Features
“WE HAVE OUR JURY” – NEW YORK JUDGE MERCHAN
The first ‘witch hunt’ of the century begins
by Vijaya Chandrasoma
And so the retribution gets under way, two and a half years too late. There are three more criminal trials against Trump, in which he has been charged with far more heinous crimes than the first, languishing in the wings of the federal courts of Washington DC (Obstruction of Justice and Sedition), Miami, Florida (Espionage), and Atlanta, Georgia (Election Fraud). Crimes which have been held up by a combination of a delay in pressing charges against Trump by Attorney General Merrick Garland, Trump’s famed legal strategy of Deny, Distract and Delay and the complicity of the most corrupt Supreme Court in the nation’s history.
Whatever we think of Trump, it is a tragedy of humiliation for a great nation to see one of its former presidents to be dragged down the sewer as the defendant of a salacious criminal trial in a courthouse in New York. For the first time in its history.
Trump has pleaded Not Guilty to each one of the 91 felonies, lying that this is another attempt by “Crooked Joe” Biden to “weaponize the Department of Justice” and carry out the greatest “witch hunt” in history, against a man who “has done nothing wrong”. A man, perhaps next only to Jesus in sheer adoration to some, who may be the “most innocent man the world has ever seen”. When the reality is that, to Trump, lying is as natural as breathing, and he is a criminal sociopath who considers himself legally and divinely above the law.
And he blames, again, Crooked Joe and the US Justice system, for delaying the hearing of these trials, which will conclusively prove his innocence to the general electorate before the November election. According to him, the inevitable spate of NOT GUILTY verdicts in all these trials before the November election will persuade the majority of undecided voters to join the cult of morons who believe he has done nothing wrong, can do nothing wrong and will lead the nation to the white, Christian Utopia they dream of, which they are terrified of losing to the brown-skinned, blood-poisoning vermin, who are “invading” the European Vaterland. A classic case of his trademark transference, as the delays have all been caused by his desire to postpone the trials till after the November election. When, as he hopes, he will be re-elected to the presidency and will be empowered to instruct his Department of Justice to dismiss the charges and so avoid imprisonment.
A most distressing sentiment I have gleaned from recent reported interviews with hardline Trump supporters in deep red states like Texas is that while they do not consider Trump fit to be president, while they are disgusted with his vulgarity and criminal behavior, they will still vote for him in November, because “he is better than Biden”.
Even Bill Barr, originally Trump’s loyalist Attorney General, incurred Trump’s wrath by testifying at the January 6 House Select Committee that Trump’s claims that the 2020 presidency election was stolen from him were baseless, that the allegations of election fraud were “bogus”, “idiotic” and “bullshit”. Ever since then, Trump has been insulting Barr in tweets and election campaign rants in his inimitable, vulgar style. And Barr in turn has repeatedly said that a second-term for Trump will be a threat to US democracy. Amazingly, though, at a recent interview, Barr said that when it comes to the crunch, he will vote for Trump in November, because “Biden’s progressive agenda will present more of a threat to the country”.
So the most powerful country in the world may elect a president, a convicted felon, that even moderate Republicans and Independents do not think is fit for the job. However, with seven months to go before the November election, with ample opportunities for Trump to either incriminate himself with his self-destructive, incendiary rants, or be incriminated by the myriad felonies he faces; and for Biden and the Democrats to get the message of a thriving economy across to the electorate; there is enough time for moderate Americans to come to their senses.
In my totally biased opinion, there is really no chance of the re-election of Trump and the end of democracy in the USA. As Winston Churchill famously said, “Americans will always do the right thing, only after they have tried everything else”. And they tried Trump once, a disaster they will not repeat.
The first trial which began on Monday, April 15, was nearly seven years too late, as it concerns the payment of “hush money”, for falsifying election campaign records relative to Trump’s sexual encounters in 2016. These payments were made to porn star, Stormy Daniels ($135,000), to Playboy model Karen McDougal ($150,000) for sexual encounters, and to a Trump Tower doorman ($30,000), who claimed he had a story about a child Trump had fathered “out of wedlock” with an ex-housekeeper at Trump Tower, to buy their silence before the 2016 presidential election.
Trump kicked off his pre-trial whining tweets, sobbing that the cruel Judge Merchan will not allow him to attend his son’s high school graduation, plaintively posting, “Who will explain for me, to my wonderful son, Barron, who is a GREAT student at a fantastic School, that his Dad will likely not be allowed to attend his Graduation Ceremony, something we have been talking about for years”.
Crocodiles have shed more convincing tears. Trump’s relationship with the son born when he was having public sexual encounters with porn stars, was, to put the kindest spin on it, indifferent. Rather like his relationships with most everyone else in the world, except for the grotesque love he has for himself. Also, this is a blatant lie. Judge Merchan has already agreed that Trump would be allowed to attend his son’s graduation if the case is progressing on schedule.
Trump also posted on Monday, “The Crooked Judge” has GAGGED me. Unconstitutional! The other side can talk about me, but I am not allowed to talk about them”. Another lie. Trump is free to talk about the criminal justice system, only he is not allowed to make ad hominem (directed against a person rather than the position they are maintaining) attacks and threats of violence against people associated with the case and their families.
Trump then complained that his lawyers were not given “unlimited” chances to reject prospective jurors for the trial. New York state law, like that of every other state in the nation, caps the number of would-be jurors defense lawyers can object to without cause. Another obvious ploy by Trump’s lawyers to fail to assemble the required number of 18 eligible jurors (12 sitting with six alternates), so that the trial is further delayed or may require its move to a jurisdiction where Trump is not hated. Moscow immediately comes to mind.
Over half of the 96 prospective jurors questioned on Monday had to be excused as they admitted their bias against Trump. Tuesday was better. Seven jurors were seated. Though Trump seemed to be so bored with the jury selection routine that he dozed off for a few minutes.
On Tuesday night, Trump violated the gag order, tweeting a comment made by Jesse Waters of Fox News, referring to the jurors already selected: “They are catching undercover Liberal Activists lying to the judge to get on the Trump jury”. An obvious case of juror intimidation, threatening both sitting and prospective jurors. Judge Merchan is considering what action should be taken against Trump for this blatant violation of the gag order.
The court was not in session on Wednesday. On Thursday, six more jurors were deemed eligible, making a total of 12 sitting jurors and one alternate for the Trump trial.
Judge Merchan runs his court by the book, and will not tolerate any histrionics by Trump or dilatory tactics by his counsel. He is confident that trial proceedings can begin by Monday, April 22, with a full complement of 12 sitting jurors and six alternates.
At the end of the successful seating of the full complement of jurors and alternates, defense counsel requested the prosecution to share the names of the first three witnesses they plan to call after opening arguments; a courtesy that is normally extended, but not legally required. The prosecution refused, on the basis of the vicious lies and threats Trump had earlier posted against the judge, the prosecution, other witnesses and court officials and their families. When Trump’s defense counsel assured the court that Trump will not post anything about these witnesses in the future, Judge Marchan said, with more than a trace of irony, “I don’t think you can make that representation”.
The other item of speculation is whether Trump will testify in his defense at the trial. Trump himself has stated with conviction that he intends to so testify “as he has nothing to hide, he has done nothing wrong”. News heard by the prosecution with great delight. Trump’s defense counsel will instruct their client not to take the stand, being fully cognizant of the fact that Trump will not be able to speak one word without perjuring himself. But Trump, who has often said that he is a stable genius whose knowledge of the law is paralleled only by that of the great Alfred the Great, the Anglo-Saxon King of the 9th century, who assembled a code of law in his kingdom that had to be applied to all persons, rich or poor, friends and enemies. A code that was inspired by Leviticus 19.15, coincidentally one of Trump’s favorite clauses in the only Good Book he has read, other than his second Bible, Adolf Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” (My Struggle):
“You shall do no iniquity in judgment. You shall not favor the wretched and you shall not defer to the rich. In righteousness you are to judge your fellow”.
It would be child’s play for a man of such religious fervor and devotion to the truth to acquit himself with glory at a witness box in an earthly court of justice in a city which he once hallucinated he owned.
Next week should be most interesting, unless the Supreme Court can come up with yet another ingenious reason for delay. Presidential immunity?
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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