrs. Jayewardene who became his strongest supporter. It is in this reshuffle that JRJ brought Anandatissa de Alwis, his former Secretary and confidante in the struggle to resuscitate the UNP, into the Cabinet as Minister of State perhaps with the idea of counterbalancing Premadasa.
Ananda certainly thought so and was keen to play a more dynamic role. He asked me to remain as Secretary to the Ministry under the new dispensation. For Ananda it was like coming home for he had been at the helm of this Ministry from 1965 to 1970. He was an efficient and friendly person and we got on like a house on fire. This was an apt comparison for our Minister was a chain smoker and cigarette smoke would constantly emanate from his office room which was strewn with cigarette butts and match sticks.
After long meetings with him my clothes smelled of cigarette smoke and I had to hurry home to change. But that was a minor hiccup in a wonderfully exciting relationship between me and my Minister who was a generous human being. However, Ananda soon developed heart problems and had to give up his lifelong smoking habit. He told me that his cardiologist had told him not to waste his time and money in medical consultations if he was not willing to give up smoking. Without quitting, his days were numbered. Fortunately Ananda heeded his doctor’s advice and cigarette smoking was banned in the State ministry premises.
Anandatissa de Alwis
By bringing Ananda into the Cabinet JRJ was also strengthening his own hand in the light of jockeying for position among several of his ambitious ministers. Premadasa as Prime Minister lost no time in exerting his authority, though he took good care to be on the right side of the President. He began to gather more functions under the PM such as Buddhist and Cultural Affairs for which he set up his own media operations.
Ananda, as the President’s man and a party grandee, was looked upon by his supporters as a credible rival to Premadasa and a potential Prime Minister. It was Ananda as Assistant Secretary of the UNP who was JRJ’s right hand man in resuscitating the party after Dudley’s death. There was not much love lost between him and Premadasa.
At this stage there occurred an incident, not publicized before, which devastated Ananda. On leaving the Speaker’s chair he had been accommodated by the Parliament staff on the front benches of the House along with senior ministers. This arrangement went on for some time till Gamini and Lalith, who were accommodated in the second row complained to JRJ that they were senior to Ananda as Ministers and that he should be moved to a seat behind them.
The staff of Parliament had perhaps erred in trying to accommodate their affable former boss but now their decision was canvassed by two ambitious juniors. Ananda was confident that JRJ would back him and confirm his status as the ‘President’s Man’. But that was not to be. Asked to follow tradition, the parliamentary staff had to relocate the former Speaker to the second row. The embarrassment caused by this move affected Ananda deeply and he began to lose confidence and interest in his work.
He avoided going to Parliament and began to concentrate on building up his advertising company. He also began to lose hope of preferment within the UNP and started to cynically criticize his colleagues, especially the Prime minister who had his spies everywhere. The disappointed Ananda did not actively intervene in Parliamentary debates even though he was one of the best speakers in the country.
The story of Anandatissa is a great tragedy about which I am entitled to write because for some time I was his favourite and was a preferred listener to his fascinating tales. I must say in gratitude that I have learnt much from him and have benefited from his generosity. His was a lonely battle, as he confided in me. He was a bright student at Ananda College when he lost both his parents. His father, who was a post master, and the only breadwinner of a large family, died in a most unfortunate way.
He was returning on foot after work and was swept away by a flash flood. The young Ananda had to follow his studies as well as look after a number of sisters since he was the only boy in the family. He told me that he was so poor that he had to walk barefoot up to his school, shoes in hand and wear them only in the class room since he could not spend money on another pair. Some of his sisters had to be handed over to a Catholic orphanage and they grew up into becoming good Roman Catholics.
But he struggled and became a good school leader, an orator and a school cadet. Fortunately for him he was employed by Sir John Kotelawala (JK) who became a father figure to him. He was fanatically devoted to Kotelawala and became his trouble shooter not only in his political work but also in his personal entanglements. JK’s mother Alice Kotelawala treated him like a son and Ananda became a celebrity in Colombo circles because he was a protege of JK.
He described to me so many instances of his boss’s generosity. Once when he was invited to join his boss on a foreign tour he declined. The real reason for that decision was that Ananda did not have the money to buy warm clothing. JK let the matter drop. Three days later when Ananda opened his cupboard at Kandawela there was a full suit, shirts, shoes and a winter coat hung up for him. It was an unsolicited gift from his boss who never even mentioned it. Ananda joined in the tour thanks to JK’s humanity which I was told was the big man’s real nature. Ananda was a devotee of Kotelawala till the last.
Let me recount some of the stories which I learnt from Ananda about JK which may be of interest to historians of that period. It is well known that when D.S. Senanayake died of a heart attack while out riding in Galle Face green, JK expected to succeed him. But the inner circle of the UNP, including Esmond -Wickremesinghe, had been informed earlier by DS’s doctors that `The Old Man’ had not much longer to live and this top UNP cabal had persuaded Lord Soulbury to ask DS tactfully about his successor, before the Governor-General went on leave to the UK.
DS had nominated his son Dudley because JK was a fractious character who would split the party. He had already done enough damage by fighting with S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike and pushing him out of the UNP. The inside story is that Bandaranaike had befriended Dudley who was promoting his Horagolla friend with his father. Dudley was carrying sunshine stories to his father about Banda while JK looked on it as an act of treachery against a cousin – himself.
These dealings of Dudley have not been revealed before by our historians and journalists. A fact that can now be revealed is that Dudley had a longtime love affair with Freida Corea, his cousin and JK’s sister. Freida was Gamani Corea’s mother and the latter was treated as a son by Dudley. In this tangle JRJ stood by his lifelong friend Dudley and thereby earned the wrath of JK. It was with this ‘tangled web’ in the background that Dudley was persuaded with some difficulty by JRJ to accept the post of PM in 1951 to the obvious frustration of JK, who with the able assistance of Ananda, had built up the propaganda and Youth Affairs departments of the party by spending his time and money.
At first, he refused to join Dudley’s Cabinet. Then after being pressurized to accept his old portfolio, particularly by his mother, he made his displeasure well known to Dudley as well as the general public in inimitable Kotelawala style. Sometime later there appeared a document among Colombo political circles entitled ‘Premier Stakes’ which was a frontal attack on Soulbury, Dudley, JRJ and a host of others for unfairly depriving Kotelawala of his due.
This caused a furore and Dudley was forced to sack JK while on a visit to the UK. Many years later Tissa Wijeratne told me that his father Sir Edwin, our High Commissioner in the UK, was terrified to inform Sir John of his sacking based on a cable sent by Dudley to him in London. JK decided to come back to Colombo and the local political and social elite breathlessly awaited a showdown between the two cousins.
It was at this stage that Ananda was brought into the picture to play an important role. With JK’s return expected in a day or two, Mrs. Alice Kotelawala asked Ananda to see her immediately. She told Ananda to meet JK on arrival and to bring him straight to her house before anything else. Accordingly Ananda went to Ratmalana airport and positioned himself on the tarmac so that he would be the first to greet his boss. He bundled JK into a car before he could talk to the press and took him to meet his mother.
He had scarcely fallen at her feet when she told her son, “Lionel, I hear you are fighting with Dudley But remember that when we were orphaned by your father’s death in prison it was the Senanayakes who looked after us. We cannot be ungrateful. Make up and help Dudley”. She prevailed and JK, `tongue in cheek’ issued a statement that he had nothing to do with ‘Premier Stakes’. Everybody who mattered knew that it was written by JK’s secretary, P Nadesan with the able assistance of Anandatissa de Alwis.
Another story about JK is that when Dudley became PM in 1965 Kotelawala sent for Ananda and asked him to go on a mission to Dudley His task was to ask Dudley to appoint JK as the Governor General. Ananda met the PM with trepidation and conveyed his master’s message. Dudley flatly refused. He said that if JK entered Queen’s House he would try to run the country from there and the PM would become a cipher. If that happened his Government would not last six months. Ananda had the unenviable job of conveying that message to his boss. JK and Dudley were not even on talking terms with each other.
It was Dudley who directed the Buddhist Commissioners to seek Bandaranaike’s support for their ten commandments’ which was the bed rock of the SLFP/MEP victory of 1956. Dudley was so angry with Ananda for hanging out with JK that he removed him from the Kotte UNP organizers post and gave it to Niyathapala. After 1977 JK decided to return permanently to Sri Lanka and Ananda helped in bringing him and the President JRJ together.
I know that a key role in this ‘rapprochement’ was played by Colonel Dharmapala who was a reliable friend of both parties. JRJ trusted Dharmapala implicitly and accepted his advice. JK who was a military man was elevated to the rank of General of the Army on his deathbed by Presidential decree. General JK announced the donation of his palatial Kandawela Walawwa with its chequered past, to the Sri Lankan army. Today it is the Kotelawala Defence University and is maintained by the army in spotless condition.
This is in contrast to the pathetic condition of ‘Braemar’ and ‘Woodlands’ which are about to collapse. JK who was a bad diabetic died soon after. I accompanied Ananda to the old Parliament where his body lay in state. Ananda broke down and started to sob uncontrollably. I have a vivid memory of him resting his head on the stockinged feet of his late boss and thanking him for making him a man. JK was given a fitting military funeral. My view is that history will be kind to this stalwart whose predictions, ridiculed then, are becoming truer by the 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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