Features
What happens after a mass shooting in America? Another mass shooting
by Vijaya Chandrasoma
Ten people, including a police officer, were killed in yet another mass shooting at a grocery store in Boulder, Colorado, last Monday, less than a week after the Atlanta massacre. Ten people, ordinary folks, young and old, getting their prescriptions filled or grocery shopping, just everyday tasks, ending in gruesome death.
The weapon used by the suspect in the shooting, 21-year old Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, was a Ruger AR-556 assault rifle. He was arrested wearing no shirt and shoes, and was shot in his leg at the time of arrest. Police have not as yet offered a motive, but Alissa’s brother said that he was suffering from mental illness.
Alissa, a long-time resident of a Denver suburb, has been charged with 10 counts of murder. He was ordered by court to be held without bail pending a mental evaluation.
President Biden was devastated by the shooting, which he described was not a bipartisan problem, but an American problem. He expressed his deep sympathy for the families of the Boulder shootings, and assured them that sensible gun control laws will be enforced in the near future. A boilerplate statement made in the past by every president after a mass shooting. Followed, of course, by thoughts and prayers, but no other action.
The mass shooting in Boulder, Colorado was preceded by a mass murder in Atlanta, Georgia two weeks ago. Eight people were murdered in three separate attacks in Atlanta-area spas. The killer was a 21-year-old white man, Robert A. Long, his weapon of choice was an AR-15 assault rifle.
Among the dead in Atlanta were six Asian women, raising obvious suspicions of a hate crime. However, despite evidence staring them in the face, Cherokee County police officials stated that “it was too early to determine whether he’ll be charged with a hate crime”. They said that Long, who has confessed to the crimes, was a “sex addict who patronized these establishments”, and was “motivated by a sexual addiction at odds with his religious beliefs”. They also said, and I kid you not, that he was “having a bad day”.
Just a poor white, religiously confused kid who likes sex and was probably suffering from a hangover.
Both the Boulder and Atlanta shooters, Alissa and Long, are alleged to be mentally sick, and purchased assault rifles within a week before the shootings. Long purchased his weapon on the very same day of the shooting, Alissa six days before.
Three of the main demands of proponents of gun reform, reiterated by President Biden last Tuesday – a ban on assault rifles, universal background checks and a waiting period after purchase – would probably have prevented both shootings, had these reforms been in force. Reforms which have the support of over 80% of the American population.
President Biden and Vice President Harris visited Atlanta in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. Their messages to the families of the victims and to everyone in the nation mourning yet another senseless mass shooting were full of compassion, empathy and hope. The same aforementioned thoughts and prayers.
The American Constitution, drafted in the late 18th century, was designed to protect the rights of white men who had lost the privilege of owning slaves to Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. The time to amend this famous though somewhat obsolete document, redefined to reflect and safeguard the rights of all Americans, is past due. In an earlier essay, I pinpointed some of the more obvious flaws in the US Constitution: the antiquated Electoral College, the dangerously long 11-week transition period of the Lame Duck presidency, and the imbalance of representation in Congress. But I left out its most dangerously and fraudulently misinterpreted section – the Second Amendment.
The Second Amendment states: “A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed”.
The arms then under reference were muskets, not the military-style killing machines in vogue today. The Amendment was ratified in December 1791, to ensure that a well-regulated militia was necessary as “armed citizens will keep the government honest”, that a federal government will not attempt to take control over an individual state as long as its people were armed. An era when the 13 original states (colonies) sought to maintain their individual rights and freedoms.
Chief Justice Warren Burger said in a 1991 interview that the Second Amendment “has been has been the subject of one of the greatest pieces of fraud, I repeat the word fraud, on the American public”. He said that the “right to bear arms belongs to the states”, and not to individual citizens. The Second Amendment guarantees a state’s right to be armed with a well-regulated militia like, for example, today’s National Guard.
Burger attacked the National Rifle Association (NRA) for fostering the opposite view, that the Amendment guaranteed an individual citizen’s right to bear arms, to enable its members – the defense contractors and the gun manufacturers – to carry on a massive fraud on the American public and government.
An armed citizenry will prove no match against well-regulated state and federal forces in the event of a rebellion, as was conclusively proved on January 6, when armed thugs of the radical right, hardly a well-regulated militia, attempted to overturn a democratic election by force.
Mass murder is fast becoming the solution to any racial, political or psychological problem, a national sport sponsored by the NRA, the Republican Party and “Originalists” – a breed of constitutionalists who believe in the words of the American Constitution in their original and literal form, with no consideration to the fact that the nation’s environmental, racial, political, economic and social circumstances have changed beyond recognition since the late 18th century.
President Bill Clinton did enforce a 10-year ban on assault weapons and large-capacity ammunition magazines in 1994, after a spate of mass shootings in California and Texas, between 1991 and 1993 left 65 dead and 58 wounded. Mass shootings fell by 43% between 1994 and 2004, when the sunset provision of the ban expired in 2004.
Republican President George Bush refused to renew the ban in 2004, complying with the instructions of the controllers and paymasters of the Republican Party, the all-powerful NRA. Mass shootings surged by 239% after the ban was lifted, culminating in the horrific Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting at Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012, when a 20-year old white man armed with a military-style assault rifle shot and killed 26, including six teachers and 20 children of six and seven years.
President Obama’s efforts to impose reasonable gun control measures after the Newtown shooting, reforms the Democratic Party had been calling for since the ban on assault rifles was lifted by Bush, were blocked by the majority Republican Senate, on instructions of the NRA.
The current pro-gun lobby arguments are that guns are required for one of America’s favorite “sports”, the hunting and killing of defenseless animals for fun, not for sustenance; and for self-defense, especially for those living in rural areas. Military-style weapons are not the answer to either of these endeavors.
These killing machines have become “the symbol, the embodiment of core American values – freedom, might, self-reliance”. A love affair that claims more than 35,000 lives every year. And highlights the insecurities and shortcomings (pun intended) of some Americans.
The NRA has purchased members of Congress, mostly Republican lawmakers, to vote against any action designed to limit the sale of all types of arms and ammunition. To anyone.
As the sadly accurate joke goes, the only thing easier to buy in America than a gun is a Republican Senator!
The constitutional misinterpretation by these “Originalists” of the terms of Second Amendment, the Separation of Church and State and other outdated clauses is responsible for the greatest threats facing America today – the trifecta of the plagues of organized religion, domestic terrorism (aka white racism) and gun violence. Continuing and escalating dangers that make the Covid 19 virus look like a mild attack of the common cold.
Like universal health care and free education, America, the self-confessed richest and most powerful country in the world, also lacks gun control regulations enforced in every other developed country. Laws which have succeeded in those countries keeping gun violence to a fraction of shootings per capita compared to the numbers in the USA.
Australian firearm policies had remained unchanged for decades, until a spate of mass murders in the 1990s culminated when a gunman opened fire at the Port Arthur National Site in Tasmania, killing 35 people in 1996. Australia’s conservative Prime Minster, John Howard, immediately delivered nationwide, bipartisan gun law reform. By January 1997, all eight state and territory governments had completed a mandatory buyback or confiscation of over 650,000 (in a population at the time of 18 million) specified firearms. In the 15 years prior to these reforms, Australia had endured 14 mass shootings in which a total of 126 people died. In the 20 years that have followed, there have been no mass shootings recorded.
New Zealand provided an even more compelling reason for gun reform. A white supremacist killed 51 and wounded 40 Muslims at prayer in two Christchurch mosques in 2019. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern immediately announced a total ban of all semi-automatic weapons and assault rifles. The new laws went into effect on April 11, 2019, a record 26 days after the shooting. Prime Minister Ardern said, “Our history changed forever, now our laws will too”. There have been no mass shootings in New Zealand since the new legislation has been in force.
Both Australia and New Zealand have strong gun lobbies, which were outflanked and outwitted by both popular demand and strong, compassionate leadership.
Such drastic regulations will be impossible to enforce in the United States. A nation that forms 4% (326,474,000) of the world’s population, but has 40% (393,347,000) of civilian firearms. An average of 1.2 guns in the hands of every man, woman and child.
President Biden held his first press conference since his inauguration on Thursday, March 25. With a calm demeanor, he said that he was working on the main crises he faced on taking office, the pandemic and the economy. He said he was ahead of his aim of achieving 200 million Americans to be vaccinated before his 100 days are up, which will revive the economy and get the kids back in school by the Fall. His next priority will be his multi-trillion-dollar infrastructure bill.
The other matters awaiting urgent action, including gun control after the two recent shootings in Colorado and Georgia; immigration reform and the humanitarian crisis at the Southern border; the elimination of the filibuster, which President Obama described as a relic of the Jim Crow apartheid era, the abuse of which serves only to block progressive legislation by the minority Republicans; will be dealt with by Congress while he was concentrating on his main priorities of the pandemic, the economy and infrastructure.
It was disappointing that Biden did not see the necessity for immediate action on gun reform, which he had earlier indicated would be one of his top priorities. After the Boulder shooting, he said that he would enforce basic reforms, notably universal background checks, a reasonable waiting period after purchase and a total ban of military-style assault rifles, if not by legislation, then by Executive Order. Legislation which has once again been pushed to the back burner.
Could a nation which saw the slaughter of 20 precious little children in Newtown, Connecticut in 2012, and still failed to enforce gun control, be moved to remedial action by any mass shooting at all? Almost certainly, deplorably not. The NRA and the bought and paid for politicians of the Republican Party will not permit the enforcement of even basic reforms, not anytime soon. Gun reform will continue to stagnate as a fervent but forlorn hope.
There will be messages of heartfelt grief and eternal love, with beautiful wreaths of flowers placed at the killing scene in memory of those murdered. An outpouring of national thoughts and prayers, an avalanche of hearts going out to the families of the victims.
And little else, till the next shooting.
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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