Features
Trump to pay $464 million in damages by Monday March 25
The bloodbath candidate
by Vijaya Chandrasoma
I concluded my essay last week with the prediction that, if Trump does not win re-election in November, “there is little doubt that Trump will, once again, call Foul and refuse to concede defeat. The nation will be plunged into political violence, tantamount to a civil war, for which Trump and the radical red cult are already making the necessary preparations”.
It did not take two days after my essay ran for Trump to validate my prediction at a profanity-filled rant at an election rally in Ohio:
“Now, if I don’t get elected, it’s gonna be a bloodbath for the whole – that’s gonna be the least of it – it’s gonna be a bloodbath for the whole country. That’ll be the least of it”. Desperate words from a desperate lunatic.
And he is talking about a political bloodbath that will make the violent insurrection of January 6, 2021 seem like a walk in the park.
I think I am entitled to claim an “I told you so” moment, of “political violence, tantamount to a civil war” being an appropriate synonym for Trump’s “bloodbath”. Though I must admit that this prediction was hardly an original! I, and millions of people around the world have seen this coming, ever since Trump refused to concede the loss of the 2020 election, and plunged the nation into violence and insurrection on January 6, 2021, when domestic terrorists nearly destroyed the democracy in the very cradle of the world’s democracy.
The question is, why did The Donald choose this moment to bring up the threat of political violence which he had seemingly laid to rest for a few months.
There are two reasons. One, Trump is required to pay $464 million by D-Day, Monday, March 25, as damages for financial fraud of which he was found guilty by the Court of the Southern District of New York last month.
In fact, Trump’s lawyers are clutching at straws as D-Day approaches. They are looking at the 8th Amendment of the Constitution, which states. “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted”, on the basis of which they have appealed for a reduction in the amount of damages imposed. As there has been no precedent for such a large case of financial fraud, the amount of the damages was calculated at the sole discretion of New York District Court Judge Engoron; jury trial had been earlier waived by the defendant. Both Judge Engoron and New York Attorney General Letitia James are satisfied that the judgment is fair and reasonable. Trump has also requested a “pause” for payment in view of the large amount involved. The Court may give him a little time, say, up to three months if he comes up with a realistic payment plan.
If such a compromise is not reached, then District Attorney James will start seizing his assets. Sadly for Melania, her pre-nup may soon prove to be worth zero to nothing.
The problem for Trump is that he will have to deposit with the Court the full amount of the damages pending all appeals, by Monday.
Trump, a self-confessed billionaire. has proved himself (as if proof was ever needed) that he is a self-confessed liar, when his counsel asked for time to pay, admitting that Trump does not currently have the cash to make such a large payment. 30 of New York’s most reputed financial institutions have refused to underwrite the bond for Trump as he is now recognized as the world’s most notorious bankrupt.
The impecunious billionaire is even asking his voters for help in paying off the $464 million bond. In one of his circular appeals headlined “KEEP YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF OF TRUMP TOWER”, Trump begs for donations from his mainly impoverished supporters to help save Trump Tower, white trash who themselves find it difficult to pay their monthly rents and trailer park fees. The irony is delicious.
Trump is hitting panic mode as it becomes almost certain that he would not be able to find the necessary funds by next Monday. The Courts will not accept real estate assets as collateral, especially as Trump’s renowned real estate empire is mortgaged to the hilt. Perhaps one of his Underworld Russian or Saudi oligarch buddies, even a home-grown billionaire like Elon Musk, will rush to his help. But there is nothing called a free lunch, especially for a candidate for the presidency of the United States. In the nightmare event that Trump is re-elected, he will enter the White House beholden to creditors who will demand favors he will not be in a position to refuse, favors which will probably be at odds with the security of the nation.
There is yet another side to this story. Will the optics of the New York Attorney General’s department seizing Trump’s properties, including his homes, validate his claim as the greatest victim in the world, and gain him public sympathy? Especially when Trump will be screaming that these properties are being sold at fire-sale prices, a fraction of the inflated prices assessed by him.
The first property identified by the NY Attorney General to be seized as part payment of the damages owed by Trump is his Seven Springs Estate, a beautiful, sprawling 212-acre property in Westchester County, New York. He valued the property at $291 million on his balance sheet presented to Deutsche Bank in 2012, to obtain a loan for his proposed purchase of the Buffalo Bills, a leading National Football League team in New York. However, in a 2018 federal ethics filing, he valued the same estate at $50 million. On the basis of these false valuations of Trump’s properties, it is likely that a part of Trump’s highly vaunted real estate empire may crumble like a deck of cards as the New York Attorney General continues to seize and sell his other properties.
Karma, like the Almighty, moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform.
Two, a definite rift is beginning to show in the Republican Party, with moderate Republicans becoming increasingly critical of the revelations of Trump’s financial deceptions. The emerging facts behind his 91 felonies and the threat he presents to democracy are also becoming impossible to ignore. Conservative Republicans and Independents are beginning to wonder why Trump is going to such great lengths to ensure that none of the four indictments against him, including obstruction of justice and espionage, are brought to trial before the election. After all, wouldn’t the most innocent man Trump claims to be (“I have never done anything wrong, this is the greatest political witch hunt in history”) demand a speedy trial to prove his innocence, so that voters will be aware of the facts before they cast their votes?
So what to do, to take the public’s mind away from his financial and other woes? A desperate Trump has no alternative but to throw in the ultimate distraction. Threaten a bloodbath if he is not elected.
And the fear caused by this threat is being constantly stoked by radical Republicans, who have been inciting violence and death threats against Democrats and government officials on a daily basis ever since January 6, 2021. One of the most dangerous examples of such threats emerged last week.
Conservative activist and current Republican nominee to run the North Carolina Public School System, Michele Morrow, has a history of incendiary political comments on social media. She had expressed support in 2020 for the televised execution of former President Barack Obama and the killing of then-President-elect Joe Biden. In other comments on social media, Morrow made disturbing suggestions about executing prominent Democrats, including Minnesota Congresswoman, Ilhan Omar, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, Hillary Clinton and Senator Chuck Schumer, for treason.
In a tweet from May 2020, she wrote, “I prefer a Pay Per View of him (President Obama) in front of a firing squad. I do not want to waste another dime on supporting his life. We could make some money back from televising his death”.
This is the racist, lunatic counterpart of Trump. She is the current Republican nominee as Superintendent of North Carolina’s public school district, with an $11 billion budget. She would, if elected, oversee the state’s public school system and work with its Board of Education in determining the educational future of nearly 1.5 million American students in 2,475 schools in 120 school districts.
There was a program on CNN last Thursday, when there was speculation about Trump’s Vice-Presidential pick when he accepts the Party nomination in July. The most popular picks, based entirely on the degree of sycophantic loyalty to Trump, were Elise Stepanik, the chair of the House Republican Conference, African American Senator Tim Scott, Dr. Ben Carson and Senator Marco Rubio.
In my opinion, however, the dream candidate for Trump’s Vice-President – and/or Wife no. 4, would be the aforementioned Ms. Morrow. A match made in hell.
Trump’s polling rates will be so unfavorable by November that violence by his white supremacist cult will be his only chance of survival.
Unfortunately for him, the Commander-in-Chief this time around will not be on the side of domestic terrorists and insurrectionists. He will not waste a minute before summoning federal military power to quell the violence and quash Trump’s white supremacist “patriots”.
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 . )
