Features
Trinity Rugby 1st XV 1984: The Guts and the Glory.
by Z. Kamil Mohamed
A global cricketing icon once said “At Trinity; Rugby players are special, and I… was only a cricketer”. Such is the pedestal upon which Rugby stands at Trinity that playing Rugby for the 1st XV becomes the ultimate dream for most young Trinitians. And this is the story of that dream shared by a group of young Trinitians, culminating in the Bradby Shield encounter against Royal College in 1984.
Early in 1974, C. Y Ching Snr’s Trinity were playing St Anthony’s. “Accompanied by two older brothers, a few Trinitians and Anthonians , I witnessed my first Rugby match at Nittawela” recalls 1984 Lock Kamil Mohamed. Trinity destroyed the Anthonians 64-3 in a scintillating display of open running Rugby. “I was enthralled and walked on air all the way home, hooked on Rugby for life” says Mohamed.
Playing fast open Rugby the sublime unbeaten Trinity team next destroyed St Thomas’ 70-8 and defeated all teams winning the Bradby. Trinity teams of 1975 and 1976 under Rohan Sourjah and S.V Ranasinghe respectively produced excellent seasons winning most of the games by record margins. Then Ravi Balasuriya’s exceptional Team of 1977 won all their games and undertook the first ever overseas schools Rugby trip to Thailand.
In this backdrop, in 1978, a few 12-year-olds namely Dilakshan Ratwatte, Senaka Alawattegama, SG Ekanayake, Dushyantha Wijesinghe, Ravi Pillai, Arjuna De Silva, Roger Halangoda, Asela Pilapitiya and Kamil Mohamed turned up at training with fervent Rugby dreams at the Trinity junior school grounds at the foot of the Udawattekale Rainforest. This core group were still together at the end of season 1984.
The season began with an intense training camp in Colombo. Dushyantha Wijesinghe, Ashan Ratwatte’s 1st XV understudy as the senior-most player was appointed Captain and Dilakshan Ratwatte Vice-Captain. Supported by Coloursmen Duraisamy Sivasubramaniam, Ravi Pillai, Arjuna De Silva, Jayanthasiri Perera and Manoj Jayatissa.
First up, Trinity faced Thurstan. Ravi Pillai relates how the game unfolded: ‘Arjuna De Silva and I had been a centres combination since junior days, so had a good understanding, however it was early in the season and were rusty yet managed to overcome Thurstan running in seven tries’. Score 38-7.
Back in Colombo to face St Joseph’s College, Sivasubramaniam remembers, ‘they held us to 3-4 in the first half, we were losing the ball in the scrums, hooker Jayatissa complained that Josephian prop Frank Bopearachchi was trying to gouge out his eyes. So, I took matters into my own hands or should I say teeth! Bopearachchi retaliated, only to be ordered off by referee Jagath Fernando. That opened the floodgates, we ran in several tries, defeating the Josephians 32-04. We lost centre Arjuna De Silva to injury in this game’.
Regrouping in Kandy, legendary Coach Colonel Bertie Dias unable to replace De Silva, decided, in consultation with Under 17 coach Alex Lazarus, to promote Senani Gunaratne from the Under 17 team, partly because the coaches felt he was better future captaincy material than the other option, the playful legend Shah Doole.
Next Trinity faced the formidable Isipatana led by Shabeen Sideek comprising several future national players. Dilakshan Ratwatte the scion of a Trinity Rugby dynasty recounts: ‘Trinity’s combinations were working, and the season was looking promising. Home advantage saw Isipatana race to an 8-0 lead. We fought back and scored and with two minutes to go were down 6-8. Ensconced deep in Isipatana territory we won the ball outnumbering them with the line staring at us, but over eagerness got the better of us and we dropped the ball. Our first loss 6-8. This game also exacerbated our injury woes losing Captain Wijesinghe’.
The next three games were scrappy affairs. We beat St Anthony’s 4-0. Their captain, Priyantha Ekanayake, in hospital with a bout of meningitis at the beginning of the week, fronted up and played the unaccustomed position of full back effectively, holding us to one try. Vice-captain Ratwatte also succumbed to injury with Sivasubramaniam now being handed over captaincy duties, which he carried out admirably for much of the season. Trinity then beat Anil Jayasinghe’s Vidyartha 28-0 and Nirmal Dharmaratne’s Dharmaraja 6-0.
Next up was Asanga Seneviratne’s St Thomas’s in Kandy. Ikram Odayar, a third generation Trinity Ruggerite recollects ‘unending rain in Kandy made conditions underfoot less than ideal and we were struggling with injuries. We scored quickly in the first half and led 6-0. After a dour forwards battle in the mud, we defended resolutely to win the Canon R. S De Saram Trophy at 6-4.’
In failing health, the legendary Col. Dias’s storied Trinity Rugby career was coming to an end. With three Bradby victories in previous years, he wanted to retire with another Bradby. Coach Dias, a student of the game preferred to focus on strategy and did not pay much attention to method or structure. Knowing this, he brought in former Trinity and Sri Lanka players Chandra Seneviratne, to work with the forwards and Irwin Howie, to train the backs.
Sampath Agalawatte’s Royalists were unbeaten and favourites to win the Bradby. Full back Jayanthasiri Perera recounts ‘it was a hot and humid day in Colombo, after weeks of playing in cool conditions up in Kandy, we were surprised by how quickly the heat sapped our energy. Both teams probed and prodded but could not breach the other’s line. In the end, all that separated the teams was Royal’s Two penalties against Trinity’s One penalty. 6-3’
Prop Senaka Alawattegama reminisces ‘we were smarting from the narrow loss to Royal, but with the Bradby within reach, training intensity went up another notch. At one stage the Coaches had the forward Eight playing against a full Under 17 team. I remember running endlessly and keeping them at bay for a full 30 minutes. We had practiced a forwards ploy over several weeks, with me swivel passing to Ratwatte, then Dissanayake, then Ranasinghe, then at the end Sivasubramaniam and Mohamed all in close quarters out of opponents view and we did attempt it at the first Bradby without success.
The excellent St Peters coached by Frank Hubert had lost to Trinity for 42 years running. They shocked us with an early try and kept attacking. Midway through the second half the team realised losing was not an option. The tide turned with a penalty but were still down 3-4. We set up camp in Peterite territory but couldn’t quite break through. Late in the game, Referee Tony Amith was glancing at his watch with his refereeing rival Hubert reportedly lying spreadeagled in ecstasy anticipating victory. Winning a free kick, we set in motion our practised ploy and it worked exactly as planned finally breaking through for a try on the stroke of full time. Peterite hearts were broken 9-4.
“Back at training, Col. Dias said in admiration ‘the way you played in the last twenty minutes, why can’t you play like that for the length of the game?’. Anticipating slippery conditions, his strategic Bradby plan was to let Royal win the ball in the set pieces, then attack at the breakdown before the gain line thus advancing field position. Winger S.G Ekanayake narrates ‘our plan worked wonders, Royal were winning the ball but struggled to gain traction with our players all over them in a flash. The score remained 0-0 at half time. After the turnaround, we were winning the ball back and ran our line. As one commentator articulated, – Trinity completely dominated the second half with wave after wave of attacks deep into Royal territory, the forwards winning the ball and working the ball right down the line. But the Royal dam was unbreachable, led by the crack Royal third row of Weeratunga, Lenaduwa and Ex Trinitian Navaratnam they held on for dear life to protect their unbeaten season for a Nil all draw. Thus, Royal won the Bradby on aggregate.”
At the end of the week Trinity comprising Duraisamy Sivasubramaniam, Manoj Jayatissa, Kamil Mohamed, Tony Wimaladasa, Jayanthasiri Perera, Ravi Pillai, Arjuna De Silva, S.G Ekanayake and Upul Herath played in rugby sevens tournament reaching the semi-finals.
At Season’s end Sivasubramanian was awarded the coveted Lion for his dominance while Alawattegama, Tyrone David, Manik Weerasinghe, Kamil Mohamed, Ikram Odayar, Anjana Dissanayake, Tony Wimaladasa, Senani Gunaratna, SG Ekanayake, Upul Herath and Roger Halangoda were awarded Colours.
Tragically Trinitians Arjuna De Silva, Anjana Dissanayake and Royalist Sanjaya Sigera passed away. More recently both captains Wijesinghe and Agalwatte passed on after protracted illnesses.
Over the next two weeks both teams of 1984 will meet again after four decades at the Bradby 2023 and will be felicitated. In the absence of the two captains, 1983 Trinity Captain Ashan Ratwatte, who missed his own opportunity due to the pandemic, has been invited to be the chief Guest at Kandy, and Royalist Feroze Suhayb will stand in for his Late Captain at the 2nd leg in Colombo. Long may this tradition of Bradby fellowship and camaraderie between the two teams continue!
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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