Features
STUDIES, EXAMS, STRIKES & TERRORISM IN THE UK
CONFESSIONS OF A GLOBAL GYPSY
By Dr. Chandana (Chandi) Jayawardena DPhil
President – Chandi J. Associates Inc. Consulting, Canada
Founder & Administrator – Global Hospitality Forum
chandij@sympatico.ca
Study Strategies
“Read these eight books on Hotel Management Accounting and Corporate Finance, cover to cover.” Professor Richard Kotas gave this direction to the graduate students in the M.Sc. program in International Hotel Management, at the University of Surrey (UoS), in the United Kingdom (UK). After the 1983 autumn semester mid-term tests, other professors followed suit with similar directions for their courses in Marketing Principles for Hotel Management, International Hotel Management Seminars, Quantitative Methods, Project Design and Analysis, Computer Applications, Organization Theory and Manpower Management etc. It was overwhelming! I quickly realised that I needed to develop a practical and effective strategy for my studies.
Some of my younger batchmates who were yet to gain any management experience, followed “reading cover to cover” directions literally. To me it did not sound doable. One marketing text book had over 700 pages! As none of my batch mates worked part-time, like I did, they all had more time for studies than I. So I settled for reading only the chapter summaries and figures and tables within book chapters.In order to acquire other shortcuts, I attended some non-mandatory ‘student success strategy’ sessions. These sessions provided some excellent study and exam strategies but were not well-attended. I immediately implemented the strategies I liked. Most of them worked well for me.
Exam Strategies
I spent a considerable amount of time at the university library analysing all old exam papers for some general courses in M.Sc. in Tourism Planning and Development, set by the same professors. I identified questions they repeated every year, in alternate years and occasionally. Based on that research, I guessed what questions could be included in the exams that I would sit.
After that I organized a M.Sc. study group of four like-minded students and assigned the most likely four questions, based on one question per graduate student basis. Each of us then became the expert on one question area per course. As the next step, we presented the answers developed by each expert, to each other. Then we debated and fine-tuned the four answers, which all four shared.
For our challenging courses such as Quantitative Methods, we made an appointment to meet each professor for a discussion. “Dr. Wanhill, the four of us are very nervous about your exam. We studied a lot and prepared some model answers to potential questions, but we still are not sure if we have done this well enough”, I told the senior lecturer who was teaching us Quantitative Methods.
Dr. Wanhill, a nice gentleman, was so impressed with our efforts that he said, “Come on chaps, don’t be nervous. Let’s go through all of your questions and answers.” He spent two hours coaching us and we guessed that the questions he spent more time in explaining were ‘sure exam questions’. This strategy helped us and four of us did well in the Quantitative Methods exams. It had been our worst course!
Implementing a tip from a ‘student success strategy’ session, I also spent time with each professor, prior to the final exam, inquiring what would be an ideal format for answering their questions at the exam. Some preferred essay type, a few liked point-form, and only one liked the idea of examples from my own career. I wrote the exams exactly the way they preferred, changing my style of answering to suit each professor. Applying my concept of ‘Personality Analysis’ and adjusting the way I communicated with each professor, proved to be beneficial.
I also learnt to invest about 30 minutes planning my answers at the beginning of each paper. I then planned to keep the last 30 minutes to review my four answers and fine-tune those before handing over my exam answer script at the last minute. With this strategy, I spent exactly 30-minutes per answer. To me, the answer plan and the time management were key elements for exam success.
After some debates about the effectiveness of ‘last minute studying’ prior to exams, I opted to adopt a concept of being at each day’s exam, right at the peak of my day. For this strategy, we first identified the number of hours each student can work without being tired. Most students were eight-hour people and a few were ten or twelve-hour people. Considering my multi-tasking work pattern in the previous years, I identified myself as a sixteen-hour person, which was rare. This meant that when the middle of an exam time was 10:00 am, I commenced my final revision studies on the same day of the exam, eight hours before that – at 2:00 am. As, at that time, I needed a maximum six hours of sleep to function well, I went to bed at 8:00 pm. This worked well for me.
When I sat one exam invigilated by Professor Richard Kotas, I could not believe my eyes. All four questions that my study group predicted were there. I had studied thoroughly the four model answers during the previous six hours since 2:00 am. “Chandi, why are you seated smiling, without answering the questions?” a baffled Professor Kotas asked me. “Sir, I am just planning my answers to these very difficult and unpredictable questions” I told him while trying to look worried. Although exam positions were not publicly announced, Professor Kotas indicated to me privately that I was overall first in both autumn and winter semester exams, something I had never achieved in my life prior to that.
Fight for Dissertation Topic
By early 1984, we began identifying topics for our dissertations, which had to be done ideally within a minimum of six months by students who had passed 10 exams over two semesters. Nine professors were assigned to supervise the nine students who were in my M.Sc. batch. When we commenced our one-on-one meetings with potential dissertation supervisors, we felt some pressure to align student dissertation topics with supervisors’ current research interests and publications.
The Head of the Department of the Hotel, Catering and Tourism Management at UoS at that time was Professor Brian Archer. He was an economist and an expert on tourism forecasting. “Ah, Chandi, I would like to suggest a dissertation topic ideal for someone like you. How about ‘Long-term tourism forecasting of South Asia?’ You can test exciting models, including mine, and even develop a new model!”, he suggested with a big and convincing smile. I simply hated that topic and had no interest in it.
I preferred to do research on a topic that would help the next stage of my career. After completing the M.Sc. program, I wanted to become the Food & Beverage Manager of a large, international five-star hotel. “I am thinking of something like, ‘Food and beverage management of British five-star hotels’ I announced to the dissatisfaction of Professor Archer. “That does not sound academically suitable for a master’s degree dissertation”, he said. I disagreed. When the university realized that I was determined to research and write on a practical subject, I was asked to make a convincing proposal to justify the suitability of my topic.
Although Professor Archer was disappointed with me on that occasion, he later became a good friend of mine. When I was the General Manager of the Lodge and the Village, Habarana, he stayed with me. He was a good chess player, and we played several games there. In later years, when he heard that I wish to do a Ph.D., he arranged an interview for me to be considered for a post of Lecturer at UoS, during my Ph.D. research. Unfortunately, as another professor in the selection committee did not support me with the same enthusiasm as Professor Archer, I did not get that job, but I re-joined UoS to do a M.Phil./Ph.D. in 1990.
After more negotiations in 1984, and revisions to my M.Sc. dissertation proposal, eventually, UoS approved a slightly modified topic for my research – ‘Food and beverage operations in the context of five-star London hotels’. Professor Richard Kotas became my dissertation supervisor. “Chandi, covering the whole of UK will be too much. Just focus on the 16 five-star hotels in London”, he suggested. I agreed and said that, “I will work or observe in all of these 16 hotels and interview the relevant managers. Kindly give me letters of introduction.” “Chandi, in addition, as the first step, you must read all books – cover to cover, and journal articles ever written in English about Food and beverage management and operations”, he suggested. I said, “Yes, Sir!” and did exactly that over a period of three months.
British Strikes
UK had strong unions and a culture of strikes. Some strikes affected me personally. One I remember clearly was towards the end of March in 1984, when the transport workers paralyzed London’s buses and subways. That strike was the first of a series of work stoppages in major British cities to protest Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher’s proposals for local government changes. Cars and cyclists jammed roads in London as some 2.5 million people found alternate ways to work. Thousands walked while others jogged or hitch-hiked. My wife and I stayed at home without going to work.
On March 6, 1984, when I saw on the BBC TV news about a miners’ strike, I assumed that it was one of those strikes in UK which would last for a short period of time before a settlement. I was wrong. It was a major, industrial action within the British coal industry in an attempt to prevent colliery closures, suggested by the government for economic reasons. The strike was led by Arthur Scargill, the President of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) against the National Coal Board (NCB), a government agency. Opposition to the strike was led by the Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher that wanted to reduce the power of the trade unions. This strike lasted a year, and I eagerly waited to watch the TV news about it every evening until the strike finally ended in March, 1985.
Violent confrontations between flying pickets and police characterised the year-long strike which ended in a decisive victory for the Conservative government and allowed the closure of most of Britain’s collieries.
Many observers regarded this landmark strike as the most bitter industrial dispute in British history. The number of person-days of work lost to the strike was over 26 million, making it one of the biggest strikes in history. Thousands were arrested and charged, over a 100 were injured, and sadly, six lost their lives.
From that historic moment onwards, British unions were somewhat weakened. With the tough handling of the NUM strike, Margaret Thatcher consolidated her reputation as the ‘Iron Lady’, a nickname that became associated with her uncompromising politics and the tough leadership style. As the first female prime minister of UK, she implemented policies that became known as ‘Thatcherism’.
I spent the summer of 1979 in London soon after Margaret Thatcher became the Prime Minister of UK. On April 12, 1984, I served her dinner at a royal banquet held in honour of the Queen of England at the Dorchester. When she was ousted from the position of the Prime Minister after a cabinet revolt in 1990, I was living in London again. On November 28, 1990, I watched her final speech as the Prime Minister in the House of Commons, and leaving her office and residence in Downing Street in tears. A few years after that, I hosted her successor, John Major in my office at Le Meridien Jamaica Pegasus Hotel.
Terrorism
The civil war in Sri Lanka which commenced in July 1983 before we left for UK was getting worse. Although we thought that UK was peaceful, that country had its large share of terrorism, predominately in the hands of the Irish Republican Army (IRA). During my first stay in UK in 1979, I was shocked to see on TV that IRA claimed responsibility for the assassination of Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten. As the supreme allied commander for Southeast Asia, he had commanded the British troops from his base in Ceylon during the latter part of World War II.
My first direct exposure to terrorism in UK was when I was working at Bombay Brasserie in Kensington, London. “Chandi, be careful, when going home today. Avoid the circle line and don’t go near Knightsbridge. IRA bombed Harrods!”, an Indian work colleague warned me. Harrods, world famous upmarket department store in the affluent Knightsbridge district, near Buckingham Palace, had been subject to two IRA bomb attacks earlier. Although the IRA had sent a warning 37 minutes before a car bomb that exploded outside Harrods on December 17, 1983, the area had not been evacuated. Due to this car bomb, six people died and 90 were injured. This was the 40th terrorist attack in UK since early 1970s.
On October 12, 1984, a powerful IRA bomb went off with deadly effect in the Grand Hotel in Brighton, England, where members of Britain’s Conservative Party were gathered for a party conference. IRA’s target was to assassinate the British Prime Minister and the other key members of her government. The bomb ripped a hole through several storeys of the 120-year-old hotel.
When the bomb went off just before 3:00 am, Margaret Thatcher was still awake at the time, working in her suite on her conference speech for the next day. The blast badly damaged her suite’s bathroom, but left its sitting room and bedroom untouched. She and her husband were fortunate to escape serious injury, although 34 people were injured and another five killed. The next day, when we watched her on TV delivering an excellent party conference speech with a brave face, I remarked to my wife, “She truly is a real Iron Lady!”
On October 31, 1984 when I was going to work at the Dorchester, I heard a loud celebration in some parts of London. Some Sikh men were lighting fire crackers while celebrating and distributing sweets and fruits to onlookers. I assumed that it must be a Sikh holiday event, but soon realised that they were celebrating an assassination. Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had been assassinated at her residence in New Delhi, early morning that day, by her Sikh bodyguards.
I knew that five months prior to that day, Indira Gandhi had ordered the removal of a prominent orthodox Sikh religious leader and his rebel followers from the Golden Temple of Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar, Punjab. The collateral damage included the death of approximately 500 Sikh pilgrims. The military action on the sacred temple was criticized both inside and outside India. Indira Gandhi’s assassination sparked four days of riots that left more than 8,000 Indian Sikhs dead in revenge attacks. The world is a dangerous place to live in.
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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