Features
Two Outstanding Wives
We have just marked International Women’ Day with rallies, seminars and awards presentations, here and overseas. Coincidentally, in the last two days I watched Netflix films and was totally impressed all over again by the sacrificial commitment of women, and as a by-line, the acceptance of all that womanly giving by the two men concerned. The films seen were ‘The Theory of Everything’ – life of astronomer/physicist Stephen Hawking and ‘The Danish Girl’ about the sex change of pioneer . In both Eddie Redmayne starred as protagonist, but for me the shows were stolen by the wives – Jane Wilde Hawking played by Felicity Jones (British) nominated for Oscar for Best Actress in the film, and Gerda Wegener played stunningly as acknowledged, by Alicia Vikander (Swedish) winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2015, and nominated for BAFTA in the same category, same film.
The true stories
Everyone knows Stephen William Hawking (Jan 8 1942 in Oxford – 14 March 2018 in Cambridge) CH CBE FRS FRSA, British theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author who was director of research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology at the University of Cambridge at the time of his death.
In the 1960s, Cambridge University student and future physicist Stephen Hawking fell in love with fellow collegian Jane Wilde. At 21, Hawking learns that he has motor neuron disease. Jane marries him in 1965 in spite of his being already semi- handicapped and they have three children. With Jane completely supportive at his side, he begins an ambitious study of time, of which he has very little left, according to his doctor. (However he defiantly lived till age 76!) He and Jane overcame terrible odds and broke new ground in the fields of medicine and science.
Though completely wheelchair-confined, he was stymied in nothing from overseas travel to moving in a zero gravity capsule. Jane looked after him and the children for more than 15 years. Finding however her duties as carer to her husband and mother of three stressful, a nurse is hired and he falls in love with her – Elaine Mason. Jane and he divorce in 1995 after 30 years of marriage and he marries Elaine that same year. They divorce in 2006. Elaine was accused of physically and emotionally abusing Stephen and many considered her a gold digger in marrying him. His copious writing includes among several books the popular A Brief History of Time; Brief Answers to the Big Question which are readable to even non scientific readers.
The second life is that of Einer Magnus Andreas Wegener (1882- 1931). Born in the small fjord-side town of Vejle, Denmark, he was a precocious young boy. As a teenager, he traveled to Copenhagen to study art at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. He met Gerda Gottlieb and married her in 1904; the couple aged 22 and 19. While he painted landscapes and was acclaimed, she painted portraits and success came to her only when her Lili paintings were exhibited. She was a successful illustrator of fashion magazines.
Once when her model was late in arriving, Gerda got her husband to wear stockings and heels and pose. This nudged his inner ‘self’ and the urge to become a woman. Traveling through Europe the couple settled down in Paris in 1912 and Einar went to two famous surgeons seeking sex transformation. The first attempts failed but under pioneer Dr Warnekros in 1930-31, the operations were successful and thus emerged a beautiful woman who took the name of Lili Elbe, the surname after the river that flows through Dresden where the last sex reassignment was done. Lili lived openly, and officially as a woman for 20 years of her life, first with Gerda and then moving to live with a man. The King of Denmark nullified the marriage in 1930. She considered herself to be a woman and an old friend wanted to marry the new woman. The final operation to implant a uterus caused her to suffer heart paralysis just before her 49th birthday. The diary he/she kept was published as a book ‘Man into Woman’, under a pseudonym in 1933 in Danish and German. It was considered of pioneering help to future transgenders.
The films
The ‘Theory of Everything’ was adapted from the book written by Jane Hawking while ‘The Danish Girl’ was adapted from the biography of the same name written by David Ebershoff in 2000. The film of the former book was directed by James Marsh and Eddie Redmayne won the Academy Award for best actor in a leading role; a Golden Globe Award and a BAFTA Award. Felicity Jones was nominated for her role as Hawking’s first wife. ‘The Danish Girl’ was directed by Tom Hooper who won the director’s Academy for his film ‘The King’s Speech’. Redmayne, though criticized by some for acting a transgender, which role should have been played by an actual one it was said, received nomination for Academy Award for best actor – this unparalleled honour in consecutive years.
The Actor
Edward “Eddie” John David Redmayne (1982 -), the English actor with the superbly malleable face played both Hawking and Einar Wegener/Lili Elbe brilliantly. He was a paralysed physicist with a permanently averted face whose lips and eyes were expressive. His role in the second film was even harder – a sexually active husband turning into a woman and looking so like one. He is the recipient of , including an , a , and and . He began his professional acting career as a youth in before making his screen debut in 1998. He played famed Shakespeare characters on stage. In 2016, he began starring as Newt Scamander in the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ film series authored by J K Rowling. In 2020, Redmayne starred as in ‘’ which was very recently nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Film.
Born on 6 January 1982 in to Patricia Burke who runs a , and Richard Redmayne, a businessman in , he has two siblings and two half siblings. His paternal great-grandfather was Sir (1865-1955), a civil and mining engineer. He attended , the same year as . In 2014 he married Hannah Bagshawe and they have a daughter and son. He was given the honour of Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the Queen’s honour list for services to drama.
Supremacy of two women
I started this article by mentioning a connection between the recently marked International Women’s Day and two films I watched on Netflix. The connection is the superior quality of the two wives in the two real life stories narrated in ‘The Theory of Everything’ and ‘The Polish Girl’; namely Jane Wilde Hawking (1944-) and Gerda Marie Fredrike Gottlieb Wegener (1886-1940).
The first outstanding quality was their dedication to their husbands, the love they showered on the two – handicapped in different ways. Their love turned to sacrificial giving and lasted through two betrayals of sorts. Stephen Hawking falls in love with his nurse after 30 years of marriage and leaves Jane for her. Gerda’s husband showed signs of wanting to dress as a woman and then leaves her to live with a man for the last couple of years when he was accepted as a woman. They went through immense stress, emotional upheaval, physical hardship, especially Jane who cared for her wheelchair-bound husband and three children. Gerda was with her husband through the several sex transforming operations and at the end was of solace and immense comfort when he died in the clinic he was recuperating in.
At first Jane Hawking subsumed her talent, her intellect, her ambition and love of knowledge to support and care for her husband whom she recognized early on to be genius. He was given two years to live, early in their marriage, but in all probability his living to 76 was due to her early care and inspiration and later his will and various interests and intellectualism taking over. Gerda owes her success as a portrait painter for the paintings she did of her husband as a girl – the Lily portraits.
You need to see the two films or read the biographies of these two inspiring women to fully recognize their true greatness through mainly their femininity. Jane Hawking completed her PhD just before her third child was born and continued teaching. She also wrote much besides her story of life with Hawking. When stressed with home duties, her mother suggested she sing in the church choir, she being Christian against Stephen’s atheism. The choir conductor was Jonathan Hellyer Jones who soon became a family friend. In 1997, Jane married him, She is recognized as a writer, speaker and mercifully, is still alive.
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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