Features
What we must say at the UNHRC in Geneva
by JAYANTHA GUNASEKERA, PC
Under the Presidency of Donald Trump the USA quit UNHRC alleging that the Council is biased and unreliable. It was the USA that sponsored Resolution 30/1 against Sri Lanka. With the USA leaving the UNHRC this Resolution necessarily lapses as there is no sponsor now, and it is therefore not valid.
We must, at any cost, withdraw from the co-sponsorship of this Resolution of March 2019 which was done without the approval of the Cabinet and of the then President. According to our Constitution, no foreign judges or foreign prosecutors are permissible in the judicial mechanism. Though not strictly relevant, we should also apprise the delegates of the reasons why General Shavendra Silva is being hounded and prohibited from entering the United States 11 years after the war. He did his duty by his country. As a result, 21 million people today live without fear of terrorist attacks.
It is necessary that we should go back to the period where the whole UNHRC exercise originated after the war ended in may 2009. One of the people who started the inimical exercise was the then Head of the UNHRC – Navaneethan (Navi) Pillay of Tamil descent.
We must apprise the delegates in Geneva that the US, UK and European Union politicians are making a desperate attempt to destabilize Sri Lanka not for human rights violations but because Sri Lanka refused to obey their dictates to save the life of Prabhakaran, their erstwhile friend, who not only bought stacks of their sophisticated weapons but also paid them millions of dollars in filthy lucre. These western politicians, in order to prevent their illegal sources of income completely drying up, continue to cater to the dictates of the LTTE Diaspora, who provide them fabricated and blatantly false information. The LTTE has billions of dollars stashed away, part of which is spent bribing westerners. The LTTE Diaspora lead an opulent life style in the West and continue to mount pressure on Tamils worldwide to collect millions of dollars, just as they did when Prabhakaran was alive.
Had our delegation in March 2019 consulted professionals we would not have been in this plight today. Most Lankans feel that the same old faces, the same old brains, the same old approach, the same docile manner in putting things across may bring the same old results as in 2012/2013.
Rather than depend on paid advisers only, many lawyers, diplomats, and those who have done an in-depth study should be consulted before our strategy is decided. I am confident that they will give of their best for the country ‘pro deo’. We must realize that there are good brains among the self employed that can be harnessed with no cost to the government.
We must, in Geneva, make a case against LTTE cohorts who have supplied weapons and given every possible ‘material support’ so that they could be brought before an International War Crimes Tribunal. The US, Britain, Norway and other western countries will oppose this tooth and nail as they will not want to kill the goose that lays the golden egg. The LTTE Diaspora are bribing western politicians and delivering them votes at elections to remain in office and enjoy the consequent perks.
If these matters are intelligently and convincingly placed before the delegates in Geneva, not many will vote with Britain, US. the European Union, and Canada. We may have to change our tactics now and be on the offensive. In 2012/2013 it was a fiasco. A case in point is that a few years ago, Palestine defended herself very successfully, and all the countries in the UNHRC voted with Palestine. Only the USA backed Israel.
If we are to continue to remain a sovereign nation it is mandatory that new laws will have to be enacted to make any attempt of separation either in word or in deed high treason punishable with loss of civic rights, confiscation of property and death. The State must act swiftly. The present laws to curb traitors is totally inadequate.
We should move a counter resolution backed by some friendly countries against the glaring human rights violations by the US, UK and other western countries. Even if this fails, it will dawn attention of delegates that the US and UK who are against us are themselves violators of human rights; and they should be the last to use the human right stick to beat other countries.
In October 2009, five months after the war ended, the Western Powers at the behest of the LTTE Diaspora made a desperate attempt to punish Sri Lanka before the HRC in Geneva. There was ample time for the LTTE Diaspora and the Western Powers to make out a strong case. There was no Channel 4 then so they started making fictitious films to bluff unintelligent westerners. In the absence of cogent and compelling material, UNHRC exonerated Sri Lanka. Any lawyer knows that contemporaneous evidence has to be adduced to prove any allegation. Belated evidence is valueless and considered to amount to an afterthought. Also, once exonerated the country remains exonerated on the principle ‘Autrefoi acquit’ (an accused not being tried a second time for the same crime on the same facts). Then the LTTE Diaspora machinery started working, heavily bribing the Westerners and re-canvassing the same issue on evidence thereafter fabricated which was non existent in October 2009. Now we ourselves seem to have forgotten that we have already been exonerated.
It has to be forcefully and convincingly urged that our forces saved 300,000 Tamils from the clutches of the marauding LTTE killers. This is not disputed. Some Tamils were killed by the LTTE when they were floeeing to army controlled territory for safety. The LTTE held them as a human shield without food and water. These facts are well known to the Westerners. Thousands of army personnel sacrificed their lives in the process of trying to save the Tamils.
According to these brainwashed Western powers, our forces are supposed to have killed 40,000 Tamils. Only those with a very low IQ will believe that the same forces that saved 300,000 Tamils were responsible for killing 40,000 in the last two weeks of the war. Those who make these allegations must ask themselves the question, will our forces kill 40,000 when 300,000 lives were saved by the same forces? They could have wiped out even these 300,000 or permitted Prabhakaran to kill them without putting their own lives in danger.
It is an accepted fact that the LTTE targeted and killed thousands of their own people for disobeying their orders by refusing to be a human shield and fleeing behind army lines for protection. Those who make allegations against the army must ask themselves the question: will 300,000 run for protection to the army if the same army killed 40,000 of the same Tamils? Our detractors claims not four, not 40, not 400 nor 4,000 but 40,000 dead bodies. Can 40,000 bodies be made to vanish into thin air? Where are these bodies and what are the names of the dead? Where are their graves and, if the bodies were burnt, where are the incinerators? Only those who want to believe such poppycock will do so.
The US and UK are under deep obligation to the LTTE Diaspora for the bribes they have accepted and the Diaspora votes delivered to corrupt politicians at various elections.
Britain, USA and France are heavily dependent on the sale of armaments for the sustenance of their economies. If wars are not encouraged and ongoing wars not prolonged, arms and munition factories will have to close down and those working in the arms industry will loose their jobs. So it is in the interest of arms manufacturing countries to propagate war elsewhere. They have already created chaos in Libya, Iraq, Egypt, Tunisia and Syria.
The USA and UK may be envious that Sri Lanka has eradicated terrorism while they are still grappling with the problem despite all their sophisticated weapons and superior forces. The history of US failures in military adventures in the 1950’s, when they got bogged down in the Korean war and had to retreat, is well known. Next, they had to leave Vietnam and pull out of Iraq; now they are leaving of Afghanistan in ignominy. Perhaps they should take a cue from the SL forces on how to wage a successful war.
Was Prabhakaran used by the British and Americans to kill Rajiv Gandhi? That is not an unreasonable question in a world full of intrigue. Was there a plan to use the LTTE not only to destabilize Sri Lanka but also destabilize and fragment India? The Western powers did everything to prevent India from becoming a nuclear power. We must remember how the US and UK treated India for quite some time when India developed nuclear weapons. India’s markets are enormous and the Indian economy has grown by leaps and bounds, while western economies are stagnant.
If Stephen Rapp, former US ambassador-at large for war crimes, was impartial, he should have visited the Dalada Maligawa where hundreds were killed by an LTTE bomb, Sri Maha Bodhi in Anuradhapura where many people died as a result of an LTTE bomb, Aranthalawa where several bhikkus were massacred, the Madhu Church where several Catholics were killed and a host of other places where many Sinhalese and Muslims were slaughtered. Instead, he visited only the North and says 40,000 were killed in these areas. Whom does he think he is fooling? How can Rapp tender a convincing report without a jot or tittle of convincing evidence that 40,000 were killed by the Lankan forces during the last two weeks of the war. We have not forgotten how Hillary Clinton sent David Milliband, former UK foreign secretary, and French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner to twist Mahinda Rajapaksa’s arm to stop the war. Rajapaksa stood his ground. Hence their present attitude. Is there any doubt that Rapp too was strongly influenced not only by his ow government but the LTTE Diaspora as well?
American and British politicians must remember the hatred that the world had for Hitler’s Germany. They must be conscious of the hatred their politicians are bringing upon their people by various acts of omission and commission. It is time that the people of those countries took their politicians to task for their actions. Politicians may come and go but the hatred they attract towards their people will stick like glue.
US Congressman Eni F.H. Faleomavega warned his government against taking sides on the Sri Lanka issue, urging it not to resort to double standards. He called upon the US to stop bullying a country strategically important to it, unnecessarily antagonizing 21 million Sri Lankans by catering to a few thousand criminal LTTE Diaspora agents.
We all remember what the then U.S. embassy defence attache in Colombo, Lt. Col. Laurence Smith, said in 2011 at a seminar on ‘Defeating Terrorism – the Sri Lanka Experience’. He made some outspoken comments that were widely reported. They included inter alia: ‘I have been the Defense Attaché here at the US Embassy in Colombo Since June 2008. Regarding the various versions of events that came out in the final hours and days of the conflict, from what I was privileged to hear and see, the offers for surrender that I am personally aware of seemed to come from the mouthpieces of the LTTE – Nadesan, KP – people who weren’t and never had really demonstrated any control over the leadership or combat power of the LTTE.
“So their offers were a bit suspect any way and they tended to vary in content hour by hour, day by day. I think we need to examine the credibility of those offers before we leap to conclusions that such offers were in fact real. It is not so uncommon in combat operations in the fog of war, as we all get our second, third, and fourth hand (information) from various commanders at various levels, that the stories don’t all seem to quite match up. But I can say that the version presented by the Sri Lankan Army at this seminar is what I heard as I was here during that time. I think I’d better leave it at that before I get into trouble”.
No sooner had he made this truthful statement, the US State Department dissociated itself with what their own Military and Defense Attaché had said. This is the way the USA and UK work. It clearly shows that the Pentagon and the State Department have two prisms through which they see the wars in the world.
It was very strange that the then Sri Lankan delegation co-sponsored this Resolution without authority from the cabinet from the then president. We must show indomitable courage in the face of daunting odds and overwhelming obstacles that will confront us in Geneva.
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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