Features
Upali was exceptional, even as a child
BY ARJUNA HULUGALLE
From the moment I met Upali Wijewardene, and that was at the age of five in the baby class at Ladies’ College, Colombo, I had a feeling he was exceptional.
As I stand today, galloping through life and reaching the Psalmist’s span, I look back and recall what a bright boy Upali was! We knew, of course, he had been well tutored by an in-house personal instructress. Studies were not all that Upali bothered about; it was clear to see that he had a great desire to project himself and as a result he glided over every hurdle to reach something bigger – an object we could not visualize at the time.
He came from a family similar to the Kennedys of USA. There was money, a sense of public spiritedness and burning ambition. His family was not restrained by any inhibitions of self consciousness of old families and his path was further reinforced not only by the genes of a Wijewardene from Sedawatte but also those of the Wijesinghes from the deep South. There they were much closer to the soil and to an indigenous ethos. Both his grandfathers had amassed enormous wealth. Upali’s father, Don Walter Wijewardene, died young when Upali was a little child. If I recollect correct this was forecasted in his horoscope. Upali missed a father dearly. This was definitely a gap in his life and in the formation of his personality. With the non existent guiding hand of the paternal influence, Upali fell to mimic it or seek it among other elders. He grew up much faster than his school contemporaries and was in ‘longs’ before any of us.
He rode a bicycle effortlessly before we learnt or even possessed one. He drove and owned his own car with an L board long before we started to dream about cars and may be some of us still don’t own one! Is it not surprising that I remember him going off to a Race Meet nattily dressed in a double breasted suit. He must have been fourteen then. He loved horses and was an accomplished horseman.
Upali’s mother was an astute woman abounding in commonsense. She and the children lived near their schools at Thurstan Road with Ladies’ College and Royal College only a short distance away. His sisters, Anula (later Mrs Wijesundara) and Kalyani (Later Mrs Attygalle), and Upali, I remember, being driven in a Bug Fiat with a driver who had the appearance of a character straight from Tintin.
Upali’s earliest friends would have been those in Miss Nelly’s Baby Class at Ladies. Among them were Ratna Sivaratnam, later Chairman of Aitken Spence, Nimal Fonseka, whose parents at that time were dominating the medical profession (Dr Marcus Fonseka was the first double MS and ENT specialist) and Dr Brendon Gooneratne, Lalith Athulathmudali was a year senior to us. I remember brothers Brian and Ralph Wickremaratne at Ladies. There was an array of girls who in later years distinguished themselves as outstanding women.
Miss Gwen Opie, was the Principal when we entered the school. She died in January 1944, and her sister succeeded her as acting Principal. Miss Mabel Simon, from Mowbray in Kandy, was appointed later in May 1946.
When Upali and I applied to Royal Primary School to join the 4th standard in 1947, I remember the entrance test. He was flanked by his mother and instructress. I was deposited at the school by my father who then left me to fend for myself. Upali and I had been coached at Ladies for the entrance ordeal and I did not have too much trouble handling the Arithmetic, English and Sinhala papers but I was stumped on how to write my initials (H.A.J.) in Sinhala. Mrs Wijewardene must have sensed my discomfort and moved smartly to help me. Even today, I thank her for my entrance into Royal Primary School. It was a case of ‘For want of a nail, a Kingdom would have been lost’. Upali and I were now in the real world. Royal Primary School was quite different in every way to the cloistered life of Ladies’ College. We were in the rough and tumble of a boys’ world with teachers who were less sensitive and understanding than in a girls’ school. Our main focus was to qualify for entrance into Royal College.
A.F. de Saa Bandaranaiake had been appointed Headmaster and we had legendary teachers like H.D. Sugathapala, H.P. Jayawardene, Mr Arasaratnam, Mr B.J.H. Bahar, Mr Lennie de Silva, Mrs Nicholas and Mr M.E. Piyasena.
1947 was the year of the first general elections and I was at Royal Primary. There are several memories I had of that year, a few stand out. One was of my classmate, Bimal Padmaperuma, who later rose to a senior public service position and became a trusted confidante of President Premadasa. Bimal at that tender age of 10 years was an authority on the elections that took place that year. He collected posters, pamphlets and enlightened us on the candidates. That was my first introduction to Sri Lankan politics.
Another highlight was the lending library of Upatissa Attygalle who had mainly comics! He would to come to school from his uncle Dr Nicholas Attygalle’s home. We had to pay Upatissa 5 cents to borrow a comic. Captain Marvel, Superman, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry Gaby Hayes are some of the names of the heroes I remember.
Sadly from 1946, we were separated and put into streams and from then onwards we missed our Tamil, Muslim and Burgher friends and they missed us. Mercifully, this was changed when we entered Royal College in 1949, because the education was in English and all races blended in the classrooms.
Both Royal Primacy and Royal College were made up of children from a cross section of the population but we soon acquired a common spirit of Royalists and a common culture. Most of the children who were with us had got a flying start for their future lives. The facilities they enjoyed at school whether with studies, sports and the vast range of extra curricula activities equipped them to handle life with confidence. Airs and graces and snobbery were taboo and the rough edges were evened. Upali who came from a wealthy propertied family had to be with the rest of us who had parents who were wage earners with modest incomes.
In later life, our class of 106 at Royal (three parallel classes), produced 23 doctors some of whom are the top Consultants in their fields; lawyers (including two President’s Counsel), several outstanding businessmen; three civil servants; Permanent Secretaries, Judges of the Supreme Court and other courts, diplomats, engineers, planters, company executives, teachers, sportsmen and a Vice Chancellor of the University of Peradeniya and a controversial social scientist and a political chronicler among others. One of this batch who acquired high academic qualifications as an agriculturist opted to live a peasant’s life in a distant village. It was by any standards a galaxy of achievers. If I am excused for not being modest, I would say this was one of the most outstanding classes Royal had ever produced. Certainly 1948, 1949 and 1950 produced a crop of outstanding and interesting men. Upali was one of this fascinating group of individuals.
I have picked at random a few exceptionally interesting characters. Laki Senanayake, the world renowned artist was one of them. He was a nightmare to many teachers because in the mould of great intellectuals like Bernard Shaw, he considered the trappings of a school, a trauma for a child and one which retarded human progress. He made the life of teachers difficult, albeit in a genteel and gentlemanlike manner by his cynical observations and humourous repartee. He broke away from this “jail” of boyhood as soon as he could, having failed in art at the “O” level.
From that time onwards, his pen, brush, hands and mind produced the masterpiece of art which we admire in this country and all over the world. His mind wondered into a wide range of other intellectual pursuits and he filled his spare time with reading and talking as people of his caliber do in other parts of the globe to a captive audience of followers.
A more violent character was Rahula Silva, who to many was a notorious policeman. From the time he could crawl, he was a “Chandiya”. He was gifted with enormous strength and was the Public School Heavy Weight boxing champion winning his event at the Stubbs Shield competition. His body was too powerful for his brain but to his friends he was a kindly man.
Towards the end of his days, he had squandered the great gifts nature had bestowed on him and he died a lonely man but not before my wife and I visited him in hospital where he lay frail. She always recalls how humbled she felt when he tried and tried to sit up when he saw her.
Kumar Ponnambalam was also in our class. He never failed to come to our get together on the second day of the Royal Thomian match and the Colombo leg of the Bradby. He came to Royal Primary from Ladies’ College and then went on to Royal. He had the wherewithal and potential to make a substantial impact on public life. However, all his life lie lived under the shadow of his great father, G.G. Ponnambalam.
He had also gone to Cambridge like Upali. Kumar was referred by Dudley Senanayake to his old College Corpus Christi. After his death, Kumar was honoured by no less a person that Mr Prabakaran for his services.
My wife and I last met him at the fiftieth anniversary of the 49 year group. (We had joined Royal College in 1949). He was amazed when my wife gave him a big hug and greeted him. His father, GG, was a good friend of my father and also my brother Upatissa and his son, Gajendran, was a schoolmate of my son. It was on that occasion that we met Beverley Vandergert, brother of Rodney the former Foreign Secretary and Dr Geoffrey Vanden Driessen. I had not met them since 1955 when I left school. Beverley had settled in Holland and Geoffrey first in New Zealand and then at Alice Springs in Australia.
The contrast to Kumar Ponnambalam was the ascetic Chelvanayagam Vasekaran, son of the Federal party leader Mr S.J.V. Chelvanayagam. He and Nimal Fonseka were the two most brilliant students of our generation at Royal. Vasekaran in later years did a doctorate in mathematics and Nimal became a successful Accountant in London. Vasekaran remained a close friend of my wife and I till his death, and Nimal remains my closest friend today.
Another interesting character was Alavi Mohamed, who was a great oarsman and an institution at the Colombo Rowing Club. He was a good friend of my wife’s brother, Patrick. His passion was to teach his students rowing. He lives in the UK.
The story of Upali’s school mates at Ladies’ College, Royal Primary and Royal College will make fascinating reading if it is ever recorded in detail. His early education was the milieu which moulded Upali to becoming a special personality and a public figure in later years. The potential I had sensed when I first met him at the age of 5 was realized in adulthood.
He and I had both read Wordsworth’s poem The Rainbow at Royal College where the poet wrote “Child is the Father of the Man’.
How true it was with Upali.
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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