Features
We can do worse than the worst over there!
My article titled above is a play on the famous song belted out by Betty Hutton in Annie get your Gun – ‘Anything you can do I can do better’. Cass discerns the truth of this vis-a vis our mobs, politicians and terrorists with the change of ‘better’ to ‘worse’.
The entire world was abuzz with the assault on the Capitol after Trump’s call in his speech at a Republican rally instigating action must be taken. So white supremacists stormed the Capitol targeting the US Congress and House of Representatives. Cass’ reaction was: Oh, we Sri Lankans can do better and surpass those beefy guys who scaled the walls of the seat of American government; smashed windows, crawled, crept and swept into rooms. Trump’s call for sedition was to disrupt the votes being taken within that, would seal the coffin of his departure from office; his coffin in actuality. Though disrupted, the Senate did convene later through the night and passed all electoral college votes to confirm Biden’s bid for Presidency, and Harris for VP.
Here was true democracy within the government in sharp contrast to the anarchy without, instigated by a megalomaniac. He seems to be assured his true dessert – impeachment and even a judicial case against him as instigator of a coup. But will he do worse in the few days left to the 21st and the inauguration of the new President? You never know with a psychopath.
The war cry over there was: Trump did not lose the elections; it was rigged and fraudulent. Thus, the American whites have to grab power by whatever means. Many of the rioters have been apprehended; some in positions of power who encouraged the riot including two Republican Senators. Five have died, one being the pitiable police officer who was shown on TV as suffocating, wedged in a too small space by the rioters and screaming for help. Most of the beefy ones who rioted are lower down types – mostly ill-educated Republicans.
How did we fare over here and do worse, as I contend? SWRD Bandaranaike, soon after he won the Premiership with forming his own party, introduced the Pancha Maha Bala Vegaya as the backbone of the country. Thus, a motley group of farmers, ayurveda practitioners, Buddhist monks, teachers and workers were invited to roam around the Parliament – then by Galle Face Green. Their exhilaration was so great, one sat on the Speaker’s chair – truly sacrosanct then. SWRD for sure is guilty of dragging members of the peasantry to a false sense of power which they overrode.
His Sinhala Only Act paralleled Trump’s incitement to the mob, but with a difference. Though, Trump gloated for a short while, maybe four hours, and the wrong was quickly righted, the violence incited by the Sinhala Only Ac, at first with no concession to either Tamil or English, continued down the decades and though modified to be more accommodating, is still a sharp thorn in the flesh of Sri Lankans. A 28-year civil war resulted with thousands killed. Trump will get his due punishment; SWRD was shot by a Buddhist monk instigated by another.
To parallel the assault on the Capitol was the uproar within the Sri Lankan Parliament in September 2018. The major difference is that while mostly white thugs stormed the Capitol, our Members of Parliament, Sri Lanka’s premier legislators turned rioters and ruffians flouted outrageously the protocols and rules of Parliament. The Americans went in with bull strength. Many may have had firearms but did not whip them out. They used hastily gathered ‘weapons’ like legs torn off chairs. Our rioting MPs went berserk too and were better armed with bound Holy Bibles, torn off equipment, chairs, and deadly chilli powder. We can equal Trump’s role of inciter to the leader of the Party gone berserk, who sat quietly watching. The facilitator was the Prez at the time: Sirisena. No one can deny we did not do worse than the Americans. (‘better than’ as in the song Cass mentioned). Cass looked out for women in the Washington DC melee. Just a very few; unrecognisable in their winter coats. We went better: we had two screaming women cheerleaders in our August House, leading on the Johnstons and Gammanpilas. Yes, Pavithradevi, now of Peni and Mutti fame, and Dr Sudarshini, currently mercifully earning respect as State Minister in charge of C19 prevention. House of Reps Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, was on hand and took the lead to get business done, though it was late night. Our parallel: sage saviour, again of high repute, who braved the gang of uncouth MPs and their missiles and restored the House to order: – Speaker Karu Jayasuriya.
‘Black Lives Matter’ and all that occurs often in the States. In the latest two incidents, two black men were attacked and killed by white policemen. The entire country: Blacks, Whites, Hispanics rose up as one to protest and got laws changed and criminals duly punished.
Oh, goodness, one clash with Tamils (1983) condemned us in the eyes of the entire world; caused a 28-year civil war; saw the rise of the worst terrorist of all times and climes: Prabhakaran and his ‘gift’ to the world – the most horrendous suicide bomber. Wounds of the 1983 riot against Tamils have yet suppurating wounds exposed unjustifiably by the Tamil diaspora. Later, rampages against Muslims and them retaliating had the worst massacre – merciless killing of churchgoers and five-star hotel guests at breakfast by radicalised Muslims.
Thus hasn’t Cass justified fully the statement – we can do worse than even the American mindless thugs.
Continuing Covid 19
Neil Ferguson. epidemiologist of Imperial College UK, interviewed by Stephen Sackur on the BBC HARDtalk programme on Saturday 9 January, admitted that often politicians and the scientific community did not see eye to eye, particularly during the Covid pandemic. Politicians watched economic indices sink low and thus their hopes of re-election later and present popularity, while scientists from virologists across the spectrum to doctors in the forefront of attending to Covid-19 patients had the target of reducing deaths and containing infection with all its attendant corollaries. He said that this pandemic was not going to leave the world for very long. Asked the percentage that should be vaccinated so infection rates are reduced, he did not trot out a definite statistic like 70% but said if over 50s and frontline health workers are immunised, the situation would improve fast. Sackur enquired whether poorer countries and Third Worlders would be ruled out as vaccines roll out. Ferguson disagreed because he said India and Brazil are manufacturing vaccines, even the Oxford one, in bulk and therefore obtainable to poorer countries closer at hand and at less cost.
Cambodia and Vietnam, along with richer Australasia and South Korea were able to contain the spread of infection well since strictures were followed closely, lockdowns were ordered and contact tracing and quarantine efficiently carried out. We, tiny Sri Lanka, would have been in this praiseworthy category if not for resting on laurels after the first success and concentrating on passing the 20A, opening up, and not only disregarding health advice of specialists but even encouraging dissidence among scientists and the medical profession.
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And then of course came the Ukrainians, made to be detestable by an admirer of theirs, a sponsor of sorts, an arranger of their leisure and R&R, of scantily dressed, holidaying gals with others overflowing our holiday resorts and tourists sites – the former selected to benefit only some hoteliers, it is rumoured. The Ukrainians – a pilot – introduced the influx of the second wave of greater virulence (no denying this at all) and a promoter of tourism – outside the tourism sector – but living grand with address: Temple Trees, Colombo 3, is continuing the risk we face for weeks on end with thousands of Ukrainians flying here – all in a test run, protective bubbles or whatever only imagined. You know Cass remembered her maternal grandmother, four feet something, but in nature a red hot chilli. Deiya saakki was the neatest expression of disgust and annoyance in seven villages surrounding hers; and her curse: Hena hathak gahapan with a spat out nodaking. Cass echoes the lady now as she dreads the announcement of a high rise of C19 in the areas flooded across by the Ukrainian holiday makers. They have even been taken to the Dalada Maligawa, always full of devotees. Were the two Mahanayakes not informed?
An experiment, she thought, is a one-off until test results are obtained and measured and deductions made. So, if the first batch of Ukrainian tourists was a test run, bringing in the second contingent should have been suspended until the situ here was assessed. Two weeks at least to ascertain whether fresh cases of infection were reported from people involved and sites visited. No. This was NOT done and not criticized by anyone with political clout. The JVP has shouted against the move; others have come out strong. Not a squeak from the Presidential Task Force for the prevention of Covid 19 spread. We admired them so much earlier, to the point of veneration. Did Jasinghe’s kick to an alien field from the medical where he rendered yeoman service debilitate the Task Force though led by no less a smart person than the Army Commander?
We wait fearfully studying the sure rise of the second wave of infection which should have been well on the wane, but for the Ukrainians.
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 . )
