Features
The world must help Burma overthrow the junta
A repeat must be prevented in Sri Lanka
by Kumar David
The people of Burma are fighting a military power grab with courage, bare hands and clanging pots and pans, the traditional way to drive evil spirits away. The army responds with blazing guns killing unarmed protestors – so far about 1,000 including children. Military spokesmen when questioned promise “to investigate and take action against wrongdoers in the army”. Can you think of another place where we have become accustomed to the same refrain for 12 years? The uprising will spread, it will not be subdued; military goons have bitten off more than they can chew. The intensity of the revolt has taken the gorillas by surprise.
Protesters ask the occasional international TV crew that gets access “What is the world doing; are we to fight these armed to the teeth goons with our bare hands?” Intervention by the outside world to assist the people’s uprising is morally necessary but thus far very little has been done. What is needed are hard sanctions and the supply of practical tools that the people ask for. However, world leaders are cowards compared to the people of Burma. Non-interference when a nation is crying for support is betrayal and apathetic talk-only is treachery. China has still to learn its lesson for giving succour to that genocidal manic Pol Pot who murdered millions. Now Chinese factories in the Burmese countryside are being torched by an angry 
populace as Beijing panders to the junta. After the junta is overthrown free-Burma will turn against China; how foolish the CCP! Geopolitics is taking its toll. China’s friends including Pakistan and Sri Lanka’s Buddhist will not lift a finger to help. The Islamic world does not care, but that’s understandable. Burmese Buddhists now fighting for their lives, Aung San Suu Kyi included, whitewashed the genocide of Rohingya Muslims. A Lankan cynic would ask if and when home grown autocracy puts its dagger at the throat of the Sinhala-Buddhists: “So, what did you do when the dagger was pointed at the minorities at home?”
I plead guilty to the charge that what motivates me to indulge in this harangue is to mobilise domestic unity against anything similar in Lanka and to emphasise the importance of international diplomatic and other forms of assistance if worst comes to worst. Foreign states, China, the West and India each have their own agenda and so do we. What counts is if two or more players can align their objectives sufficiently to be useful to each other. This is what the Sri Lankan state is attempting to get out of China: “Bankroll us, vote for us in world forums and in exchange we will take your side in Indian Ocean strategy”. Conversely but in like vein, if push comes to shove, if threats to democracy worsen, we the people of Lanka can demand that international verbal condemnation of the Lankan regime in Geneva must be reinforced by stronger methods.
GoSL has been weakened by domestic bungling; the regime is at sixes and sevens. It mucks up everything it touches; these crazy buggers (Editor please let this pass) have broken out of the asylum and arrested the Mayor of Jaffna. “Jesus Christ, what self-destructive demon has taken possession of these crack-pots!” my grandmother would say. Are Gota’s goons going to demand the extradition of every police force and private security outfit in innumerable countries and in the US from California to New York and Missouri because their uniforms resemble LTTE kits? Every branch of state in Lanka is at the throat of some other branch. PBJ slams GLP in public; the Cabinet can’t agree whether Provincial Council should exist and on PC elections; Colombage tells Tim Sebastian that the PTA is a disgrace but pleads that the government is unable to rectify it; Gota’s popularity has plummeted to sub-zero; Mahinda and Basil, having read Stephen Hawking, inhabit alternative universes; consumers snarl, farmers burn effigies and Muslims are livid. In its second year this government has become weak, wobbly and weary. Its enemies don’t need to do anything, only to stand and wait till a Westerly wind pushes the Double-Paksas (two Rajapaksas) aside.
US Ambassador Alaina Teplitz told a news conference that the proposed Port City Bill opens the road to money laundering and other shenanigans. The Economic Zone will be run by a cartel appointed by Gota – no doubt with lots of military sauce – with no parliamentary oversight; companies will be exempt from income tax, casino levies, exchange controls and customs duties for 40 years. In Pakistan a retired general, Asim Bajwa, has been crowned head the Sino-Pak Economic Corridor which will lever $60 billion (money which Pakistan will repay only in its next life!). In an odd reversal of roles Ms Teplitz took a stand well to the left of the Paksas and accused the government of failing to focus on reforms and put the economy on 
a strong footing. Posterity will jeer Tissa, DEW and Vasu who voted for the 18th Amendment if they blacken themselves further by backing this Bill. Teplitz is more concerned about crooked commerce than our Dead Left! Ambassadors don’t go out on a limb unless something big is in the pot. Hmm interesting times, is the US planning to cook the Paksa regime?
I wish to summarise what I said a fortnight ago. People must stand firm, retreat no further and push to recover ground lost in the last 16 months. Prospects of outright presidential-despotism or a naked military grab have suffered setbacks. Counterattacks in the liberal middle class, in political spaces, the media, among the Tamils and Muslims, and in the subaltern social classes in step with ruinous increases in living costs, have been stark. The economic debacle has made the military unpopular because in the public mind Gota and his cabal are interwoven. However, the serving officer corps and men have nothing to gain and only opprobrium to earn in any Burma style grab? What does an army gain by battling its own people? An army instinctively knows the ambitions of leaders and a wise one will not let itself be exploited. Why should it pull chestnuts out of the fire for a President who has lost his way and become a liability?
It is not the active military (except Army Silva about whom the International Truth and Justice Project has compiled a 50 page indictment) but some retired brass who are ambitious; the proclivity to militarise emanates from the Executive and its buddies. It is different in Egypt or Burma where the serving military is the beneficiary and the officer corps rakes in perks and dollars while goodies are also spread across the ranks. A military takeover in Lanka, with or without a role for the Executive would be suicidal. The world and India will respond firmly; Muslims and Tamils, in the context of the anti-minority posture of the Executive will petition the diaspora and the Islamic world; the birth of LTTE-Mark 2 cannot be aborted and maybe ISIS-Lanka Mark 1 will be conceived; the junta will isolate itself from the world and from progressive Sinhalese opinion.
China will throw a few coins Gota’s way but no Chinese cockerel will fly over to fight. But what is far more important is that China, though it can fund projects, for various reasons pertaining to its of its own nature, lacks the savvy and sophistication to assist Lanka sort out its complicated skirmishes – democracy-constitution-devolution choices, Tamil/Muslim imbroglio, autocracy/militarisation threats etc. The West and India, since their polities are not one-dimensional and linearized, and since their backgrounds are liberal bourgeois, like Ceylon-Sri Lanka, have experiences useful in assisting us with our messy problems.
True Gota polled an overwhelming 72% of Sinhala-Buddhist (SB) votes and extremist and non-extremist monks rallied to his cause as did political opportunists. But I would take that election, if offered as proof that he has SB mass support, with a ton of salt. Unlike Mahinda he lacks a proven and matured mass base. He was not active in politics till 2019 and it was a fortuitous concourse of events that brought the SB mass and the Defence Secretary into alignment. But it is not secure enough to weather the gathering storm. In a tussle between Sinhala-Buddhism and militarism to which Gota is now subservient, for moral hegemony over the nation, the former will win hands down. If in addition the regime thwarts accountability, reconciliation and anti-militarism demanded by international opinion, it would be firing off its cannons on both sides and setting course for shipwreck. Lacking a secure SB base Gota is attempting to conjure up one among retired officers who served during his time as Defence Secretary and in the shallow sallow petty-bourgeoisie of Viyath Maga.
It is unnecessary to repeat in the 21st Century that the supremacy of the civilian over the military is a principle whose absolute remit should never be traduced. When it is breached – Burma, Pakistan, Thailand, Egypt and Syria for example – repression and the economic deterioration ensue. Apart from military regimes there are personal dictators in many parts of the world but these are usually easier to dislodge.
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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