Abort Immediately the Indian Oil Tank Deal – A Statement by the ‘Socialist Vanguard Party for the Restoration of a United and Sovereign Sri Lanka’
Posted on January 7th, 2022
Sri Lanka Study Circle”
A wild frenzy to sell-off the country’s assets to foreign parties, making dishonourable gains in the process and making plans to push off to foreign abodes to enjoy their booty, appears to be the sole aim of the members of the current government; there appears to be no difference between them and their predecessors in treacherously corroborating with the enemy to dismantle and balkanize the Island Nation.
However, there is a difference. The current representatives of the people are throwing caution to the winds and recklessly careering on a course of treachery, perhaps harbouring delusions that they would not be held responsible for their acts of high treason.
Udaya Gammampila, at a recent press briefing, said that there are on-going negotiations to give the oil-tank farm in Trincomalee to the Indians. No one knows the terms and conditions of the give-away of these priceless and strategic assets of the people; the deal is being negotiated secretly behind the backs of the people.
Did the people give their representatives the authority and approval to do deals with these oil-tank assets? Not one of the 6.9 million people who delegated their powers to the current representatives, gave them authority to sell off even one lid of any of the 98 oil tanks.
Were tenders called for, to ‘develop’ and to use any of the Trincomalee oil tanks? In the absence of tenders being called, on what basis was India chosen? For example, the Chinese technology in this field is far more advanced than that of India and, with China being a far wealthier Nation than India, China could possibly give Sri Lanka a far better deal.
Some may erroneously argue that Sri Lanka would be sucked into a deadly Chinese debt trap; this is a fallacy that has its origins in the Western Capitals of the world to whom we owe the largest percentage of our debt; the Chinese component of the debt is a mere 10 per cent.
Since there has been a complete breakdown of transparency in this sordid affair relating to the oil-tank issue, can the people be faulted for openly alleging that the American-Rajapakse’s and Gammampila are personally profiting from the sale of this valuable asset of the people? The people attribute the secrecy involved and the absence of tender procedure, to the magnitude of corruption that is at the center of this deal.
The Socialist Vanguard Party for the Restoration of a United and Sovereign Sri Lanka demand that the dubious and secret negotiations for the oil-tank giveaway, without any form of tender procedure, be aborted, forthwith.
On behalf of the people, the Socialist Vanguard Party demands that a transparent and open tender procure be adopted, with Sri Lanka describing in detail the terms and conditions of the contract and with Sri Lanka retaining ownership and control of the oil-tank farm at all times.
Our representatives, illicitly negotiating this dubious deal with India are warned that their conduct is unlawful and that the Sri Lankan people consider any deal arrived at, as illegitimate.
The Indian party to the deal is advised that if perchance an illicit deal is made by the current government representatives in a non-competitive and non-transparent manner, the people will reject it outright and not honour it, when the current representatives cease to hold office.
The Socialist Vanguard Party for the Restoration of a United and Sovereign Sri Lanka” is a fast-growing political movement born out of the despair of the Sri Lankan people who are seeing the deliberate destruction of the State in front of their eyes.
Corruption, cronyism and a lack of moral-mettle to stand-up for what is right has made brittle the Administration, the Legislature and the Judiciary, the essence of democracy and people’s power.
The sovereignty of the people has been replaced by a dictatorship of two alternating political parties whose leaders dictatorially control the parties and who dance to the tune of their local and foreign financiers. This is possible because the representatives of the people are not made accountable to the people at the end of their term of office. The Socialist Vanguard Party has concluded that it is time to stem the rot, restore our sovereignty and unify the country.
Our struggle begins with the oil-tank farm in China bay; this is not the preserve of the Indians. It belongs to the people of Sri Lanka. We invite interested parties, including the Indians and the Chinese, to make their bids in accordance with our requirements.
January 8th, 2022 at 5:51 am
This is a blatant ‘kade yaamak’.
What bloody bids, man!.
This should be a 100% Sri Lankan affair, without the involvements of foreigner.
My late father worked in the building of this Trinco Naval Base for the Brits. Building naval bases must have been our forte!. I myself was leading a team in redesigning and building a large naval base elsewhere. Being from a generation of families connected with historic Dedigama, we may have been in it for many generations and when people talk of selling our assets protected by sweat and blood of our ancestors as well as present generation, they go against our very grains.
January 8th, 2022 at 8:15 pm
I tell these fools to read Mahavansa, which says that the whole of East Coast of Sri Lanka was one ship building yard during the time of Parakramabahu the first who was born in Dedigama. Why did he do that: because he was angered by the actions of a tyrant ruler in present day Myanmar when he sent an entourage with a princess to Cambodia. At that time the East nations did not have the technology for astronavigation. If not even the Portuguese would not have been able to display their powers.
Now our imbeciles trying to give the only defense related Naval Base we own to other countries on a platter. And Indians are thinking their dreams have come true!.
Yes, we must tell them to ‘dream, dream, dream, dreeeeam’ as the famous sons goes.