Features
Splashes of New Normal
Even we oldies and betters in this laid back country are now well and truly into the phenomenon of ‘new normal’. We assumed this new manner of mostly social integration in our behaviour, and work pattern, as we emerged from the lockdown and scary four month shut-in caused by that dread Covid 19 pest that whizzed across the entire globe and is still devastating in many countries.
‘New Normal’ is defined by Wikipedia as “a state to which an economy, society etc settles following a crisis, when this differs from the situation that prevailed prior to the start of the crisis. The term has been used in relation to the financial crisis of 2007-08, the aftermath of the 2008-12 global recession and the Covid 19 pandemic. The term was used in 2005 by Peter M Sandman and Jody Larnard in relation to methods of manipulation of public attitude towards avian influenza…”
The worst hit country – USA with India catching up fast – soon grabbed the term and used it freely. Its saner population is following stringent measures of keeping safe from the infection, in spite of laissez faire advocated by its President. A couple who entertained freely where people invited would sit from 1.00 pm to 5.00 at the lunch table had to stem all invitations. “Too hot a summer to eat out ” since eating in open spaces – gardens – is the new norm. With autumn setting in, this duo too would place tables out and serve food probably in disposable packets with disposable cutlery. Another single living man first had a meal away from home in late August since freedom in the US was curtailed (unofficially; with Trump more concerned with the economy than lives of Americans) in March. Selected are restaurants that have outside tables and disposable cutlery. Work on line from home is still the norm all across the States.
Local acquiescence to New Normal
Just as we Sri Lankans observed lockdowns and shut ourselves in our homes, barring minor karachchals in densely populated patches in Colombo and among druggies, we are much in new normal.
First our dress has changed; we are now all face-masked. A habit now so that exiting the home door is hardly ever executed with the face uncovered. Returning home from office or a jaunt, first was hugs to the children; touching with affection stay-at-home parents or a flop in a sofa to flick slipper/chappals/shoes off one’s feet. No longer. It’s first to the washbasin and a thorough hand scrub with many throwing worn clothes to the wash or at least sunning them. The sun is Covid 19’s greatest enemy, even its only, unfortunately, so far
A major breakthrough is tripping. Many are the loaded cars, hired vans, even buses that are on the roads carrying people on holiday/ pilgrimage/sight-seeing. No such luck in the States.
Personal experiences
Not even a week elapsed after the official lockdown was lifted when a friend and his wife invited me and two others to dinner at a Chinese restaurant. Only just emerging from being all masked and gloved even to buy stuff from door to door vendors (bless them!) my involuntary question:”Myee, will there be Chinese?” This restaurent was invariably full with luxury busloads of tourists from the Land of the Great Wall, now set on its Belt and Road Initiative and neo- colonialism that is enriching its state controlled population. Servers all masked and gloved with no serving by them. Dishes were placed on the table and we had to help ourselves.
Then a meal at a many starred hotel where very politely a manager advised us to don our face masks whenever we arose from our table. The sumptuous brunch buffet dishes were safely behind glass screens. One pointed out choices and it was served on a plate and handed over.
No common touching of serving spoons. Hence my son’s first admonition when I said I was having guests for lunch: equal number of spoons to guests for each dish – no common touching. My retort: you will have to buy me more cutlery! This, along with the most prominent item on display: paper serviettes and a hand sanitizer.
It was good experience staying over in hotels. The Tissawewa resthouse, now the Sanctuary at Tissawewa needed not much precaution since clientele was small during our visit. I wrote in an earlier article in this column the observance of face masks by the throng of pilgrims with however, scant attention paid to social distancing at the two most sacred Buddhist sites.
On a later date we stayed at EKHO Lake boutique hotel in Polonnaruwa. Excellent service! It is the old resthouse that sat on the bund of the Parakrama Samudra which had an extension built into the wewa to accommodate the young Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in 1953. It underwent three complete refurbishments to emerge an excellent place of R&R with the magnificent view of the wewa, claimed to be largest man-made lake in the world. Peace, beauty and appreciation of my good fortune to visit a place such as this in one of the most ancient and highly civilized cities of ancient Lanka, enveloped me. Appreciated also was the best of Sri Lankan hospitality given by the courteous, hardworking Udesh Sasanka and his team. Again not much need of new normal as the sun shone strong and the winds blew across miles of water to be inhaled by us. I realized with a start that it was the first time I really sat near a nephew as he showed me photographs in his sophisticated cell phone. Earlier, we were so conscious of proximity.
Lunch at that most gracious, spacious, orderly Bawa designed Heritance, Dambulla, was a disaster, I am loath to say but needs be truthful. The hotel was crowded, a discount in price being offered as is the new normal practice of most hotels. We were asked to wait for our lunch until the full dining room was vacated. When we went in, social distancing seemed to be thrown to the winds. The hotel management was keen to maintain this restraint, but not the hungry, rather the greedy lunch seekers. They pushed with plates or their bodies those in front in queues forming at the various food points; broke queues and barged in to spaces left by conscientious persons and showed themselves to be salivating more severely than Pavlov’s mice. Hotels should limit the number of their clientele. Income raking should not compromise safety measures and the public really have to pay more attention to decent behaviour.
Benefits of New Normal
True some, particularly the younger persons who love their freedom and adore going about in pairs or groups, are stymied and chafe at restrictions. But we older people really do appreciate the constraints which to us have benefits.
It is accepted and almost proven beyond doubt that common infections like colds, coughs and slight rises in body temperatures are much less frequent than in pre-Covid 19 times. Of course a sore throat is not to be even considered, worse than the plague!
Temperature checking at most entrances is just taken in one’s stride. Only a pause in one’s progress forwards. I heard it said that nearing the gadget to the forehead is being replaced by arm temperature taking as some radiation enters and may be injurious to the brain. I often wonder as I pause with the gadget at forehead or arm, what the reaction would be if my temperature was higher than normal, me being an extra warm-blooded creature. Telephone hastily shouted into; sirens blasting as an ambulance approaches and me whisked to Angoda to the IDH. The other home in Angoda preferred, thank you, in these rapidly infecting Covid times!
We in this beautiful, thrice blessed island, when Kuveni’s curses do not prevail, thank our good fortune and the vigilance and self sacrificial performance of duties by the Presidential Task Force to monitor, trace and track down those affected with the wicked flu; for the ease with which we transmitted from severe lockdown to easy freedom, albeit masked and punctuated with officialdom. We have slipped quietly into the new normal. We don’t, or at least, should not gather in numbers in public places nor in restaurants and clubs. Social gatherings are gaining momentum. People are travelling around. Our dignified old way of greeting is now universal. Queues though, are still body to body lines. Why ever cannot our people realize a queue does not call for breathing on the person in front so that he feels the hot breath touch his ears and bare arms and will certainly creep into his nose! That is a custom of New Normal often broken in our country’s impatience and lack of good comportment.
May this new normal become customary and continue long since a newer normal would mean another crisis. The world has been devastated more than enough for centuries to come!
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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