Features
The Joys of writing
Vijaya Chandrasoma
I would like to apologize to my dwindling reading audience who opine that I waste valuable pages of the Sunday Island by writing mainly about American politics, a subject which interests very few readers. These critics include some of my closest friends. The other day, one of them called me and said, with more than a hint of annoyance: “Why the hell do you keep writing about bloody American politics? No one cares. You are a Sri Lankan. Why don’t you write about our country and our politics?”
That’s an easy question to answer. My aim is to die of natural causes, preferably in my sleep. Anyone who has read the essays I have written over the years for the Sunday Island will be aware of my hatred of former President Trump and the despicable Party of corruption and nepotism the Party of Lincoln has become.
I have similar contempt for Sri Lankan politicians and the massive corruption and nepotism that has impoverished a once vibrant, beautiful and economically stable island. I have not kept myself sufficiently informed of the nuances of local politics. Also, my style of aggressive criticism is such that my bookie wouldn’t give me any odds on enjoying a long and healthy life, had I publicly criticized the shameful acts of thievery and corruption of named local politicians, with their private armies of goons.
So I stick to American politics. America is my adopted country and my children’s home. And I can express my hatred towards Trump and his spineless cult to my complete satisfaction from 10,000 miles away in complete safety, especially as Sri Lanka is an insignificant, third world country. Most Americans are not even aware of its existence.
I have heard from a few Lankans resident in the USA and Australia who read my essays on-line. They retain a great love for the motherland. First generation Americans, however rich or famous they are, remain Sri Lankans by emotion, Americans by document, and perhaps by bank account. I am amazed that quite a few of these expatriates, including Sri Lankans, and even some misguided souls resident in Sri Lanka, support, even admire a vulgar crook like Trump. That brings me to my second reason for writing. I am certain that my violently anti-Trump articles will annoy the hell out of them. Though none of them has challenged my vituperation, and publicly explained the reasons for their continued support of a bigoted lunatic.
I doubt if any Jews would have endorsed the genocidal policies of Hitler during the 1930s. And Trump is a wannabe Hitler with an IQ of 60.Ever since my teens, I loved to read. Not just school books. My father was a voracious reader, and used to bring books home just about every week. I couldn’t wait until he finished so that I could get at them. I especially looked forward to a weekly magazine called Argosy, which I thought, in my early teens, had the finest stories. I hadn’t seen it in the bookshops in ages, so I looked it up on Wikipedia, which describes it as “a magazine made with inexpensive paper and printing, containing shocking or sensationalist text fiction by low-paid writers”. A kind of monthly English scandal rag like London’s News of the World. The magazine went out of business in the 1970s.
To my teenage mind, however, the prose in this rag was far superior to the authors we were forced to read at school, hacks like Shakespeare and Dickens.In my defence, I also thought that novels like Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged embodied an ideology that would save society. An ideology of “Objectivism”, describing “the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute.” Yes, I was that stupid.
I grew up. But many, usually Republicans, even members of my own family, didn’t. They continue to believe in this ultimate ideology of selfishness, they don’t care “two hoots” about helping sections of society who, for whatever reason, have been driven to vulnerability. Amazingly, many continue to support a vile human being, a proven felon and traitor. And they still call themselves Buddhists and Christians.It is also interesting that Ayn Rand lived in poverty until her death in 1982, dependent on her social security checks, the very antithesis of her capitalist ideology.
My interest in reading continued while I was studying for entrance examinations to universities in England. By this time, my father and the exceptional teachers at my alma mater, Royal College, had imbued in me an abiding love of British and American literature. So, passing, even excelling at English A Levels, a basic requirement for acceptance to British universities, was not a tough assignment. As the late, lamented Lakshman Kadirgamar stated, the achievements of his, and those of many outstanding Sri Lankans in various spheres, represented the icing on the cake that was baked at home.
My yearning for reading never stopped. However, it was largely suspended at a time when it was of vital importance, when I gained admittance to Oxford. Life is full of choices and priorities, and, at the tender age of 19, reading and study were placed firmly on the back burner, while I was being introduced to the irresistible pleasures of the demon drink, slow horses and fast women. Those pleasures got me kicked out of Oxford, and I continued heaping disappointments on my parents after I returned in disgrace to Sri Lanka.
I continued reading the latest books and the old classics sporadically when I was living with my parents in Colombo. However, the most popular, and sought-after book in our house was a little black book named Timeform, which my father used to religiously buy every Monday. A book that gave comprehensive details of the breeding, temperament, form and latest performances, with ratings, of every racehorse running in Britain. The competition for the use of this book was fierce in my family. The love for this wonderful literature continued till the book stopped publishing after Covid 19, a revered gospel sorely missed by all aficionados of the Sport of Kings.
My few years working with Minister Gamini Dissanayake rekindled my interest in reading and writing. The Minister was also an avid reader and an anglophile, and had an enduring love of the English language. Which in those rude, pseudo-nationalist days was seen to be more of a drawback for a politician.
Because of the violence, both political and ethnic, rampant in our country, I was toying with the idea of emigrating to the USA in 1990, especially when Minister Dissanayake, a senior cabinet minister of the UNP, fell out of favour with the Premadasa government. He was stripped of his portfolios and reduced to the lowly level of a backbencher. In those bad old days, the method of eliminating political rivals was, well, eliminating them, but permanently. Minister Dissanayake decided to pursue higher studies at the University of Cambridge, and advised me to duck out of sight for a while. I was widely known as a loyalist of Minister Dissanayake.
The decision to leave Sri Lanka was clinched after my good friend, Richard de Zoysa’s tortured body was washed ashore on Moratuwa beach. Richard was a journalist, actor, TV anchor and anti-government political activist, who produced a drama criticizing the Premadasa regime. He was also one of the smartest, most charming men I have been privileged to meet.
So my love of reading was once again displaced by our desperate effort at survival, after the decision to emigrate to America. I really do not remember how I managed during the initial 10 months when I was alone in Los Angeles, without a permit to legally seek employment. I have some close friends to thank for my survival.
Things became better when the rest of my family joined me, also on a tourist visa. We were able to apply for permanent residence, which also came with a document authorizing employment.
After a hard struggle of nearly six years, involving working for minimum wage, the artful manipulation of credit cards and help from my mother, we were finally awarded the much-valued Green Card. We also finally achieved our premier ambition, which made the ten-year struggle completely worthwhile. All three of our children completed their education most successfully with degrees from three of the finest universities in the country. Achievements based on merit and hard work, which all the resources available to my family couldn’t buy.
I resumed single life after 30 years of marriage, and moved to Phoenix. The five years in Phoenix were desperately lonely, but Phoenix’s wonderful public library network enabled me to pander to my favorite habit, devouring both the classics and the latest bestsellers at no cost at all.
When the war ended in 2009, I decided to retire in Sri Lanka. The best damned decision I have ever made. I kept on reading, and writing long, boring letters to my children and friends, which were either ignored or replied with a few, curt comments. I also wrote, usually in my cups, lengthy epistles, insulting, hateful letters to people I perceived to have wronged me. I did not send them, though getting all that hatred off my chest was immensely satisfying. I was writing for my own benefit, a form of therapy. The struggle of an old man fighting loneliness.
I have always been interested in American politics, and was a registered Democrat after I became a citizen. In fact, I was a vital volunteer in the Obama campaign office in Phoenix in 2008, performing, couple of hours a day, essential tasks of licking stamps and answering phones in my thick Sri Lankan accent.
On my return, my reading habit was satisfied by the resurgence of e-books, and I was able to keep reading the old classics and new best sellers at little cost. Reading and working out the English horse racing form also continue to provide hours of pleasure daily. And the ability to meet on a regular basis, and call and receive calls from my old and new friends in Sri Lanka at any time, keeps loneliness at bay, a pleasure denied to even the richest friends of my generation living in foreign lands.
I started writing only when the monstrous Trump fraudulently won the election in 2016, with the help of his master, Putin. I sent one of these articles to my old friend and cousin several times removed, a senior newspaper editor in Sri Lanka for over half a century, who today is the editor of the Sunday Island. Much to my surprise, he ran the piece.
Seeing my name in print for the first time reminded me of a story related by Dr Sashi Tharoor, the brilliant Indian diplomat, politician, writer and orator, about the addiction to writing. Briefly, he says that every reader is a potential writer. And the more he/she reads the greater the potential for writing becomes. He started reading when he was 10 years old, and his first writings appeared in the print media when he was 11.
He talks of an addiction, a craving that he felt after seeing his name in print. He has since authored 18 books, mainly on India and the oppression of the British Empire. His books, and the thousands of essays he has written, many of which have been published by the New York Times, the London Times and the Washington Post, provide an insight into Indian culture and how India has evolved into the largest democracy in the world.
Plummeting from the brilliant to the mediocre, while Dr Tharoor had his articles published when he was 11 years old, my first essay was published by the Sunday Island when I was 75 years old, when The Donald was aspiring to, and cheated his way into the White House. When I saw my name in print for the first time, I was hooked. Examples of Trump’s vulgarity, his ignorance, his cruelty and his incredibly narcissistic incompetence provided me with ample fodder to write on a weekly basis. After about a year of submitting articles venting against Trump, I asked my friend, the editor, whether I should continue on this journey of hatred. He said, “Keep them coming. The hatred is shared.”
In summary, I keep writing. I take great personal pleasure and satisfaction in writing. I keep writing to express my opinions about the horror I feel that that a cultish sect of white supremacy, led by a vulgar traitor, is attempting to take control over the country which gave me and my family a second chance in our hour of need. I write to feed my addiction to seeing my name in print. I write to provide myself with a meaningful diversion as an antidote against loneliness. Most of all, I write to share with my grandchildren, already avid readers, a part of my life which will otherwise not be known to them.
They are the only reading audience for whom I write.
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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