Editorial
When beggars begin to choose …
Friday 29th October, 2021
China has taken exception to the detection by Sri Lankan scientists of harmful bacteria in the samples of a consignment of Chinese organic fertiliser to be imported. Tests were conducted twice and the samples were found to be contaminated on both occasions. Now, China wants the samples retested at another laboratory ‘acceptable to both sides’. The Sri Lankan government, whose leaders never miss an opportunity to wrap themselves in the flag, and vow to defend the country’s interests even at the expense of their dear lives, has meekly given in; we only see their submissive shrugs of resignation and feeble attempts to justify their servility. Will the process of fertiliser testing go on until the Chinese company concerned obtains the result it desires? Sri Lanka’s rejection of its product is bound to affect its trade with other countries adversely. That, however, is not this country’s problem.
There is no gainsaying that China has helped Sri Lanka in numerous ways and continues to do so, and Sri Lankans should be grateful to it. But China has no right to pressure this country to buy its fertiliser which has been found to be contaminated not just once but twice. There is the danger of foreign microorganisms that come with imported organic fertilser ruining the domestic agricultural sector. Once Sri Lanka’s National Plant Quarantine Service confirms the presence of harmful bacteria in fertiliser samples, the matter must be deemed closed. China should realise this as a true friend of Sri Lanka.
The ship carrying the contaminated fertiliser stock from China is reported to have gone missing since the Colombo Port announced its decision to deny it entry. It is being claimed in some quarters that the vessel has changed its name and is on its way to Colombo. Will it call at Hambantota instead? Anything is possible in this country, where corruption is the basis on which deals are cut. China, however, should not be singled out for criticism. Other countries and their companies also play tricks on Sri Lanka. It may be recalled that a British company involved in flyover business here has been fined in the UK for overseas corruption and breaching UN sanctions. The London court, which heard the case, was informed that Mabey and Johnson had started the practice of paying bribes to politicians to secure contracts in other countries in 1993. Some ruling party MPs are trying to figure out why on earth their government has entered into a clandestine agreement with a US energy firm; dozens of SLPP lawmakers have been pressing for an explanation, but their leaders have not responded.
Most of those who are condemning China for its attempt to have the contaminated fertiliser stock dumped here have never made an issue of the fact that Sri Lanka has become the dumping ground for substandard agrochemicals from other countries. Harmful hospital waste used to be brought here from the UK, and the much-maligned Customs officials, and the media had to fight quite a battle to put an end to the racket.
As for tests on imports, this is not the first time Sri Lankan scientific community’s professional integrity has been unfairly questioned. Following the detection of traces of agrochemical, dicyandiamide, in imported milk powder, the test reports were challenged in a similar manner. In 2013, Fonterra challenged the accuracy of tests conducted on its products here and claimed Sri Lanka did not have required technology to test for dicyandiamide in milk powder! The issue was thus obfuscated, and Sri Lankans, true to form, lost interest in it. Nobody knows whether Sri Lankans continue to consume agrochemicals with milk.
China, or any other country for that matter, should not be allowed to employ the same tactics as the Pettah pavement hawkers, who intimidate those who examine their wares carefully and express dissatisfaction. It must be left to Sri Lanka to have tests conducted on its imports and decide whether they are fit to be used here. But the problem is that the so-called Sri Lankan leaders beg for money from foreigners and benefit from the largesse of foreign governments and companies bent on putting crooked deals through here; they are concerned only about their personal interests.
Let the Sri Lankan scientists, who have been slighted, be urged to continue to test imported organic fertiliser and make their findings known to the public because the government is very likely to allow contaminated fertilser to be brought in, on some pretext or another, for obvious reasons.