Features
THE WINTER ADVENTURE IN 16 COUNTRIES – Part “C”
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
… Continuing from Wales, Ireland, France, Portugal and Spain …
Reaching Morocco in a small, old ship from Spain was exciting. It was the first time we had set foot in Africa, the second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia. Out of around 50 African countries in 1985 (today 54 countries) we were visiting just one. We did not notice the time passing during the four-hour voyage as we enjoyed the company of three university students travelling on the ship. Robert and Fritz were from West Germany, and their university colleague, Kalik was from Morocco. On their request, we changed our original plan to visit only Tangier, a port city in Morocco. We decided to travel with them from Tangier to Casablanca, where Kalik’s family lived. That was a good decision.
MOROCCO
During the time of modern history, Morocco’s strategic location near the mouth of the Mediterranean drew renewed European interest. In 1912, France and Spain divided Morocco into protectorates. Following intermittent riots and revolts against colonial rule, in 1956 Morocco regained its independence and reunified. The Kingdom of Morocco is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to the east, and the disputed territory of Western Sahara Dessert to the south. Morocco’s population in 1985 was 22 million.
Tangier
Tangier is on the Moroccan coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel. Many civilisations and cultures have influenced the history of Tangier, starting from before the 10th century BC. Between the period of being a strategic Berber town and then a Phoenician trading centre to Morocco’s independence era, Tangier was a nexus for many cultures. In 1923, it was considered to have international status by foreign colonial powers and became a destination for many European and American diplomats, spies, bohemians, writers and businessmen. The population of Tangier in 1985 was around 350,000.
Our first impressions of Tangier were unpleasant. Moroccan custom officers were unfriendly and delayed us for over an hour. All our bags were thoroughly checked and we were interviewed one at a time. They were suspicious as my wife and I came to the customs barrier together with the three university students we met on the ship. After we were allowed to enter Morocco, we were then harassed by a pack of aggressive touts trying to sell us drugs. To escape from them, the five of us got into a taxi. After that we went on a tour visiting an exotic Sunday market and the colourful city centre.
We spent that night in a small guest house by the port and the next day, early in the morning, we took a train to Casablanca. During the five-hour train ride, Kalik showed off his talent in singing and Fritz joined in the singing providing us with some entertainment. I taught Robert to play Gin Rummy and my wife coached him to beat me. We passed some breath-taking scenery along the coast. We did not have time to explore the capital of the country, Rabat but were pleased to have a short train stop there. We reached Casablanca, the commercial capital and the largest city of Morocco with around 11% of the nation’s population, by mid-day.
Casablanca
From the main railway station, we took a taxi to Kalik’s brother’s house in the suburbs of Casablanca. We were warmly welcomed by his brother’s family which included his two wives. After some nice mint tea and welcome snacks, we left our bags in that house and commenced our city tour. Kalik was happy and proud to act as our unofficial tour guide of this historic city. He introduced us to a few of his childhood friends living in that neighbourhood. Two of Kalik’s brothers joined us and were excited to meet the four foreigners who had come to visit their humble home with their elder brother. It rained heavily, and Kalik’s brother Abdul said, “You bring our city good luck. It has not rained like this for five years!”
The sites we visited in this vibrant city had a unique blend of Moorish style and European culture, as French Art Deco effortlessly with classic Moroccan design. We explored impressive mosques, cathedrals and palaces. We also visited the bustling Marché Central and the sandy beaches of La Corniche. Old-fashioned buildings were sandwiched between mushrooming new buildings and bad roads with potholes. Casablanca reminded us of Colombo.
Immortalized in a classic World War II era movie which won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1942, Casablanca had always carried a romantic and intriguing mystique. However, with my efforts to find locations where the movie ‘Casablanca’ was filmed, I was disappointed to learn that it was shot entirely within California, mainly at Warner Bros. studios!
Casablanca is located on the Atlantic coast of the Chaouia plain in the central-western part of Morocco. In 1985, the city had a population of about 2.5 million (today, after 37 years it has grown to 3.7 million). It is the eighth-largest city in the Arab world. Leading Moroccan companies and many international corporations doing business in the country have their headquarters and main industrial facilities in Casablanca. The port of Casablanca is one of the largest artificial ports in the world and is Morocco’s chief port. It also hosts the primary, naval base for the Royal Moroccan Navy.
Moroccan Lamb Stew with Couscous
On our second day in Casablanca, we were keen to taste authentic Moroccan food. Kalik became excited. “My mother makes the best lamb stew with couscous. She will cook it this evening for you at my parents’ home”, he announced to our delight. One of Morocco’s most famous dishes, it is a tasty, one-pot meal which has to be slow-cooked. It is based on cooked semolina wheat to which meat and/or vegetables are added. It is cooked in a clay pot, which is hermetically sealed with a cone-shaped lid. The result is a very savoury dish because spices and herbs such as cummin, turmeric, saffron, black pepper, parsley and ginger are added.
It is unclear when couscous originated. Some food historians believe that couscous originated millennia ago in the ancient kingdom of Numidia in present-day Algeria. The word couscous was first noted in early 17th century French, from Arabic kuskus. While many people today use a fork or spoon to eat couscous, traditionally couscous is eaten with the fingers which we were prepared to do. Our two West German friends were not so sure about that, particularly when all our portions were served on one, large plate.
Kalik’s mother, Salma spoke very little English. When she heard that I was an executive chef some years ago, she was a bit nervous but soon commenced to demonstrate her cooking method to me step by step. Kalik’s duties were expanded to become an interpreter, as well. Another middle-age Moroccan lady was helping Salma with the cooking. As they were laughing and behaving like best friends, I inquired if they were sisters. Kalik hugged that other lady and said, “This is Nora, my second mother.” As we looked confused, he clarified, “Nora is my father’s second wife.”
The aroma from Salma’s dish was amazing. The saffron she had added created a strong, leathery and earthy aroma. We were impatiently waiting around a large round table to have our dinner but none of the ladies in the family sat with us. As Kalik’s father was out of town on business, Kalik acted as the head of the family in hosting us. The authentic hospitality Salma and Nora and their daughters provided was outstanding. They simply wanted us to enjoy their food, company and home. “The main ingredient in our cooking is love!” Salma told us in her broken-English. She was correct.
After dinner we were invited to stay in their house. Considering that they had eleven members of the family living in the three-roomed house, we politely declined. Kalik’s brother arranged accommodations for us in a nearby inn. Salma and Nora were too shy to pose for a group photograph with us, but eight of their children, including very, pretty teenage sisters of Kalik joined us after some gentle persuasion. They giggled the whole time.
After checking into the nearby inn for the night, we heard a loud noise from the adjoining room given to our West German friends. We heard Fritz, screaming at Robert in German, using some bad words. He was saying, “Surely I cannot use this f***ing toilet!” It was a culture shock. Squat toilets are found throughout Africa and are especially common in Muslim countries like Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria. Essentially, they are holes in the ground equipped with a pan to sit on, rather than the seat and bowl of Western toilet systems.
THE WINTER …
Leaving Africa
Leaving Africa I became keen to explore this continent further. After a lapse of 14 years, I eventually returned to Africa in 1999 to explore Egypt briefly during a honeymoon cruise in the Mediterranean. In 2000 I was offered the position of the General Manager of the 700-room Le Meridien Red Sea in Egypt, an offer I did not accept, to pursue my second career as a university professor. In 2004 and 2005 I was fortunate to get opportunities to visit Africa for long trips on three occasions. I visited South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria and Botswana for work combined with leisure. My experiences and some adventures during these trips will be narrated in future episodes of this column.
Passing Gibraltar
Although we did not enter Gibraltar, a British Overseas Territory and city located on the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, we were pleased that our ship from Africa to Europe sailed very close to the rock of Gibraltar. It has an area of only 2.6 square miles and is bordered to the north by Spain. The landscape is dominated by the Rock of Gibraltar at the foot of which is a densely populated town area, home to over 29,000 people, primarily Gibraltans.
BACK TO SPAIN
Algeciras
When returning to the Port of Algeciras we realized that it is one of the largest ports in Europe and the world in terms of containers, cargo and transshipment. Algeciras is principally a transport hub and industrial city. It serves as the main embarkation point between Spain and Tangier and other ports in Morocco as well as the Canary Islands and the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla. It is ranked as the 16th busiest port in the world.
The city also has a substantial fishing industry and exports a range of agricultural products from the surrounding area, including cereals, tobacco and farm animals. Gradually it was becoming a significant tourist destination, with popular day trips to Tarifa to see bird migrations; to Gibraltar to see the territory’s sights and culture; and to the Bay of Gibraltar for whale watching excursions. We boarded another night train to reach Valencia.
Valencia
Valencia is the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 750,000 inhabitants in 1985. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. It is one of the major urban areas on the European side of the Mediterranean Sea. Valencia was founded as a Roman colony in 138 BC. Islamic rule and acculturation ensued in the 8th century. After a Christian conquest in the 13th century, the city became the capital of the Kingdom of Valencia.
The city’s port is the fifth busiest container port in Europe and the busiest container port on the Mediterranean Sea. Valencia is famous for the City of Arts and Sciences, the Valencia Cathedral, the Old Town, the Central Market, and as the birthplace of paella. As recommended by a Spanish couple in our train, we decided to taste the authentic Valencian paella during our short visit. One of the most well-known Spanish dishes abroad, paella originated in Valencia.
While watching the chef of a small café cook the paella in a large, flat pan with chicken and rabbit, we made a quick request. We preferred he did not include rabbit in our dish but he was not happy. “Rabbit is an essential item in Paella Valenciana” the chef grumbled, but changed his recipe specifically for us. I observed his cooking method closely. After browning the pieces of chicken in olive oil, he added green beans (originating from Valencia), Garrofón butter beans, tomato, saffron and water. Rice was the last ingredient added to the reduced broth. The most commonly used rice in paella in Spain is called Bomba. It’s a short-grain rice cultivated in the eastern parts of Spain. It absorbs liquid very well, but stays quite firm during the cooking process. It is often referred to as paella rice.
Barcelona
I loved Barcelona, as it is very rich in art and architecture. The fantastical Sagrada Família church and other modernist landmarks designed by Antoni Gaudí dot the city. Museum Picasso and Fundació Joan Miró feature modern art by their namesakes. The City History Museum with several Roman archaeological sites, enhance the value of this great destination. Founded as a Roman city in the Middle Ages, Barcelona became the capital of the County of Barcelona. It was wrested from Arab domination by the Catalans, in the late 15th century. Barcelona has a rich, cultural heritage and is today an important cultural centre and a major tourist destination.
As I was getting ready to explore the city on our second and last day of the stay, we had to suddenly change our plans. My wife had taken ill and was shivering with a very high fever. The lady who owned the guest house we stayed in the middle of Barcelona was very kind and helpful. At age 24, my wife was the same age as the
guest house owner’s daughter. She prohibited us from travelling further until my wife had recovered fully. I realized that my plan was too structured and too ambitious. We took a break and stayed in Barcelona for four days. I changed my role from an adventurous traveller to a care-giver.
Will continue in next week’s article: THE WINTER ADVENTURE IN 16 COUNTRIES – Part “D”,
with adventures in France, Italy, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria and in the boarder to Romania …
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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