Features
Television takes off; JRJ takes over ITN fathered by two of his nephews
Excerpted from vol, 2 of Sarath Amunugama’s autobiography
I visited Tokyo and had discussions with the Ministry of Finance and the Nippon Electrical Corporation [NEC] to quickly begin work on our Television complex. We could save time because it was an outright grant from Japan to thank JRJ for his memorable contribution at the Peace Conference in San Francisco. At the same time another grant was awarded at JRJ’s request for a hospital which was to become today’s Sri Jayewardenepura hospital.
Here too the President acted in his inimitable manner. He was asked to decide on the number of beds for the new hospital. He inquired from the Japanese authorities about the number of beds in their largest hospital abroad. The answer was 1000. JRJ asked for 1001 beds and the nonplussed Japanese agreed subject to their own request that the 1001st bed be permanently reserved for the use of JRJ. That was the type of ‘bon homie’ that prevailed at that time. Sri Lanka was placed high on the priority lists for technical cooperation and funding in the OECD countries as later proved in the bi-lateral funding of the Mahaweli scheme.
We organized a spectacular stone laying ceremony for the TV complex under the patronage of the President at the Colombo ladies hockey grounds which now houses Rupavahini. It was also a farewell of sorts for Ambassador Ochi who was retiring amid much appreciation from his government. Ochi, representing Japan, had missed out on funding a Mahaweli dam. The UK, Germany, Canada and Sweden had agreed to undertake those projects. So TV was Ochi’s final throw of the dice.
This was his last assignment and we made it a memorable one for him. Since Japan was identified as a Buddhist country the senior priests who were connected to the SLBC came in large numbers. They were led by Baddegama Wimalawansa, Tallale Dhammananda and Hettimulle Vajirabuddhi Theros who were held in high regard among the ‘intellectual Sangha. The President made a thoughtful speech saying that “Rupavahini should be a Satyavahini”. Ambassador Ochi replied and I gave the vote of thanks ending with a few sentences in Japanese which I had memorized the night before.
Altogether it was an impressive ceremony, and the construction work began the following day. Teams of Japanese specialists were coming in regularly and with my new Minister Anandatissa’s approval I set up a steering committee of SLBC, Film Unit, Information Department and Ministry of Finance officials under my chairmanship to monitor progress weekly. A cell was set up in the Ministry to service the steering Committee. In fact it was not too complicated an operation since this was a ‘turnkey’ project, which meant that all the construction work was undertaken by the Japanese contractor who was paid direct in Tokyo. Thus the work went on without a hitch and we were working ahead of schedule.
PAL System
At this stage I had to make a crucial decision regarding the Television transmission standard. There were three models – American, French [NTSC] and German [PAL]. This referred to the transmission and reception of the TV image. The Indian Doordharshan TV which was primitive and was transmitting black and white images to limited areas was using NTSC based on a UNESCO grant. I discussed this question with the President and decided to consult Arthur Clarke who was living in Colombo and was the father of the ‘geo stationary satellite’.
A few days later Arthur called over and advised, in no uncertain terms, that we should select the PAL option. I informed the Japanese side about our choice and, despite the fact that they used NTSC in Japan, they agreed to provide the PAL system. This has been, as later proved, to be a correct decision and the country is indebted to Arthur Clarke for his forthright and timely advice.
Pidurutalagala
Another strategic decision to be made was regarding the location of TV transmitters. Though countries with a large land mass had to depend on satellites for transmitting the signal, we were fortunate in that our topography enabled us to go for a terrestrial system. This was a great advantage both in terms of costs and easy maintenance. As Arthur Clarke said, “Sri Lanka had been designed by god for TV”. With a central hill massif and the highest point of Pidurutalagala right in the centre of it, we could erect the main tower from which the signal could radiate island-wide.
It only needed two booster towers – in Kokavil in the north and Deniyaya in the south – to reach every nook and corner of the island. This configuration which had the approval of Japanese as well as SLBC engineers, some of whom like Shantilal Nanayakkara had worked as TV engineers abroad, was decided on without much difficulty. The problem however was to take the main tower to Pedro since the top was a virgin jungle with no access.
The Japanese had suggested building a road up to the top but both my Minister and I were opposed to cutting a road as that would lead to the rape of a national treasure by timber extractors and vandals. It was while pondering the problem that I tried out a far out solution which finally worked, though it seems like the ending of a Hollywood movie. I contacted the American Embassy and diverted its 7th fleet to Colombo harbour. Giant helicopters of the 7th fleet were used to airlift the TV towers to the top of Pidurutalagala. This must be recorded as a unique service of the much maligned US navy.
Independent Television Network [ITN]
While the work on the National station was proceeding satisfactorily, Anil Wijewardene and Shan Wickremesinghe were hard at work setting up their private TV station at Mahalwarawa. Shan who had studied engineering in the UK was a genius in mechanical and engineering matters and Anil took care of the administrative side of the operation. JRJ kept an avuncular eye on the family project, meeting his nephews from time to time and asking us to monitor their progress.
Their channel was named the Independent Television Network [ITN] and an American investor joined them to help expedite the project. After a couple of years they were ready to begin transmissions well ahead of the national system [Rupavahini]. ITN soon began test transmissions which were enthusiastically viewed by Colombo society. Anil had got down popular programmes like ‘Sesame Street’ and ‘Mind your Language’ which whetted our appetite for TV.
ITN then announced that they would begin regular broadcasts which would cover a wide urban area soon. Local companies then began to sell TV reception sets mostly imported from Japan. They were all globally known brands and were based on ‘state of the art’ technology. In fact the TV sets were selling in such large numbers that it was way ahead of the projections made by UNESCO and other specialized bodies. It was suggested that some of these sets may be smuggled to India as global brands were hard to come by there.
Indian television in black and white, which was geared to educating farmers, was not very popular. Expectations on ITN were running high and we all looked forward to opening day. Later I was told that Mrs. Elina Jayewardene had invited her friends to her home for tea and TV. The President himself had joined the party. Imagine everybody’s surprise, and anger, when at the appointed hour nothing appeared on their screens. Actually what they saw was a series of white lines, which gave the effect of rain, on a black screen.
Telephones started to ring at Breamar and the President was humiliated. He called Anandatissa and asked him to take over ITN and run it properly. The Minister and all of us were embarrassed because we liked Shan and Anil as young entrepreneurs. We all had to climb out of the hole that they had dug because the public which had invested in TV sets were not interested in the niceties of the blame game. They blamed the President and his Government.
We were savvy enough to know that the family will try to make amends and get the President to rescind his order for a takeover by the Ministry. For some reason, unknown to us, JRJ refused to budge. Our guess was that Mrs. Jayewardene had put her foot down. The President’s decision was a traumatic one for his kin group. Anil’s mother who was a very smart lady, was devastated by this decision. She told me that it reminded her of the traumas inflicted on her husband, Seevali, and family by the Wijewardenes many years ago. (background note – Seevali Wijewardene was ostracized by his father, DR Wijewardene over his marriage).
I replied that JRJ had nurtured this project and had given every opportunity to his young relatives. His decision was a ‘bona fide’ one as he had to face the wrath of the public, I assured her. But she was not satisfied with my explanation. She quite rightly encouraged her son and nephew to start all over again. Anil continued to provide programmes to the reconstituted ITN and the ‘never say die’ Shan worked round the clock and set up Tele Shan which later metamorphosed into the present TNL. Anil quit along the way and Shan and his daughter Ishini ran TNL.
Given the ‘hot potato’ of ITN overnight by the President we had to scramble to salvage the operation. Since we took over ITN under the SLBC Act, I with the Minister’s concurrence, decided to appoint Thevis Guruge – the Director General of SLBC – as the Competent Authority of the network. Guruge was an ideal choice because he was a key member of our Rupavahini planning cell and a veteran of radio broadcasting. He also had a reputation as a ‘go getter’ who had the confidence of his staff.
Because of this interlocking arrangement we could easily deploy the staff and finances of SLBC to get ITN moving. It also had the advantage that we could now coordinate ITN operations with the building of Rupavahini which was already ahead of schedule. Many of the early broadcasters of TV came from SLBC while its camera and editing departments were manned by veterans from the Government Film Unit.
I had sent all Departmental heads of the GFU for training in Germany and Malaysia and outstanding technicians like Leo Wickremaratne, Sanath Liyanage and Wimal Perera and Engineers like Buell and Shantilal Nanayakkara were attached to ITN. With all that talent we took a daring decision to telecast the Independence Day celebrations of 1980 from Galle Face green. SLBC announcers led by H.M. Gunasekere and Palitha Perera were on duty, and we successfully completed our mission.
My Minister and JRJ were delighted. Thanks to the take over and the skills of our personnel we were trained and ready when Rupavahini was launched in 1982. Ochi was replaced by Ambassador Chiba who was a veteran Foreign Service Officer having served in many western capitals before being assigned to Colombo. He worked very -closely with our Ministry and Rupavahini was able to broadcast before the scheduled date.
Then the question of appointing the new Chairman arose. I strongly recommended the appointment of M.J. Perera who was a veteran CCS officer and a much admired Director of Radio Ceylon in its heyday. The President and Menikdiwela were not too happy with our proposal but went along as up to now we had piloted the operation without any problems. The appointment was made but soon I began to have reservations.
I had planned to have a lean and mean administration with productions both in- house and contracted out to many new producers who could sell their wares to Rupavahini. The rise of the ‘Independents’ was the latest approach in order to introduce variety and professionalism to TV broadcasting. MJ’s approach was quite different. As he had done in his Radio Ceylon days he wanted to concentrate power in his own hands and accommodate his loyalists who were encouraged to sing his praise.
As usual he attempted to create his own ‘comfort zone’ by surrounding himself with artistes in other fields such as the Sinhala stage who were given executive positions that they were not familiar with. He expanded the administration, even going to the extent of first building an administration block to accommodate a large number of clerks who were called ‘The Horana Horde’ since many of them came from his home town.
The idea of a new style TV was abandoned for a bureaucratic monolith which to date cannot compete with the private channels which are lean and mean and making handsome profits. State TV is at the bottom of viewer ratings and its Chairmen have had to appeal to the Treasury for funds to pay its overstaffed cadres. The latest equipment donated by Japan are not utilized and corruption is rampant, as in most state Institutions. Many years later when I was an advisor to the President, I managed to change the Board but by then it was too late. State radio and television have been rejected by the audience.
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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